Alabama vs the short pass

Tideflyer

Hall of Fame
Dec 14, 2011
7,826
3,904
187
Savannah, GA
That's the truth. This has been hashed and rehashed. We were terrible in that game on offense and the fact we took a late lead was just sheer determination and guts.
This, IMO. We were two first downs or so from winning that game. Again, IMO, we have this O in that game, it`s over.
 

RollTide_HTTR

Hall of Fame
Feb 22, 2017
8,766
6,532
187
Renfrow hasn’t been catching a lot of balls this year. According to Renfrow himself, they have better receivers. Now if I was Dabo, I’d toss Renfrow the ball.
They have much more talented WRs but Renfrow is only 13 grabs and 70 yards short of last year which were career highs. So, he's not really that far behind. And even with his limited in season production he tends to shine vs us. At least the first 2 years.
 

uaintn

All-American
Aug 2, 2000
2,904
192
182
franklin, tennessee, usa
I'm just worried about the middle of the field/LB generally. Based on practice reports it doesn't sound like Lewis is going to see any action till Spring ball. Miller is wearing one of those sprint/brace things and apparently has been mostly watching practice. Now I read that Jennings was standing off to the side during media viewing yesterday.

Clemson's SP+ numbers would lead you to the conclusion that they have been living on explosive pass plays more than dink and dunk. However, facing our d-line, they are going to need to get the ball out of the QB's hands a little faster than they are used to. So, I'd expect them to try to do what you are suggesting. Whether they can sustain long drives on our defense is another question, but it's a reasonable strategy, especially on early downs to try to stay out of third and long.

But I agree that this game is on the respective down linemen. If Clemson's super duper defensive line cannot get consistent pressure on Tua, he'll pick that secondary apart (assuming we don't get a case of the Georgia dropsies again). Conversely, if our defensive line cannot hold the line in the run game and force them into longer developing plays, we will be in for an ugly who-gets-the-ball-last sort of game. Of course, if we can successfully establish the run, nothing else may matter. That's the biggest if in this paragraph, though.
 

TigerTown

BamaNation Citizen
Dec 18, 2017
65
0
0
The "short pass" has been a huge part of what Clemson has done this year. Some teams have completely sold out, to a fault, on stopping the run and Clemson hits the perimeter when numbers are there and also 5 yard slants as well as anyone because of this.

I will say again - neither secondary is as 'bad' as folks are making out. Clemson had a bad half against Tex A&M and a bad game v SCar, no two ways about it for sure. Both secondaries practice every day against the two best WR groups (and 3rd place is not close).... Tua has proven more so far, he wasn't in HS last season as our QB was - which IMO is the reason for the 6 point spread, which seems to be about right IMO.
 

tambo410

1st Team
Nov 25, 2008
440
2
37
Fallston, MD
www.vrbo.com
Don't forget the "rub" routes... Hopefully the refs will be on the lookout for the pick play... and make a call. I get they are a part of the game and we use them too, but there is a different between a rub and a flat out pick.

I am worried about two things from the Clemson offense.
1. The back shoulder passes. If these are thrown perfectly, they are impossible to defend.
2. Deep jump balls to their receiver Justyn Ross.
Our defense against the short over the middle passes have always been our defensive lineman getting their hands up and on the ball. May be harder to do this against someone as tall as Trevor Lawrence.
 

bamacon

Hall of Fame
Apr 11, 2008
17,179
4,352
187
College Football's Mecca, Tuscaloosa
Ok, some of you numbers guys and football smart guys....

I'm thinking back to the championship with Watson and the SEC CG against Georgia this year. Looking back their stats had no shortage of 7-11 yard passes. Each opponent would usually follow it up with a run to get the first down if necessary.

Georgia did not score in many of these drives but took up time (3-4:30 minutes) each drive.

I think we agree that the offense, specifically the QB play and the receivers have had a better season at Clemson than Georgia (I'm not arguing the competition that each has faced, so let's avoid that.)

Am I paranoid to be worried about the quick, short pass to Clemson that drives down the field slowly, keeping d on the field, offense off the field? What can/have we done to address this?

Their boards are alive with "do what we did in 17 and keep them out there 100 plays" and "that defense was dying in Miami late vs OU."

I think both those are gross generalizations;
1. Laurence AIN'T Watson. He's good, great even as a freshman, but get out of here with that.
2. First game back after a month and practice can't get you the conditioning a game does and holy crapsticks it was warm and humid.



Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I think Watson was a generational type talent. He was under appreciated IMO by college football fans that didn’t see him or face him. I think as the years go on he’s going to be recognized for just how good he really is. When the game gets started he’s a flat out baller. Personally, I’m of the opinion that he should have won the Heisman at least once. TL is awesome too but he’s a different type of QB. Given the choice I’d avoid DW 10:10 times.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

bamacon

Hall of Fame
Apr 11, 2008
17,179
4,352
187
College Football's Mecca, Tuscaloosa
the reason we were on the field for 99 plays is the 3 and outs on offense. I don't see Clemson shutting us down like that with Tua at QB..... or even Jalen as a Junior vs a Freshman.
This. For all the talk of how much better they are on offense not as much is said about how much better Bama is too. That game last yeAr was a slog for Bama for the most part. It’ll be night and day from what they’ve seen. NIGHT AND DAY!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,735
287
54
Their boards are alive with "do what we did in 17 and keep them out there 100 plays" and "that defense was dying in Miami late vs OU."

I think both those are gross generalizations;
1. Laurence AIN'T Watson. He's good, great even as a freshman, but get out of here with that.
2. First game back after a month and practice can't get you the conditioning a game does and holy crapsticks it was warm and humid.

The world is full of idiots who think that something that happened one time is the new normal. There's a couple of flaws in that plan, but anyone who doesn't realize them will not accept what I'm saying.

1) Is anyone dumb enough to think you're going to hold Tua to 155 yards passing in a four quarter football game?

I'll give you a hint - he had 166 against UGA in one half plus one pass. So......no.

2) Is anyone dumb enough to think DeShaun Watson's total yardage of over 5,100 is the equivalent of Spicoli's slightly oer 3,000?

Watson had about three times as many rushes for about four times as many yards which, of course, keeps the clock running.

3) Is anyone dumb enough to think you're going to hold Alabama to six possessions of four plays or less in the second half?



Clemson might well win the game, but if their fans are banking on it depending on keeping our defense on the field for 100 plays, they may as well buy some Crimson Tide national championship memorabilia right now.

South Carolina had six drives of 73 or more yards and had more points against Clemson than they did Tennessee, whose defense is atrocious. I'm not going to use that one data point to determine things, but it would be wise of folks thinking they can keep Alabama's defense on the field for 100 plays to do the same.

Of course, there's one more thing: in all their evaluating of the OU game, they seem to forget we held Oklahoma 15 points below their season average. That would give Clemson 29 points.


Does any Clemson fan out there think 29 points will be enough to win the game?

(Teams that held Alabama below 29 points this year: Mississippi State in a game where they were trying to hurt Tua and we had in hand early).


They're talented, but I saw two plays early in the Notre Dame game where the defender had a clean shot at Lawrence and flat out missed. Not only won't we miss, your QB might not remain in the game if you leave that one open.


Keep this in mind: the 2 best QBs (yardage-wise) Clemson faced this year were Kellen Mond and Jake Bentley. They threw for 430 and 500 yards each - and neither is in the same solar system as Tua.


Clemson's chance of winning relies on establishing the running game. If they don't do that, we win.
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,735
287
54
The "short pass" has been a huge part of what Clemson has done this year. Some teams have completely sold out, to a fault, on stopping the run and Clemson hits the perimeter when numbers are there and also 5 yard slants as well as anyone because of this.

I will say again - neither secondary is as 'bad' as folks are making out. Clemson had a bad half against Tex A&M and a bad game v SCar, no two ways about it for sure. Both secondaries practice every day against the two best WR groups (and 3rd place is not close).... Tua has proven more so far, he wasn't in HS last season as our QB was - which IMO is the reason for the 6 point spread, which seems to be about right IMO.
I won't argue they're necessarily bad.

However.......when you get bombed by the only two QBs with substantial passing yardage that you face, it does tend to influence folks.

We faced the very same Kellen Mond as you did, and he got 263 yards. But we also shut down Drew Lock. Murray had a 300-yard passing day thanks mostly to officials from your conference thinking Offensive Pass Interference was declared legal sometime last year.


The stats model I work on (similar to the one RTR91 does) has this one a toss-up at around 28-31 points for both teams. The wildcard is figuring intangibles. I've only had one of these this close before (the Ohio State game in 2014). So stats-wise it suggests something similar to the last 3 CFP title games.
 

bamaga

Hall of Fame
Apr 29, 2002
13,378
8,238
282
JAWJA
Clemson might need 100 plays to put up half the points Tua and the boys score. our defense got a little tired in Miami, but they were never Gassed. It isn't nearly as humid in Santa Clara as Miami, and Sunshine isn't Kyler Murray running around so I don't think its going to be that big of a deal.
I think we can get stops against Clemson. Notre Dame did. I think the weather and field conditions will be a bigger factor than fatigue.
 

BradtheImpaler

All-American
Nov 16, 2010
2,001
0
0
Sugar Hill, GA
Don't forget the "rub" routes... Hopefully the refs will be on the lookout for the pick play... and make a call. I get they are a part of the game and we use them too, but there is a different between a rub and a flat out pick.
Of course there is... when we do it, it's a pick. When others do it to us, it's a rub.
 

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.