2021 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL AT THE 86TH GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL
Cincinnati Bearcats Notes
UNDEFEATED CINCINNATI FACES NO. 1 ALABAMA IN THE CFP SEMIFINAL
• No. 4 Cincinnati became the first non-Power 5 team to make the College Football Playoff after finishing as the nation’s only undefeated team and beating Houston, 35-20, on Dec. 4 to win a second-straight AAC Championship.
• The Bearcats will face the Crimson Tide in the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
• UC will play in its fourth New Year’s Six Bowl, joining appearances in the 2009 Orange Bowl, 2010 Sugar Bowl and the 2021 Peach Bowl. Cincinnati fell to Georgia, 24-21, in Atlanta last postseason.
• Alabama enters the game with a 12-1 record after beating Georgia, 41-24 in the SEC Championship. The Crimson Tide is led by Heisman Trophy-winning QB Bryce Young and SEC Defensive Player of the Year DE Will Anderson.
• Cincinnati features the nation’s top cornerback tandem in senior Coby Bryant and junior Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. Bryant won the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back, becoming the first Bearcat to win a national award since kicker Jonathan Ruffin won the Groza Award in 2000. Gardner became UC’s third ever consensus All-American, joining Ruffin (2000) and punter Kevin Huber (2007-08).
• Luke Fickell won nearly every national Coach of the Year honor, taking home The Home Depot National Coach of the Year honor, the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and The Sporting News Coach of the Year among several honors.
FICKELL HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE
• Luke Fickell was Ohio State’s defensive coordinator when the No. 4-ranked Buckeyes defeated No. 1 Alabama, 42-35, in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl to cap the 2014 season – the CFP’s first year.
• Led by Fickell’s defense, OSU shut down No. 2 Oregon to win the first CFP National Championship, 42-20, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Fickell also won a national championship as part of Ohio State’s staff in 2002.
RIDDER NEARS SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN PASS AND YARDAGE RECORDS
• Senior QB Desmond Ridder holds countless Cincinnati and AAC records. He enters the CFP Semifinal nearing another record. With 30 touchdown passes in 2021, he is one behind the school record of 31 set by Ben Mauk (2007) and Gunner Kiel (2014).
• Ridder has 3,190 passing yards this season. He needs 353 yards to tie the single-season school record of 3,543 set by current quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Gino Guidugli in 2002.
• Ridder (12,280 career total yards) broke the AAC and Cincinnati total yardage records earlier this season. He is also the AAC’s and Cincinnnati’s all-time leader in total touchdowns with 116 (87 passing, 28 rushing, 1 receiving). He broke Guidugli’s career touchdown pass mark of 79 earlier in the season.
BEARCATS IN RECENT BOWLS
• Cincinnati led most of the game before falling on a field goal with :03 left to Georgia, 24-21, in the 2021 Peach Bowl to cap a 9-1 2020 season on Jan. 1, 2021. RB Jerome Ford had a 79-yard touchdown run, while QB Desmond Ridder passed for 206 yards with scoring tosses to WR Alec Pierce and TE Josh Whyle. CB Coby Bryant had an interception, while LBs Darrian Beavers and Joel Dublanko forced fumbles in the game. CB Ahmad Gardner did not play in the game.
• UC routed Boston College, 38-6, in the Birmingham Bowl, on Jan. 2, 2020 at Legion Field, which featured a lightning delay. Ridder rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns in the game, while throwing for another score.
• Cincinnati defeated Virginia Tech, 35-31, in the 2018 Military Bowl on Dec. 31, 2018, in a game that featured seven lead changes and 905 yards of combined offense. RB Michael Warren rushed for 166 yards and two TDs to earn MVP honors, while UC backup QB Hayden Moore came in for Ridder, who was injured early in the game.
CINCINNATI PROVES IT’S ELITE
• No. 4 Cincinnati and No. 3 Georgia are the only two teams in the nation that rank in the Top 10 in both scoring offense (UC – 39.2, 8th) and scoring defense (UC – 16.1, 4th).
• Cincinnati sports a 22-1 record (.957) since the start of 2020, with the Bearcats only loss over the last 24 months coming by three points, 24-21, to Georgia in the 2020 Peach Bowl, on Jan. 1, 2021.
• Against ranked teams, UC is 2-0 in 2021 and 5-1 since the start of 2020. Fickell is 6-8 against ranked teams with UC.
• Six Bearcats accepted Senior Bowl invitations: QB Desmond Ridder, WR Alec Pierce, LB Darrian Beavers, CB Coby Bryant, S Bryan Cook and DE Myjai Sanders.
• 16 Bearcats collected All-AAC honors, including 12 on the First Team. Head Coach Luke Fickell and quarterback Desmond Ridder both repeated as AAC Coach of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, respectively. Gardner won AAC Defensive Player of the Year.
BREAKING RECORDS IN THE CLASSROOM
• Desmond Ridder and Alec Pierce became the fifth and sixth CoSIDA First Team Academic All-Americans in school history in December, while Lorenz Metz and Brian Cook collected second team honors. The Bearcats led the nation with four Academic All-Americans. UC posted a school-record GPA (3.212) in spring 2021.
• Cincinnati saw 19 players graduate this December. Four-year players under Luke Fickell have a 100% graduation rate.
LAST TIME AGAINST ALABAMA (Nov. 17, 1990)
• Alabama had a season-high 514 total yards against the Bearcats, including 332 on the ground. 11 different players got a rush for the Crimson Tide.
• Robert Jones ran for two first-half touchdowns for Alabama. Chris Anderson and Junior Sewell each added another as the Crimson Tide led 28-0 at the break.
• Terry Strong gave the Bearcats their first and only score of the day on a 38-yard run in the third quarter. That touchdown broke Alabama’s streak of 18 consecutive quarters without giving up a touchdown.
INSIDE THE RANKINGS
• Cincinnati is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the final College Football Playoff rankings. This marks the highest a non-Power Five team has ever been ranked in the rankings.
• The Bearcats become the first non-Power Five school to ever make the College Football Playoff.
• Cincinnati won its second-straight AAC title on Dec. 4 after defeating Houston, 35-20.
• Cincinnati earned its first ever win over a Top-10 team on the road with its 24-13 victory at No. 9 Notre Dame on Oct. 2.
• Since the start of 2020, UC is 5-1 against ranked opponents.
• The Bearcats’ highest-ranked win to date was over No. 7 Rutgers (30-11) in 2006, with its highest on the road coming at No. 9 Notre Dame (besting 2009 at No. 14 Pitt). The squad’s other top-10 win came in 1999 against No. 9 and eventual Rose Bowl champion Wisconsin.
• Fickell is 6-8 against ranked foes at UC, including a 2-0 record in 2021 (Notre Dame, Houston) and a 3-1 mark in 2020 (Army, SMU and Tulsa), while also defeating UCF in 2019.
Alabama Crimson Tide Notes
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Sixth meeting (Alabama leads, 5-0)
At Neutral Sites: N/A
Current Streak: Alabama, Won 5
Last Meeting: Nov. 17, 1990 (W, 45-7)
Series Notes: Alabama and Cincinnati will meet for the first time at a neutral site, and the sixth time overall, in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal in Arlington, Texas. The Crimson Tide holds a perfect 5-0 mark in the previous pairings and has outscored the Bearcats by a 156-27 margin in those contests. Alabama head coach Nick Saban has never faced Cincinnati during his time as a collegiate head coach. Additionally, Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell has never squared off with the Crimson Tide during his six-year head coaching career.
NEUTRAL SITES: Alabama is 96-50-4 (.653) all-time in 150 neutral site contests. The list includes all Alabama-Auburn games not played on campus, including Legion Field from 1948-88. Under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide is 28-6 (.824) in neutral site games. Alabama is 2-0 in neutral site games this season, defeating then-No. 1/1/1 Georgia, 41-24, on Dec. 4 after previously beating then- No-14/16 Miami, 44-13, on Sept. 4, both at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Alabama’s last loss at a neutral site came at the hands of Clemson in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Santa Clara, Calif.
DOME SWEET DOME: The Crimson Tide is 32-7-1 (.813) all-time in domed stadiums, including a 23-2 (.920) mark since 2009, and is 24-4 (.857) during Nick Saban’s tenure. Alabama last played inside a dome when it defeated then-No. 1/1/1 Georgia at the 2021 SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4 inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Crimson Tide’s win over then-No. 14/16 Miami in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 4 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is not included because the roof was open.
ALABAMA vs. NO. 1: Alabama has the most all-time wins against the Associated Press Poll’s No. 1 teams since the poll was introduced in 1936. The Crimson Tide has compiled 10 wins against the AP’s top-ranked teams in program history, most recently against then-No. 1 Georgia in the 2021 Southeastern Conference Championship Game on Dec. 4, 2021. Seven of those 10 wins have come during the Nick Saban era with the first being Alabama’s victory over defending national champion Florida in the 2009 SEC Championship Game to send the Crimson Tide to the BCS National Championship Game against Texas. Three of the next four occurred in national title games, including LSU (2011), Notre Dame (2012) and Clemson (2015).
BEATING THE BEST: The Crimson Tide is 71-17 (.807) against the Associated Press Top 25 since the start of 2008. Alabama is 5-0 against AP Top 25 teams this season, including a 44-13 win against then-No. 14 Miami in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 4; a 31-29 triumph at then-No. 11 Florida on Sept. 18; a 42-21 win over then-No. 12 Ole Miss in the Crimson Tide’s Southeastern Conference home opener on Oct. 2; and a 42-35 win against then-No. 21 Arkansas on Nov. 20. Alabama’s most recent top-25 win came against then-No. 1 Georgia at the 2021 SEC Championship Game, defeating the Bulldogs, 41-24.
SABAN vs. AP TOP 25: The Crimson Tide’s 41-24 win over then-No. 1 Georgia on Dec. 4 was Nick Saban’s 95th career win, and 72nd at Alabama, against the Associated Press Top 25. Saban moved past Joe Paterno (86) for the most career wins against the AP Top 25 when he defeated then-No. 22 Auburn on Nov. 28, 2020. The late Florida State legend Bobby Bowden ranks third all-time (82), while Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant is fourth (66). Former Duke, Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is fifth (64). Saban’s winning percentage against AP ranked teams (95-42, .693) tops Bryant (.592), Bowden (.557), Spurrier (.529) and Paterno (.512).
DOMINATING THE AP TOP 25: Alabama’s season-opening win over then-No. 14 Miami in the 2021 Chickfil-A Kickoff Game was head coach Nick Saban’s 22nd career win by 25-plus points against a ranked opponent. Saban is the all-time leader for the most wins by 25-plus points in the Associated Press Poll era (since 1936), passing Bobby Bowden’s previous record of 20. Saban is also the NCAA record holder with 23 career wins of 20-plus points against AP top-15 opponents, including Alabama’s 42-21 win against then-No. 12 Ole Miss on Oct. 2. Twenty of Saban’s 23 20-plus point wins against AP top-15 opponents have come at the Capstone.
AGAINST THE TOP 10: Alabama owns an 83-77-1 all-time record against teams ranked in the top-10 of the Associated Press Poll. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Crimson Tide has posted a 34-11 (.756) overall record against top-10 teams, including a 19-5 (.792) mark versus the top 10 since the inception of the College Football Playoff. In Saban’s six national championship seasons at Alabama, his teams have gone 18-2 against top-10 opponents.
SABAN LEADS IN WINS VS. TOP-FIVE TEAMS: Alabama’s 41-24 win over then-No. 1 Georgia in the 2021 SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4 was Nick Saban’s 28th career victory against a team ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the most in college football history. Saban’s 28-14 career record in top-five contests gives him a .667 winning percentage, which is also college football’s best. Following Saban on the all-time victory list are Bobby Bowden (18/.378 winning percentage), Barry Switzer (15/.516), Woody Hayes (15/.516), Steve Spurrier (15/.429) and Lou Holtz (15/.419). Saban’s record includes eight wins in the College Football Playoff: No. 3 Michigan State (38-0) and No. 1 Clemson (45-40) in 2015; No. 4 Washington (24-7) in 2016; No. 1 Clemson (24-6) and No. 3 Georgia (26-23) in 2017; No. 4 Oklahoma (45-34) in 2018; No. 4 Notre Dame (31-14) and No. 3 Ohio State (52-24) in 2020. Alabama also went 3-0 in BCS National Championship Games (vs. Texas, 37-21, 2009; vs. LSU, 21-0, 2011; vs. Notre Dame, 42-14, 2012).
ALABAMA IN THE AP POLL: Alabama’s No. 1 ranking in the most recent Associated Press Poll on Dec. 5 marked the 228th consecutive week that the Crimson Tide has appeared in the poll. That streak is the longest active streak in college football. The 228 weeks more than triples second-place Georgia with the Bulldogs appearing in the poll for 81 consecutive weeks. Clemson previously held the second-longest streak behind the Crimson Tide with 107 straight appearances but did not appear in the Week 6 iteration of the 2021 poll. Before that, Ohio State held the second-longest streak with 132 straight weeks but did not appear in the Week 2 iteration of the 2020 poll. Alabama’s 228 straight weeks tops the Crimson Tide’s previous program-long streak of 71 consecutive weeks under head coach Gene Stallings in the mid-1990s.
ALABAMA IN THE AP SINCE 2008: Alabama began the 2008 season at No. 24 in the Associated Press Preseason Poll. The Crimson Tide opened the year with a dominant 34-10 win over then-No. 9 Clemson in Atlanta, and since that win over the Tigers, UA has not been ranked lower than No. 17 in 224 polls that have followed. According to College Poll Archive, the Tide has now spent 96.8 percent of the 12-plus years ranked in the top 10. A whopping 87.8 percent of that time Alabama has been ranked in the top five. The Crimson Tide has also been ranked No. 1 a total of 106 times since 2008. Only 13 other teams have earned the No. 1 ranking over that time, with the second-most appearances coming from Clemson at 23.
MORE THAN A DECADE AT NO. 1: With Alabama’s Aug. 16, 2021 preseason ranking at No. 1, the Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll at least once each season since 2008. The 14-year streak is the longest in the history of the AP rankings. The previous long streak was seven seasons by Miami (Fla.) from 1986-92.
SABAN AT NO. 1: Alabama head coach Nick Saban has coached the most games as the Associated Press Poll’s No. 1 team among active head coaches. Saban has coached 93 games as the nation’s top-ranked team, which is 72 more games than second-place Dabo Swinney, who has totaled 21 games at No. 1. The third coach on the list is Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher who coached 10, all coming during the 2013-14 seasons at Florida State.
ONE AND ONLY: Since the start of the College Football Playoff era in 2014, Alabama has only lost one game by 13-plus points. The Crimson Tide’s lone loss by 13-plus points or more in that time period came in the Crimson Tide’s 44-16 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 7, 2019. To compare, Clemson has four losses by 13-plus points in the same time span, while Oklahoma has five and Ohio State has eight.
38 OF 48: The Dec. 5 release of the College Football Playoff Rankings had the Crimson Tide as the No. 1 team. Alabama has made 38 appearances in the top four of the 48-week, all-time selection committee rankings. Of those 38 top-four appearances, Alabama has made 24 debuts at No. 1, which is more than every other team combined in CFP history. The Crimson Tide finished last season as national champions making Alabama the only No. 1 seed in the initial rankings to go on and win it all in the history of the Playoff.
HOW BRYCE STACKS UP: Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is one of the nation’s top-rated passers and has produced some of college football’s most impressive offensive statistics in his first season as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback. The sophomore has impressed more and more as the season has worn on and looks to continue that impressive pace heading into the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Below is a look at Young’s 2021 numbers compared to past Heisman winners.
BRYCE AGAINST THE BEST: Sophomore quarterback Bryce Young has elevated his game each time a ranked team has appeared on the Crimson Tide’s schedule. In five games against teams ranked in the current College Football Playoff Top 25, Young has posted an NCAA passer rating of 181.27 with an NFL rating of 129.25. He has thrown for 1,805 yards in those five games, which averages out to 361.0 yards per game, with 17 touchdowns and just one interception. Young averaged 9.9 yards per attempt in those five games while completing 68.9 percent of his passes (126-183).
