CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: OHIO STATE VS ALABAMA

January 11, 2021

John Metchie

Hard Rock Stadium

Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama Crimson Tide 52, Ohio State Buckeyes 24

Q. What was the most exciting moment of the game for you?

JOHN METCHIE III: Most exciting moment of the game, it was definitely the end. Definitely the confetti coming up. Just finally being able to say that we're National Champs and that we went undefeated. It had been a long road, so I think that was the best moment of the game for me.

Q. Nick Saban said this was the ultimate team. Can you just elaborate on just the season that you had and just how the preparation this week led you to play your best football this week?

JOHN METCHIE III: Yeah, I think all around, this is an amazing team. Just our ability to fight through adversity, personal adversity, team adversity, able to come together, able to get down to the nitty-gritty of football and just persevere, really. I love this team and I really think that this is really a a really great team.

Q. And how do you use the performance that you had tonight going forward in your football career at Alabama?

JOHN METCHIE III: Just continue to work and continue to hold ourselves and continue to hold myself to a high standards. We set really high standards for us, so we have to reach it or exceed it. Going forward, it's continuing to build up what this program means and what this program does, and just be able to get back to this point. This is what we do it for, for the game like this, and to be able to continue and keep it going.

Q. Can you tell us what it feels like for a Canadian kid to play on a stage like this and such a big game?

JOHN METCHIE III: It feels great. I do it for all my people back home who continue to support me. I remember watching these National Championship games when I was a kid in Canada and dreaming of playing in it. So being able to finally play in one and win one, as a matter of fact, is surreal. It's something that's kind of hard to put words to describe.

Q. Nick Saban talks about how Alabama is a next-man-up type of team. When you saw Devonta go down, how did you know that you have to be next man up then?

JOHN METCHIE III: It's just how the team is. We practice this way and play this way. It's always been next-man-up mentality. Make sure when the next man steps up that there's no drop-off; and it's just part of holding ourselves to that standard and when we set a standard for ourselves, making sure everyone reaches that standard, so that when one person goes down, there's no dropoff and we're able to continue playing good football.