Germie Bernard receives recognition from NFL Hall of Famer

Bernard’s feat of heroics came with Alabama clinging to a 27-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Facing a second-and-4 from the Oklahoma 29-yard line, Simpson kept the ball on a run-pass option before immediately looking Bernard’s way. From there, the quarterback floated a pass to the right sideline, giving his receiver a chance to make a play in one-on-one coverage with Oklahoma defensive back Jacobe Johnson.

Bernard rose above Johnson, catching the ball over the defender’s back before coming down with it long enough to record the reception. The play went for a 24-yard gain, helping Alabama pull away with a 6-yard touchdown run from Daniel Hill two plays later.

“I was just in one-on-one coverage,” Benard said of the play. “Ty, you know he’d been playing good all night. He trusted me, and it was me going up to make a play. Regardless of where the ball placement was, I knew I had to make a play in that critical moment. I just couldn’t let Ty down. He trusted me to pull in that one-on-one ball, so I couldn’t let him down in that moment.”

When asked about the catch on Saturday, Simpson smiled, stating, “How can I forget that play?”

The quarterback explained that he had a similar one-on-one situation with receiver Ryan Williams earlier in the game where he wasn’t able to capitalize for a big gain. After coming back to the sidelines, Simpson discussed with his receivers how they would attack if presented with the same opportunity again.

Sure enough, he was ready when it was time to dial up a pass to Benard.

“I wanted to give Germ a chance with that down and distance and where we were on the field,” Simpson said. “So I was like, ‘Hey man, let’s go get it.’ Germ made an outstanding play. Nothing that I didn’t expect him to do. Probably should have thrown him a better ball, but big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.”

Bernard pulled in three catches for 40 yards in Alabama’s 34-24 win over Oklahoma. Over 13 games this season, the senior leads the Crimson Tide with 60 receptions for 802 yards while ranking second on the team with seven touchdowns through the air.

While no stranger to acrobatic plays, Bernard admits his Moss-like snag against Oklahoma ranks near the top of his career highlights.

“I made a few catches within my career, but that definitely is at the top,” Benard said. “To be able to do that in a critical game in a critical moment, that’s something that you dream for. For that to come true is really, really cool.”

No. 9 Alabama (11-3) will look for Bernard to come down with a few more big catches when it takes on No. 1 Indiana (13-0) in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day at 3 p.m. CT. The game will serve as a quarterfinal in the College Football Playoff and will be televised on ESPN.