The Alabama Rose Bowl Win Over Notre Dame That Wasn't in the Rose Bowl
It's one of the great trivia questions in college football, when has the Rose Bowl not been played at the Rose Bowl?
If you're left confused by the question, here it is again with a little more detail added: When has the Rose Bowl Game not been played in Rose Bowl Stadium? It's happened twice, once including the Alabama Crimson Tide and other with a strong coaching connection.
The first involved former Crimson Tide head coach Wallace Wade after his swan-song season in Tuscaloosa and he moved on to Duke. The Blue Devils were No. 2 at the end of the 1941 regular season, but ended up hosting the Rose Bowl in Durham, N.C., due to West Coast safety concerns following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Although favored, Duke was flat that day, and lost to Oregon State 20-16.
For 80-plus years, it remained the only time the Rose Bowl was not played in California until the pandemic season of 2020. The initial plan was for the game to be played in a closed setting, meaning no one in attendance, and organizers tried (to no avail) to negotiate an exemption for the family members of players to be in the stands. However, when the state experienced a major surge in cases in early December, and intensive care units in hospitals were declared to have zero capacity on Dec. 17, the dream matchup of Alabama vs. Notre Dame in a College Football Playoff semifinal was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
However, the game didn't have near the same amount of drama as the buildup. Alabama scored two quick touchdowns and went on to a 31-14 victory in front of 18,373 fans. It was one of those games in which the score didn't reflect the difference between the teams. The Crimson Tide totaled 437 yards of offense, including 297 receiving and 140 rushing, while the defense held the Irish to just two rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback Mac Jones went 25-for-30 and threw for 297 yards with four touchdowns. Fresh off his Heisman Trophy win, wde receiver DeVonta Smith caught seven passes for 130 yards, tying the Rose Bowl record, and set the Alabama bowl mark with three receiving touchdowns en route to being name the Offensive Player of the Game.
Running back Najee Harris ran for 125 yards on just 15 attempts, while adding 30 receiving yards on four catches.
Cornerback Patrick Surtain II was named the Defensive Player of the Game, after being credited with five tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass break up. Defensive back DeMarcco Hellams led the Tide with 12 tackles, including six solo stops and a sack. Linebacker Christian Harris snagged an interception to shut down a third-quarter Notre Dame drive, while defensive lineman Christian Barmore recorded a sack in the third quarter to go with five tackles.
"Great team win," Nick Saban said after the game. "These guys have really deserved the chance to play for the national championship."
Ten days later it did just that and dismantled Ohio State 52-24, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
This is the eighth and final story in a series about Alabama's history in the Rose Bowl as in prepares to face Michigan in the CFP semifinal on Jan. 1
