2013 BCS National Championship Game
| MVP | Offense: RB Eddie Lacy (Alabama) Defense: LB C. J. Mosley (Alabama) |
|---|---|
The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game scheduled for Monday, January 7, 2013 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It featured the #1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and #2 Alabama Crimson Tide.[4][5][6] The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 42–14 for the national championship.
Alabama was the defending champion and represented the Southeastern Conference, which has participated in every standalone BCS Championship Game (since the format was introduced in the 2006–2007 season) and has won the past six National Championship games. Notre Dame does not belong to a conference and was the first independent team to play in the National Championship game since the start of the BCS.
With the win, Alabama won their second straight BCS championship, their third championship in four years, and their 15th championship overall.[7][8]
Point spread
While Notre Dame came into the game undefeated and ranked #1 in the country, as of January 3, 2013, the point spread on the game according to leading Las Vegas casinos projected Alabama to win by between 9.5 and 10 points. Two billion dollars were expected to be wagered on the game.[9]
Teams
Alabama and Notre Dame met for the seventh time, first since 1987. Prior to the game, Notre Dame led 5-1-0 in the series, which includes two games in postseason. The two teams met first in the 1973 Sugar Bowl for the 1973 season national title. The Irish defeated the Crimson Tide 24-23 and became the winner of the Associated Press National Championship.
Alabama
During the regular season, Alabama was the leader in total defense, giving up 246.00 yards per game and in rushing defense by allowing 79.77 yards per game.[10] The team was the conference leader in scoring defense (10.7 points per game) and rushing defense (79.9 yards per game), second in scoring offense (38.5 points per game) and rushing offense (224.62 yards per game). Key players for the Crimson Tide are quarterback A.J. McCarron, who is first in passing efficiency with a 173.08 rating; cornerback Dee Milliner, a Nagurski Award finalist; linebacker C.J. Mosley, a finalist in the Butkus Award; and center Barrett Jones, the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete/William V. Campbell Trophy recipient and the Rimington Trophy winner. McCarron has gained 5,655 yards for Alabama, which include 5,692 passing yards and losing 37 rushing yards. Alabama averaged 224.6 rushing yards per game without a sack this season.
Notre Dame
During the regular season, Notre Dame was the national leader in scoring defense (10.3 points per game) and sixth in total defense (286.83 yards per game)[11]. Key players for the Fighting Irish are freshman quarterback Everett Golson, who passed for 2,135 yards for 11 touchdowns and rushed for 305 yards for five touchdowns; senior linebacker and Heisman trophy finalist Manti Te'o, who had 103 tackles and seven interceptions, his third-straight 100-plus tackle season for a career 427 tackles; defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who ranks seventh with others in sacks/game (1.00) and needs two sacks to become the school's single-season record holder; guard Mike Golic Jr., who helped the team averaging more than 200 yards per game in both passing and rushing; and tight end Tyler Eifert, the John Mackey Award winner who caught 44 passes for 624 yards and four touchdowns.
Game summary
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Statistics
| Statistics | ND | ALA |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 16 | 28 |
| Total offense, plays - yards | 55-302 | 73-529 |
| Rushes-yards (net) | 19-32 | 45-265 |
| Passing yards (net) | 270 | 264 |
| Passes, Comp-Att-Int | 21-36-1 | 20-28-0 |
| Time of Possession | 21:47 | 38:13 |
References
- ^ Bowl Schedule, Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2013
- ^ "2013 BCS National Championship Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index#type/upcoming/
- ^ "BCS selection procedures". Bcsfootball.org. 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
- ^ "2013 Discover BCS National Championship logo unveiled". Bcsfootball.org. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
- ^ "BCS Group and Orange Bowl unveil 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game logo". January 26, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-06.]
- ^ "BCS National Championship: Alabama vs. Notre Dame—as it happened". Guardian UK. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ "Alabama routs Notre Dame, wins 3rd BCS title in last 4 years". ESPN. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ Brian A. Shactman, Notre Dame vs. Alabama, Likely Most Wagered BCS Game, CNBC, January 7, 2013
- ^ FBS Football Statistics, NCAA.com, December 29, 2012
- ^ Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Team Report Scoring Defense, NCAA.com, January 5, 2013