Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner says he’s declaring for the NFL and he may not alone. Observers of the Crimson Tide have a list of players likely to want to go pro following Alabama’s loss in the Rose Bowl. Running backs Jase McClellan* and Roydell Williams are reportedly on that list. Defensive backs Malachi Moore and Terrion Arnold, and offensive lineman J.C. Latham are also on that list. Tide head coach Nick Saban says the team accomplished a lot over the season, despite the Rose Bowl loss to Michigan…
“As a coach, you're always trying to get your team to improve and be the best that they can be," he said. "And I think this team probably improved from the South Florida game and the Texas Game early in the season as much as any team I've ever coached.”
The Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies will play for the national Championship in Houston this Monday. The Wolverines’ Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first College Football Playoff championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Michigan's defense ended only the second overtime game in the 110 editions of the Rose Bowl when Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was emphatically stopped when he attempted to sneak up the middle on fourth down. As for Alabama’s Rose Bowl loss, quarterback Jalen Milroe says it all came down to that one final snap of the ball…
“With anything, you know, all I came down with fallbacks your level of training. And we just failed on that play," Milroe said. "That's all it was, you know, because at the end of the day, I just trusted the guys up front for believing me on the last play to have the ball. And unfortunately, we just we just missed and we just didn't get into the endzone.”
The Tide will go three straight seasons without a national title for the first time in Saban's tenure, but observers say there's no reason to be embarrassed about this well-played game against an elite opponent. The low snap on the final play will be crushing for center Seth McLaughlin, who didn't want to talk to reporters afterward. This particular player is reportedly expected to return for another season.
