Before the game the Cotton Bowl staff provided us with a pregame meal that included brisket, salad, chicken and much more, which was a very filing pregame meal.
However, the Bearcats fell 27-6 to the Crimson Tide, the Bearcats have nothing to hold their head about as they have had a tremendous last two seasons, as their only two losses have come to SEC powerhouses Georgia and Alabama. The Bearcats hung around and competed every play, as they didn’t get blown out, they held the Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young to just 181 yards, although he did throw for three touchdowns, that was the least amount of yards that Young has thrown for all season, and that says a lot about this Bearcats team and the Blackcat defense. The Bearcats hung right with the perennial powerhouse in all of college football and they most defiantly showed they belonged.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban following the Crimsons Tide 27-6 victory over the Bearcats.
“There’s no doubt in my mind they belonged in the Playoff. They gave us all they could handle tonight.”
The overall experience was amazing as it was the first time in program history the Bearcats were playing for a national title, but they were also the first “Group of Five” team to make the College Football Playoff. The Cotton Bowl staff did a phenomenal job making sure we all were having a great stay in Dallas, as they provided plenty of activities and such to keep the media members involved and for a younger journalist like myself as a student intern, I really appreciated the opportunity and took advantage of everything I could, especially the media hospitality room and events, as it was a great networking experience. The staff was awesome as they were always checking in on us, asking how our staff was, and if we were enjoying the trip, they also mentioned how exciting it was for the Cincinnati program as they looked to continue to make history. The whole week was a great experience to sit, network and just talk to a lot of national media members from across the world, I really tried to talk to as many people as possible and get any advice, and tips along the way, and there was a lot of people who took the time to talk to me and give me that advice and I greatly appreciated that. I had a blast talking Bearcats and Cincinnati sports with Cedric and Blake as we discussed all things about Cincinnati sports not just the Bearcats and it was awesome to see the outsider’s perspective on things happening in the city of Cincinnati regarding all the success the sports teams are having right now. The trip was an awesome experience, the overall week down in Dallas covering the Cotton Bowl was phenomenal as the Cotton Bowl staff really did a great job making us feel at home and taking the time to get involved with many of the media members. I was very thankful to have the opportunity to cover the Cotton Bowl this season and hopefully it wasn’t my last one, being a young sports journalist. I learned a lot about the industry, as well as the history behind the Cotton Bowl Classic.
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, as the whole season was if were being honest as this Bearcats team made history and showed all of college football that they belong and are capable of playing with the big dogs. The Bearcats, however, saw their historical season come to an end there in Jerry’s World, but looking back on the last two seasons, as their only loses have come to SEC powerhouses Alabama and Georgia, who were playing for a National Championship here this week in Indianapolis, is phenomenal to think about, especially from where this program was at when Coach Luke Fickell took over in 2017 after a 4-8 season to start his career, to back to back undefeated regular seasons, back to back AAC Championships, to shocking the world and making the College Football Playoff in just a short time span is crazy and has provided the city of Cincinnati with so much positive energy, and they will look to build on that energy come the 2022 season.
