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Notre Dame Football: 3 takeaways from disappointing playoff loss to Alabama

By Connor Muldowney

Jan 1, 2021; Arlington, TX, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) is brought down by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Tim Smith (50) during the second half in the Rose Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2021; Arlington, TX, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) is brought down by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Tim Smith (50) during the second half in the Rose Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2021 Rose Bowl didn’t go as planned for Notre Dame football as they fell short of the national title game again, losing to Alabama.

A late comeback effort was just that — too late.

A couple of years ago, Brian Kelly saw just how far away the Irish were from the national powers of teams like Alabama and Clemson as the Tigers downed Notre Dame in its first ever playoff appearance in blowout fashion.

The same happened on Friday night as the Irish were tasked with facing No. 1 Alabama which had made all of its SEC foes look silly this season, leading to an SEC title and now a Rose Bowl win.

Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith had yet another elite showing while Najee Harris broke the 100-yard mark. Alabama’s offense was just too much for the Irish as the defense didn’t have many answers.

What did we learn from this tough loss by the Irish to No. 1 Alabama in the semifinal?

3. Third-quarter interception was essentially game over

As a Michigan State fan, I can tell you that when I saw Ian Book throw an interception with Notre Dame down just 14 in the third quarter, the game was over. Sure, it was still a two-touchdown game, but that momentum flip was huge and Alabama marched right down the field and scored a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

When you play Alabama, you cannot make mistakes or they’ll cost you. And yes, I had flashbacks to Connor Cook throwing an interception right before half with MSU in the red zone and only down 10-0. The Crimson Tide snatched momentum and never looked back.

You can’t blame Book too much because he played his heart out all game and same goes for the rest of the Irish, but that mistake really cost this team a shot at making things interesting.

I feel your pain, Irish fans.

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