Notre Dame football: Irish can't erase early deficit vs. Alabama, lose 31-14

Notre Dame football: Irish can’t erase early deficit vs. Alabama, lose 31-14

By Brad Weiss | Jan 1, 2021

Jan 1, 2021; Arlington, TX, USA; Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book (12) scrambles away from pressure by Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle (9) Friday, Jan. 1, 2021 in the College Football Playoff Semifinal hosted by the Rose Bowl in AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby-USA TODAY Sports /

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The Irish are back to the drawing board for the 2021 campaign. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame football must now look towards 2021

The 2021 college football season will hopefully look more normal than 2020 was, as the Irish had to join the ACC to get a full slate of games in. Notre Dame dominated the regular season, posting a 10-0 record, but since the kickoff of the ACC title game, it has been all downhill, as they lost that game, and now in the Rose Bowl.

Stars like Ian Book and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah won’t be back next season, so Brian Kelly will not only have to replace his quarterback, but also the best player on his defense. Luckily, the Irish will return running backs Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree, a dominant duo that should be even more productive in 2021.

Next. Notre Dame Football X-Factors against the Alabama Crimson Tide. dark

The narrative coming into this game was that the Irish could not hang with Alabama, and while it looked ugly early, the defense actually did a nice job in the second half. The problem was, the game was too far gone for this one to really be in doubt at all, and with the win, Alabama will now wait to see if it will be Clemson or Ohio State as their opponent next Monday.

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