Clemson analysis -- Bama had to play the perfect game

12 points up with 17 seconds to go in the game; I'd say there was room for a significant mistake and still win... The Clemson QB had to play his absolute best to keep the game close.

Clemson prepared well and showed up ready to play and the best team won.

Give me three holding calls (of which they had none) and we blow them out of the water. Watson changed directions so many times that night and if I saw one of our defenders being pulled down by the jersey I saw ten of them. The lack of holding calls in that game made it much closer than it should've been because his scrambles kept drives alive.

They should be lucky they were in the game at all.


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I understand what this writer is trying to say, but I disagree with the premise that we played without mistakes. I won't name any particular player here, but if he watched the game without bias, he would notice several of our misfires. The game was closer than I anticipated because they are a good team. However, that last TD was given to them in a trade-off for clock. We were in a prevent defense to make sure they didn't have a 60-yard score with over a minute left to score again. We could have pressed and kept the 11 point lead to widen the final gap, but CNS chose a well-orchestrated sacrifice to win by 5 rather than risk losing by 2. That's why he has 5 rings. I say all this to make the point that it was a well-played game between the top 2 teams, both of which make mistakes. The better team won.

(Chuckle) Define "Perfect Game" please.

No offense but it's really no different than the "Our B Game beat their A Game" thread IMO.

Maybe it is my bias as a Tide fan, but I saw it as a game where we took a great team playing about as well as they can but finding a way to win anyway. If Clemson would have finished more drives (instead of 2 of 3 FGM) and avoided that one bad throw from Watson then Alabama wouldn't have out-gunned them in the end. But if Alabama had maintained rush lanes a bit more consistently and had a better offensive approach in the first half through the third quarter, I think Alabama wins by 10-14 points. We scored 35 points offensively but it was not a steady night from the group. It was boom or bust for almost every scoring drive.

Alabama seemed to be playing for big plays on both sides of the ball. I think the staff saw opportunities for big plays in the passing game on both sides of the ball. We lost contain against scrambles because - I've started to assume after watching replays - that we were trying to speed up Watson and force him into his tendency to throw some bad decisions. This was a total bust. We were trying to go deep on Clemson which sometimes led to Coker getting sacked (5 times) but it also created 4 explosive plays (2 TDs to Howard, Stewart's sideline catch help setup a FGM).

If we had it to do all over again, I think they would have changed a lot defensively. Probably play them more straight up like Mississippi State.

RTR91 said:

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All that needs to be "said". Perfect.

BamainBoston said:

I'm sorta done with the Clemson-side analysis of the game (no offense to the original poster). At this point, they are just looking for the bright side of things. And I get that. But in the end, we won, they lost, and we are more likely to be there again next year than they are.

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Auburn with a lake is milking their championship appearance for as many moral victories as possible.


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RTR91 said:

Auburn with a lake is milking their championship appearance for as many moral victories as possible.


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You would too when you realize it's likely to be 34 MORE years before their next appearance in the big game.

Losing, and then moving on, is difficult. If this is what they need in order to pick up the pieces - so be it. However, we all know the truth. So, let them write their little articles and try to soothe their disappointment. In the meantime, we'll have a parade.

I'd argue it was the other way around.

We've heard it before. It was Auburn's time, it was Ohio State's time, now is it Clemson's? Alabama has shown they can sustain things at this level, but for everyone else they rise and they fall.

RTR91 said:

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Why do I get the feeling he was looking directly at Dabo?

It happened exactly how it happened. 45-40 Bama!! Let me know when an alternative realty happens that changes what happened.

RTR91 said:

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How you like dem apples?

The onside kick wasnt a mistake by clemson, they had lined up like that against tight formations all season. That play was the result of good film study and a lot of practice. Same for the kickoff return. Film study showed clemson was undisciplined on kickoff coverage, routinely leaving their lanes. Add to this clemson's coke addict kickoff kicker was kicked off team and his replacement did not kick ball as deep or as high and clemson was primed for a big return. Per ESPN special teams rankings Bama special teams rank 18 out of 128 teams while clemson's rank 126 out of 128 teams. Bama already had 5 special teams TDs this season while clemson had already given up 2 kickoff TDs this season. The mistake or oddity would have been if Bama did not get any big plays on special teams, but facts don't seem to be too big for the clemson faithful these days.

As for the TE TDs. One wide open TE TD pass and/or 1 or 2 uncovered completions might be blamable on a mistake or a missed assignments. Howard caught 5 passes for a record 208 yards and 2 TDs. That's not a missed assignment that's Bama coaches finding a hole in Venerable's gambling defense. Watch the replay of the first TE TD. The safety on Howard's side was playing zone, concentrating on Henry first. At snap of ball he starts toward libe of scrimmage, frozen by play action. At that point Stewart turns for short pass, Howard goes deep, & inside WR from opposite side runs a crossing route well behind the non-blitzing LB to the spot the safety was standing. The poor safety was tasked with playing the run, covering the TE deep, helping with the short WR, and covering the WR crossing route. It wasn't a missed assignment it was an impossible assignment. Kiffin threw 3 WRs to the right side. With the safety already thinking run first, he was doomed. Only way clemson stops that play from working is with a timeout...Kiffin simply called the right play for clemson's defense. That's not a mistake, it's superior coaching.

Maybe instead of blaming their DBs for missed assignments clemson fans should be asking how Bama's 250lb TE & RB were able to consistently outrun those DBs

Without Watson Clemson would be Auburn without Cam. Our coaching staff picked their pass D apart. That is pretty much the story. Oh, and our Special Teams :BigA: were pretty Special.

Laughable, not even worth a click to read. And deep down inside, they don't really believe it either, just trying to apply the "power of positive thinking".

We were anything but perfect and if the writer thinks so, he must not get very good television reception where he lives in the upstate.

BamainBoston said:

I'm sorta done with the Clemson-side analysis of the game (no offense to the original poster). At this point, they are just looking for the bright side of things. And I get that. But in the end, we won, they lost, and we are more likely to be there again next year than they are.

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Actually, given their cupcake of a schedule, assuming Watson stays healthy, they probably are probably the odds-on favorite to get to the game again. We all know our route to the game is infinitely more difficult.