Analysis: Pride and disappointment for Bearcats. Disappointment and pride.
ARLINGTON, Texas – Pride and disappointment are uneasy dance partners on a night such as this. Alabama decisively tamed Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. The Crimson Tide’s 27-6 win was a measured, strolling W that will do nothing to dull the roars of those who think the playoffs should be a privilege granted only to the so-called Power Five schools.
Did it diminish UC’s effort or achievements in 2021, or the joy the players found in each other and shared with the rest of us?
Pride and disappointment. Disappointment and pride.
“We knew the battle in the trenches was going to be a big deal,’’ Luke Fickell said. “That’s kind of where the game was won.’’
That’s where Alabama’s clear edge showed. High schools are filled with fast kids who can catch the ball and fast kids who can run it. These days, there are enough difference-makers playing quarterback that your team doesn’t need a pedigree to find one of those guys. Come on down, Desmond Ridder.
College Football Playoff semifinal: Cincinnati Bearcats' special season ends with loss to Alabama
In college football, the difference between Have and Almost Have is often seen along the lines. Teams with big, fast and quick lines aren’t as easily found. The Cotton Bowl delivered a live lecture on that fact Friday.
Alabama dominated both lines. The Crimson Tide revealed their brutish intentions from their opening possession. Their 11-play, 75-yard touchdown shove was not subtle. The Tide ran the ball 10 times, through holes big enough to drive a statement through.
You have an outstanding pass defense? OK, we’ll just run the ball.
By halftime, Alabama had 302 total yards, Brian Robinson Jr. had rushed for 134 – on his way to 204 – and only the Tide’s leisurely offensive roll kept its lead from being bigger than 17-3. In the first quarter, Alabama had 21 plays. Eighteen were runs.
UC never pushed the Tide, physically or otherwise. Nick Saban played it safe. He was at the blackjack table holding an 18. No need to take a hit. UC never was able to make him take a chance. Saban coached the game as if he knew ahead of time his team would win, if his players didn’t make a lot of mistakes. When does Alabama make a lot of mistakes?
Every Robinson run sucked a little more drama out of the proceedings. Robinson went over 200 running yards with about eight minutes left in the game. By then it was 24-6 and not even a miracle would save Cincinnati.
The Bearcats had chances, but not enough of them. They didn’t cash in on any. Late in the first half, UC down 10-3, Alabama fumbled a Cincinnati punt. The ball squirted around for a hopeful eternity. The Tide recovered inside its 10. Then drove 94 yards for the TD that made it 17-3 at halftime.
An interception gave the Bearcats the ball at their 49 with five minutes left in the third quarter. They lost a total of 16 yards in the next three plays. And so on. It’s hard to picture any scenario in which Cincinnati could have beaten Alabama.
Pride and disappointment. Disappointment and pride.
Cincinnati did bring the joyous riot of the regular season, though. UC fans seemed to far outnumber Tide backers inside AT&T Stadium. They certainly were louder. Joy travels well.
After the game, Ridder lingered on the field. The QB and fifth-year senior’s next move will be to the NFL, where he’ll get a shot to make a football career. That comes later. Friday was for basking, even in a lousy defeat. You only get one college career.
“It was joy,’’ Ridder explained. “Seeing all those Bearcat fans, seeing all the fans in the stands who stuck around all the way to the end, made the 12-, 13-, 14-hour journey to come watch us play football. It was a surreal moment. I made sure I was one of the last to leave the field just to show my support for everyone who came out.’’
“From all over the country,’’ sixth-year senior Joel Dublanko added. “Truly a blessing.’’
Games fade. Memories are more durable.
Fickell spoke of “the brotherhood they’ve built. The energy these guys have created, for our football team, our community, our city. Those guys deserve the very best. Step back and recognize where we’ve come from in these last five years.’’
Pride and disappointment. Disappointment and pride.
It wasn’t close. Alabama was Alabama, the prototypical college football corporation. Friday was an assembly-line whacking that started the first time the Tide had the ball.
Step back, though, as Fickell suggested. There’s more to see there. One game can’t change that.