By Cole Frederick/Staff Correspondent
National Championship Game Recap
Alabama clinched its 18th national championship in school history with a dominant 52-24 win over Ohio State, and the Buckeyes were never in striking distance in the second half. Heisman winner DeVonta Smith caught 12 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, and Mac Jones threw for 464 yards and five touchdowns in one of his sharpest performances of the season. Najee Harris rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns, and he also caught seven passes for 79 yards and another score. Both teams exchanged a pair of touchdowns in first half, and Alabama led 21-17 with 5:21 remaining in the second quarter. However, the Tide scored two touchdowns in less than two minutes – both touchdown receptions by Smith – and the Buckeyes never came within 14 points for the remainder of the game.
Alabama finished the season 13-0, and all 13 games came against Power 5 opponents. They are the first team in SEC history to go 11-0 in league play, and they added wins over Notre Dame and Ohio State en route to the championship. Nick Saban earned his sixth national title with the Crimson Tide since 2009 and his seventh overall, passing Bear Bryant.
2020 SEC Football Awards
Player of the Year
DeVonta Smith, Alabama
Coach of the Year
Nick Saban, Alabama
Freshman of the Year
Connor Bazelak, Missouri
Defensive Player of the Year
Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
First Team Offense
Quarterback
Mac Jones, Alabama
Running back
Najee Harris, Alabama; Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
Receiver
DeVonta Smith, Alabama; Elijah Moore, Ole Miss; Kadarius Toney, Florida
Tight End
Kyle Pitts, Florida
Line
Landon Dickerson, Alabama; Alex Leatherwood, Alabama; Kenyon Green, Texas A&M; Ben Cleveland, Georgia; Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
Kicker
Anders Carlson, Auburn
First Team Defense
Line
Christian Barmore, Alabama; Bobby Brown III, Texas A&M; Trajan Jeffcoat, Missouri; Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina
Linebacker
Nick Bolton, Missouri; Grant Morgan, Arkansas; Monty Rice, Georgia
Defensive back
Derek Stingley, LSU; Richard LeCounte, Georgia; Kaiir Elam, Florida; Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
Punter
Jake Camarda, Georgia
Second Team Offense
Quarterback
Kyle Trask, Florida
Running back
Kevin Harris, South Ca-rolina; Tank Bigsby, Auburn; Larry Rountree III, Missouri
Receiver
Treylon Burks, Arkansas; John Metchie III, Alabama; Kayshon Boutee, LSU
Tight End
Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
Line
Drake Jackson, Kentucky; Nick Broeker, Ole Miss; Trey Smith, Tennessee; Jared Hocker, Texas A&M; Evan Neal, Alabama
Kicker
Cade York, LSU
Second Team Defense
Line
Ali Gaye, LSU; Brenton Cox, Florida; Jonathan Marshall, Arkansas; Jordan Davis, Georgia
Linebacker
Willie Anderson Jr., Alabama; Bumper Pool, Arkansas; Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
Defensive back
Jaycee Horn, South Car-olina; Malachi Moore, Alabama; Jalen Catalon, Arkansas; Eric Stokes, Georgia; Roger McCreary, Auburn
Punter
Max Duffy, Kentucky