JessN: Clemson wrap-up: How Bama recovers – or doesn’t – will determine much of program’s fu

Saban4Ever

All-American
Sep 27, 2016
3,768
2,913
187
Cobb County GA
Thanks for your write-up, Jess. I got no sleep, I was so mad, and embarrassed for the players/University. Not just that we lost, but how. I just don't understand why our coaches can't adjust to what works/doesn't work for both sides of the ball. Clemson was the better team last night, but we had our chances to keep it close.

Will Saban ever pass Bear Bryant for number of NC wins, or will Dabo eventually catch up over the next few years? I hope Bama is in the final 4 next year. I know Clemson will be. RTR!
 

bamakeeb

3rd Team
May 2, 2011
247
4
37
I have random ‘friends’ wanting to talk about the game. It’s tough here in Texas. To an Aggie friend... yeah, rough game. Know what makes me feel better? 45-23 on 9/22.
 

JTH

1st Team
Sep 23, 2006
440
91
47
40
Woodstock GA
You blame Clemson's last loss to Alabama on lack of personnel, but I believe the same could be said for Alabama this year on defense. If we had a true pass rusher like we had in Tim Williams, this game could have been so much different. A player like that could have rattled Lawrence and caused poor throws as we saw the few times we got to him last night. Without that, we were picked apart on third and long all night giving up big play after big play.
 

tide power fan

All-SEC
Nov 26, 2011
1,424
20
57
Good write up Jess, I also was wondering about the 28 points, sometimes early this morning. I think the team will be fine, Tua will improve we should be back here next year.
 

imauafan

All-American
Mar 3, 2004
3,620
981
232
Huntsville, AL
I'm going to point out some things that I saw this season that is going to appear to be overly negative but that is not how I intend it to be. This was a great team and aside from the game last night, had a great season. Kudos to CNS for taking a team that lost a lot of talent to the NFL, had several critical injuries, and an almost entirely new coaching staff and still won the SEC and played for the NC. That is no small feat. But in spite of that there was some things that could have been better here are a few of my observations:

Our DL, aside from Quinnen Williams who was a beast, was very disappointing this year. I'm very high on Coach Kool so I think he will get that resolved although it may take a recruiting cycle or two. Once you get past our 1st team, with the exception of Ray, I'm not sure we have too many guys that are future stars on the DL.

Our LB play was an even bigger disappointment. With all the studs that have been recruited the past few years, our LB play should have been MUCH better than what it was. Of course injuries played a large role but Mack and Moses both seemed to not progress this season and perhaps went backwards in their development. Whoever coaches the ILBs did a poor job, IMHO. That may be a matter of getting adjusted to CNS scheme and may work itself out so that doesn't mean that I think that coach (Golding?) should be fired. Unless I'm mistaken there is talent at the LB position, we just need to develop the talent better.

The secondary was brand new so the inconsistent play there should not have been a surprise. What was a surprise is that Deonte Thompson looked like an all-American at the start of the season and then disappeared later on. He wasn't the only one. The talent appears to be there. Most players, Minkah was a rare exception, takes a season or two to pick up CNS scheme so assuming most everyone is back next year the secondary should be a strong point.

The defense as a whole was disappointing this year although going into the season we knew the offense would have to carry the team this year. I hope Tosh develops into a better DC than he has show so far. He is the least experienced DC that Saban has had so perhaps he needs some time to get things figured out. I was a huge Jeremy Pruitt fan and it seemed like JP picked it up right away and Tosh seems to be struggling.

I have never been a Brent Key fan as OL coach so I wish him well at GT and hope that CNS hires the best possible OL coach. We've got guys that can recruit, let's hire a good OL coach because that is an extremely important position that let us down at times this year.

I love our RBs but I don't know that any of them were capable of putting us on their shoulders like we've had in past years. I really wish we would figure out how to add bulk to these guys without losing speed and quickness, if that is possible. Perhaps we add too much bulk and need to learn how to dial it down just a bit? I don't know but it just seems like we don't have much speed at that position. DH is gone and JJ is probably going to leave early so it will be interested to see how NHarris, Robinson, and the stud freshman do next year.

I hope we dial the passing back a bit next year, not completely but do a better job of mixing the run and the pass. I'm a huge Enos fan so I'm optimistic that the offense will be just as good and possibly better next year.
 

NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
29,636
34,736
362
Mountainous Northern California
Thanks Jess - tough to write and read.

I'll stand by the old chestnut that teams aren't as good as they look when they win big, and not as bad as they look when they lose big. There some immediate changes already in progress. There will be a new OL coach, and of course a new OC, where it might be possible to get an upgrade.

We've cheered Saban for hiring coaches with perhaps more recruiting chops than on-field ability. This might also explain the growth of "analysts" who might have taken some game prep load off the field coaches. But game day, last night, reminded us how good Venables and the Clemson co-OCs are. Maybe Swinney will spawn a coaching tree of his own, and have to start dealing with yearly coach rotation.

Overall, I agree strongly that Clemson has now reached the same stratosphere as Alabama, which means that everything matters. While beating, say, a cyclically strong LSU or Auburn can be done even in a "down" year, beating Clemson in an "up" cycle can't be done with a down Alabama. A bit too much player attrition, some coaching differential, a difference in playoff opponent, a difference in turnovers, a difference in composure - small things add up.

Do these things require major surgery to correct? Or is it just not possible to win it all every year? I think these two teams will be back next year, and Alabama wins it.
I agree that there was no one issue - it was multiple small things that added up.
 

buzzman

3rd Team
Jan 18, 2014
272
0
35
Madison, AL
In hind sight it was evident that Clemson was playing a strategy of keeping their safeties back and giving us the run until the field got shorter around the 20. We had no good offensive plays inside the red zone. We had so many long pass plays this year we probably weren't prepared for that. Out played ad out coached unfortunately.
 

Crimson Speed

All-American
Oct 2, 2005
4,751
266
102
The Shoals, North West Alabama
Thanks for the write-up. That had to suck to write.

You cut Dabo slack for his loss last year because he had Bryant at QB. Meanwhile Alabama's offense was just as hampered with Jalen at QB. Saban dominated Clemson last year just as effectively as Dabo dominated Alabama this year. In both cases I think that it came down to play in the trenches. Last year Alabama destroyed Clemson in the trenches, and this year the roles were reversed. That, IMO, is a coaching push, but you think that it pushes the edge to Dabo. We will have to agree to disagree on that point.

The same things win that have always won in this game.
I agree. The most critical issue was decided in the trenches. Sure, there were some secondary factors, but we lost this game at the line of scrimmage, plain and simple. Our defensive line could not pressure their freshman QB and he literally picked us apart. Likewise, our offensive line could not provide protection for Tua. If we had done our job on both lines of scrimmage, the outcome would have been much different. My disappointment is not that we lost the game, but that we were blown out. Why? Take a moment to think about the number of coordinators that have left the program over the last couple of years. It is so difficult to constantly replace those guys without suffering some fallout in overall coaching quality. There was evidence of this in several games this year, and it finally reared its ugly head last night. However, I believe all of us need to remember that Nick Saban remains one of the premium coaches in the game. That is a undisputable fact. As long as he chooses to remain in the game, he will make the necessary changes to keep us in the hunt at the national level.
 

Krymsonman

Hall of Fame
Sep 1, 2009
5,491
3,221
187
River Ridge, LA
Excellent write-up Jess, and pretty much exactly what happened. My concern was just the complete lack of adjustments on offense, ie, we just wouldn't take what they gave us. Very accurate review, just a major cluster by all. And the big question...how do we respond.
 

TideEngineer08

TideFans Legend
Jun 9, 2009
36,284
30,897
187
Beautiful Cullman, AL
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Frankly, I'm ready to have the entire country blathering on about how awesome Clemson is, how Lawrence is going to win 3 Heismans, and Clemson will beat everyone by 50.

Our guys need to marinate in this all off season. I know you want to win them all. That is the goal, but we have to know by now that is simply not humanly possible. So, if we must lose, let us allow it to mold us into something better.

But, truly, as I said in the postgame thread, I am sick of all the hype. The constant hype, from the likes of Herbstriet, who never has to answer for it when they are wrong. Sure, there are those out there that are far worse than him. But man his words at the beginning of the season just haunt me. I thought to myself back then, that maybe we ought not to be saying such hyperbolic stuff. But then we did go out there and start putting 50 up on everyone. I allowed myself to get caught up in it for a bit. I can't believe the team didn't do a bit of the same.

We looked weary last night.
 

davefrat

Hall of Fame
Jun 4, 2002
5,172
3,893
282
Hopewell, VA
I have to admit that being an Alabama Football fan stopped being fun and became more of a source of constant stress for me in recent years.

that's not a statement about the team or anything other than me.

i'm very disappointed in the loss (really moreso how we lost in such dominating fashion) but every game has become a win or it's a disaster scenario (again, that's on me) to the point that all i felt was relief rather jubilation over wins.

idk if this is the beginning of the end of the dominance we've seen over the last decade, but i really need to develop a new perspective on what it all means in the greater scheme of things.
 

imauafan

All-American
Mar 3, 2004
3,620
981
232
Huntsville, AL
I have to admit that being an Alabama Football fan stopped being fun and became more of a source of constant stress for me in recent years.

that's not a statement about the team or anything other than me.

i'm very disappointed in the loss (really moreso how we lost in such dominating fashion) but every game has become a win or it's a disaster scenario (again, that's on me) to the point that all i felt was relief rather jubilation over wins.

idk if this is the beginning of the end of the dominance we've seen over the last decade, but i really need to develop a new perspective on what it all means in the greater scheme of things.
I was that way when I was younger. I don't like for Bama to lose but it's not nearly as big of deal to me as it used to be. I watched the game last night with some good friends and enjoyed the time together even though we lost the game. The sun rose this morning and life goes on. I played with my dog after the game and then again this morning. She could care less if Bama wins or loses, as long as she gets food, water, and love/attention then she is happy. I should be more like my dog with being content and happy with simple things. I've lived to see Bama win far more nationals championships in my adult lifetime than I ever dreamed possible. Enjoy the wins but don't get obsessed with a game because that is all that it is, a game.
 

Bamaro

TideFans Legend
Oct 19, 2001
26,558
10,620
287
Jacksonville, Md USA
The damage to Tagovailoa’s psyche, though, appeared massive. His confidence was shaken, and even if his face didn’t show it, his actions did. He became late on decisions, almost tentative at times, and then stared down early reads, things he’s never done since coming to Alabama. Clemson did what no one thought possible, sans injury: It took Tua Tagovailoa largely out of the game.
That being the case, wouldn't it have made sense to bring Hurts in earlier and stay with him for awhile?
 

davefrat

Hall of Fame
Jun 4, 2002
5,172
3,893
282
Hopewell, VA
I was that way when I was younger. I don't like for Bama to lose but it's not nearly as big of deal to me as it used to be. I watched the game last night with some good friends and enjoyed the time together even though we lost the game. The sun rose this morning and life goes on. I played with my dog after the game and then again this morning. She could care less if Bama wins or loses, as long as she gets food, water, and love/attention then she is happy. I should be more like my dog with being content and happy with simple things. I've lived to see Bama win far more nationals championships in my adult lifetime than I ever dreamed possible. Enjoy the wins but don't get obsessed with a game because that is all that it is, a game.
i'm almost 50...gotta get a new perspective.

quite frankly, losing the way we did made it easier to take.
 
Last edited:

New Posts

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.