Alabama football grinds out win over Cincinnati in Cotton Bowl, advancing to national championship

ARLINGTON, Texas — Cincinnati showed it was not out of place in the College Football Playoff, but there's a difference between belonging and being able to beat Alabama football.

The Bearcats made some plays, and the Crimson Tide experienced a few bumps along the way. But keeping pace with Alabama for 60 minutes is difficult for any team. The Crimson Tide can outlast teams and wear them down.

Brian Robinson Jr. led the way in those efforts, running for 204 yards on 26 carries to lead No. 1 Alabama to a 27-6 victory over No. 4 Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The Crimson Tide (13-1) advances to the national championship for the ninth time in Nick Saban's 15 years coaching Alabama. It will play in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 10, 2022.

Here are observations and takeaways from Alabama's win over the Bearcats (13-1).

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Running right at Cincinnati

Each of Alabama’s first two touchdowns came via passing, but the running game is what sparked the offense.

From the first snap, Robinson was running through Cincinnati defenders. He ran for 134 yards in the first half on 17 carries for a whopping 7.9 yards per carry.

Alabama also used an opening script that included 10 rushes on the first 11 plays. The only play that wasn’t a rush on the opening drive was the touchdown pass to Slade Bolden.

Robinson's success on the ground continued throughout the game, especially as Alabama looked to take more and more time off the clock.

Kool-Aid McKinstry prevents turning point

The freshman cornerback played hero in the first half. If not, the game could have changed completely.

As the Bearcats were punting for the third time, Alabama returner JoJo Earle just about gifted the Bearcats the football in the red zone. He muffed the punt, but McKinstry managed to grab the ball at the bottom of the pile.

On the ensuing drive, the Crimson Tide drove 94 yards in 2:03 and took a 17-3 lead it brought with it into halftime. Another freshman, receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, caught a 44-yard touchdown pass.

If McKinstry doesn’t recover that punt, Cincinnati could have made it a 10-10 game heading into the second half. The Bearcats also had the first possession in the third quarter.

Batting practice

Completing passes becomes difficult when they get batted down.

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder experienced this first hand in the first half against Alabama. On the first three drives, the Crimson Tide deflected three passes.

The first one might have been the most pivotal.

The Bearcats marched down the field and had a goal-to-go situation. On first down, Ridder appeared to have an open receiver over the middle, but Alabama linebacker Henry To’o To’o didn’t let the pass get past the line of scrimmage.

Cincinnati ended the drive by kicking a field goal, its only points of the first half.

The pass-batting efforts helped hold Cincinnati to five first downs and 76 total yards in the first half.

Then on second-and-16 in the third quarter, Phidarian Mathis knocked down a pass attempt to force third-and-long. He also had one in the first half.

Alabama pass rush steps up

The Crimson Tide defense kept Cincinnati from taking advantage of many prime opportunities, and the pass rush played a significant role in that.

After Brooks' touchdown, Cincinnati had one more drive before the end of the first half. It would also have another to start the second. But Alabama prevented the Bearcats from scoring at all on the drive to end the first because of back-to-back sacks from Dallas Turner and Will Anderson Jr.

On the Anderson sack, Cincinnati waited to call timeout until there was one second on the clock to go for the Hail Mary attempt. Anderson made sure that didn't happen.

Another crucial sack came in the third quarter after Young threw an interception. Anderson and linebacker Christian Harris combined for the sack on third down to force the three-and-out.

Then, on fourth-and-3 in the fourth quarter, Anderson and Brian Branch combined for the sack.

Bryce Young sets two Alabama records

Young set Alabama's single-season record for passing yards and touchdowns on Friday.

First, he surpassed Tua Tagovailoa by throwing a 44th touchdown to Slade Bolden to start the game. Then, Young surpassed Mac Jones' 4,500 passing yards in 2020 when Young hit Cameron Latu for a fourth-quarter score.

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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football grinds out College Football Playoff win over Cincinnati