Michigan State vs. Alabama: Score and Reaction for 2015 Cotton Bowl

The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide will play for the national championship for the first time in three years after they defeated the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

With the win, 'Bama will meet No. 1 Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 11, as the Tigers rolled past the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 37-17 in the Orange Bowl earlier on New Year's Eve.

According to ESPN, Michigan State became just the second team ranked in the Associated Press Top Three to get shut out in a bowl game over the past four decades:

The scoreless effort also marked MSU's first shutout defeat in 15 years, per Jennifer Hammond of Fox 2.

Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry had modest production with 75 rushing yards and a 3.8 yards-per-carry average, but senior quarterback Jake Coker picked up the slack in a big way by completing 25 of 30 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns.

The early portion of the Cotton Bowl was very much a feeling-out process for both Alabama and MSU, as each of the game's first seven possessions ended in punts.

Henry struggled to get things going, although he did manage to surpass the 2,000-yard rushing mark in the first quarter. In addition to becoming the first SEC player to reach that plateau, he became the 19th player in major college football history to do so, according to ESPN College Football:

While much of the focus was on Henry entering the game, it was a pass play by Coker that truly got Alabama off and running in the second quarter.

Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin dialed up a shot down the field, and it paid off when Coker connected with freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley for a 50-yard gain down to the Michigan State 1-yard line:

Henry punched it in from there to put Alabama on top 7-0, and he made some history in the process as the all-time single-season leader in rushing touchdowns among SEC players with 24, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Crimson Tide continued to move the ball on their next drive, and Coker was once again the main catalyst with a 41-yard completion to tight end O.J. Howard:

While the offense stalled out at the MSU 30-yard line, kicker Adam Griffith continued his recent excellent play by converting a 47-yard field goal to extend Alabama's lead to 10-0.

Coker hasn't been asked to do much more than manage the game and limit mistakes over the course of the year, but Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports liked what he saw out of the senior signal-caller in the opening half:

The Spartans couldn't get much going, as quarterback Connor Cook was under constant pressure. They rushed for minus-nine yards as a team in the first two quarters, but they came to life on their final drive of the first half.

Cook completed passes of 26 and 18 yards to Macgarrett Kings Jr. and Aaron Burbridge, respectively, on consecutive plays to get down to Alabama's 12-yard line with seconds remaining, but the progress was undone when he was intercepted by Cyrus Jones near the end zone:

As pointed out by Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press, Cook was far too deliberate in giving away where he wanted to go with the football:

That play allowed Alabama to maintain its two-score lead heading into the locker room, and it prevented the Spartans from picking up some much-needed momentum.

It was clear the missed opportunity adversely impacted Michigan State's psyche, as it looked overmatched and played undisciplined to open the second half.

Alabama marched 75 yards in less than five minutes with the aid of two Sparty personal foul penalties, and it capped off the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass from Coker to Ridley.

The play was initially ruled incomplete after officials believed Ridley did not fully control the ball before going out of bounds, but upon further review it was changed to a touchdown:

With Alabama's offense and defense on point, the special teams decided to get involved late in the third quarter.

Following an intentional grounding call on Cook that forced MSU to punt from its own 3-yard line, Jones returned it 57 yards for a spectacular touchdown that featured several jukes and elusive maneuvers:

ESPN's Skip Bayless was especially impressed with the manner in which Jones was able to shake punter Jake Hartbarger:

With that score, Jones tied a school record for most punt return touchdowns in a single season with four. In addition, he became the first player in two decades to record an interception and punt return touchdown in a single bowl game, per ESPN Stats & Info.

After yet another punt by the Spartans, the Crimson Tide proceeded to put the game away with one more explosive play in the form of a 50-yard scoring strike from Coker to Ridley, who reached 1,000 receiving yards in the process:

According to Matt Zenitz of AL.com, Ridley also set Alabama's new single-season receiving-yardage record for a freshman on the play, surpassing a mark previously held by Amari Cooper.

That made the score 31-0 in favor of 'Bama, and with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter, it put the game out of reach for Michigan State.

The Crimson Tide still weren't done, though, as running back Kenyan Drake generated an electrifying 58-yard rush with 9:10 left in the game.

Henry found paydirt for the second time just two plays later from 11 yards out, which caused the lead to balloon to 38-0:

That capped a remarkable performance by the Crimson Tide, and it furthered head coach Nick Saban's excellence against Big Ten opponents, per Bleacher Report's Bryan Fischer:

Alabama was heavily favored entering the Cotton Bowl, per Odds Shark, and it made good on those expectations by dominating the Spartans in all aspects.

Despite the fact that Clemson is undefeated, 'Bama figures to be favored once again in the National Championship Game after thoroughly outclassing Michigan State.

That was likely solidified by the fact that Coker played his best game of the season. Henry and the defense have been lights-out all year long, but after proving they can get the job done through the air as well, the Crimson Tide are truly firing on all cylinders.

Clemson has been perfect all season long, but Alabama showed Thursday that it may be the one team capable of blemishing its flawless record.

Postgame Reaction

While it couldn't have been easy after such a decisive loss to his former mentor at Michigan State, head coach Mark Dantonio addressed the media following the Cotton Bowl.

There is no question Dantonio would have preferred his team to perform much better than it did, but he pointed out a loss would have been heartbreaking regardless of how it happened, according to the State News:

Multiple factors contributed to the one-sided nature of the game, but Dantonio felt as though the Spartans' inability to establish a ground game on offense played the biggest role:

In addition to that, he praised the play of Coker and the fact that he was able to make something out of nothing on multiple occasions:

Coker's performance upstaged that of Cook, who is expected to be one of the top quarterbacks selected in the 2016 NFL draft.

Although it certainly wasn't the way Cook wanted to go out, he reflected positively upon his time with the Spartans:

Even with the loss, the 2015 campaign was a great one for MSU, as it defeated rivals Ohio State and Michigan and won the Big Ten title.

What Dantonio and the Spartans found out Thursday, though, was that they are still a long way from truly contending for a national title.

While Saban largely looked ahead during his postgame press conference, there were moments of reflection as well based on the fact that Bama fell in the College Football Playoff Semifinal last season.

According to Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Saban felt as though last year’s experience helped the Crimson Tide in Thursday night’s game:

He was especially impressed with the manner in which the team dominated in the second half following a first half that would’ve separated the teams by just one score if not for a Cook interception:

Perhaps the biggest reason for the 38-point margin of victory was the play of Coker, who put forth his best effort of the season in the Cotton Bowl.

Saban was extremely complimentary of the way Coker played, as well as his weapons, including Ridley:

Although the National Championship Game isn’t until Jan. 11, there isn’t much time for Saban and Co. to sit around and enjoy the victory.

Clemson was nearly as impressive as Bama in its Orange Bowl win on New Year’s Eve, and it will take another massive effort from the Tide in order to disrupt the Tigers’ perfect season and win the national title.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.