MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide rushes for a five yard touchdown ahead of Josh Proctor #41 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith was incredibly impressive all season long. But he may have saved his best performance for the final game of the year.
Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy last week, is absolutely destroying Ohio State’s defense on Monday night. At halftime, the senior pass-catcher has already caught 12 balls for 215 yards with three touchdowns. He’s making it look easy against the Buckeyes.
Smith has more than half of Alabama’s catches. The Crimson Tide have struggled to run the ball, but it hasn’t mattered. Smith has broken off huge plays on every drive so far.
As a result, Alabama leads Ohio State at halftime, 35-17. Smith could put up some all-time stats if the game stays somewhat close and Ohio State doesn’t figure out how to cover him.
Smith’s has a pair of five-yard touchdowns and a 42-yard score. The first came with the score tied at 7-7. The second gave Alabama a 28-17 advantage. The last made it 35-17.
DeVonta Smith finds the endzone for the Tide ‼️#NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/xa0QKBugT0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 12, 2021
DEVONTA SMITH IS AUTOMATIC… #CFPNationalChampionship
pic.twitter.com/UT1vWJsxKL— Zach Knight (@zacharyaknight) January 12, 2021
DEVONTA SMITH IS GOING NUCLEAR
12 REC (O 8.5 ✅)
215 YDS (O 124.5 ✅)
3 TDS (+250 ✅)@betsstats
pic.twitter.com/kAGqB9j0sB— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) January 12, 2021
Even LeBron James, Ohio State superfan, tweeted about Smith’s first half.
DeVonte Smith is one of the best pure receivers I’ve ever watched! Like a mix between Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. Man he’s good!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 12, 2021
Heading into the national title game, Smith had posted 105 receptions for 1,641 yards with 20 touchdowns in just 12 games. It was enough to win him the first Heisman Trophy for a wide receiver since Desmond Howard back in 1991.
It’s starting to feel inevitable that Alabama is going to wind up going wire-to-wire this season. We’ll see if Ohio State can find an answer to Smith’s dominance in the second half.
