Alabama’s national title game victory was primed as a matchup of two Heisman Trophy finalist quarterbacks going head to head, with the underdog, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, being seen as the Buckeyes’ best hope to pull off the upset.
Fields could not do enough for a shorthanded OSU team. In the end, it was the Heisman winner, DeVonta Smith, who made his indelible mark on the game. And all he needed was one half to do so.
That’s star power in a game loaded with future NFL talent. There will be debates about Smith’s unusual dimensions, perhaps his lack of track speed once it comes down to 40-yard dash time and also his cozy surroundings in Bama’s uber-talented, extremely well-schemed offense.