Bryce Young makes Alabama history in College Football Playoff semifinal

With an early touchdown pass to Slade Bolden, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young made history. The score was Young’s 44th passing touchdown this year as he passed Tua Tagovailoa for the school single-season record.

Facing Cincinnati in a College Football Playoff semifinal, the Crimson Tide wasted no time in getting on the board. They scored with 9:51 left in the first quarter on the pass to Bolden that was also Young’s first throw of the game. Alabama ran the ball on each of the 10 plays prior.

Young entered Friday’s contest as the Heisman Trophy winner coming off of an impressive performance against Georgia in the SEC Championship. He threw for 421 yards — his second-highest mark of the season — and three touchdowns in that one.

The Bearcats would answer with a field goal on their opening drive to make the score 7-3 in the first quarter.

The passing milestone that the sophomore quarterback set against the Bearcats is simply his latest, not the first. Bryce Young also made Alabama history by breaking the school single-game record for passing yards with 559 against Arkansas this season. His passing yardage against the Bulldogs in the conference championship game broke an SEC record.

He also became the first Crimson Tide quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy. It’s safe to say that his name is already cemented in Alabama lore.

However, he has a chance to enhance his legacy even more by leading them to a national championship victory. To do so, he’ll have to get through a Cincinnati team that comes in undefeated and hungry as ever.

The Bearcats are the first Group of 5 school to make the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide have claimed three titles since then.

Alabama answered Cincinnati’s field goal with one of its own and holds a 10-3 advantage with 11:17 left until halftime.