ARLINGTON, Texas — No. 2 Alabama (13-1) defeated No. 3 MSU (12-2) in the College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl 38-0.
Two aspects of football have hampered the Spartans this entire season: pass coverage and both sides of special teams play. Early in the season MSU’s special teams faltered, but its secondary was not challenged much. On into the middle of the season redshirt-freshman Jake Hartbarger and junior kicker Michael Geiger stepped it up, but the defensive secondary stepped back — as displayed in the Spartans’ loss to Nebraska.
But on New Year’s Eve against Alabama, both of these aspects majorly troubled MSU.