Clemson 44, Alabama 16: A Few Very Quick Thoughts

Clemson 44, Alabama 16: A Few Very Quick Thoughts


January 8, 2019
  • I thought Alabama would win this one, 42-34. A blowout victory by Clemson was not what I saw coming at all.
  • Clemson out-coached Alabama. Nick Saban made some dumb decisions. It seemed like Alabama was more in desperation mode. Maybe they knew behind closed doors that they were the underdog in this one.
  • Also, Clemson’s dudes just happened to show up in this game, and Alabama’s didn’t. There’s a universe where Alabama wins this game handily, but when Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins are making ridiculous plays on the outside, when Tua’s having an off game, etc., it’s just really tough to stop that avalanche once it gets going.
  • The biggest surprise to me was Alabama’s inability to punch the ball in after long drives. Alabama was gashing Clemson with the run. The top three running backs had 31 carries for 163 yards . . . and zero touchdowns. I think Alabama got too cute with the RPO stuff when the outside and inside zone were working.
  • Tee Higgins was my #1 wide receiver in the 2017 class, ahead of Donovan Peoples-Jones. Both are very good players, but Higgins is a touch ahead, and he’s in a system that is going to take advantage (3 catches for 81 yards tonight). Maybe Jerry Jeudy should have been up there somewhere, too, I guess.
  • If I’m an elite wide receiver, I’m going to Clemson. In my opinion, there’s no other school in the country that develops receivers better than Clemson. Yes, they recruit elite talent (Higgins, Justyn Ross, etc.), but they actually get a chance to showcase their talents. And even when they’re not putting up eye-popping numbers, they’re making big plays and playing in big games.
  • Trevor Lawrence is another guy I really liked coming out of high school. I said during the 2018 recruiting cycle that he reminded me of Peyton Manning with his ability to understand the game and anticipate defensive coverages. Lawrence is a better athlete and they have different personalities, so they’re not spitting images, but you can see how well Lawrence reacts to what defenses are giving him.
  • It was interesting to me to watch those two offenses play. I’ve been studying spread offenses more and more since my high school season ended, and as I continue to get a better grasp on what teams like Alabama and Clemson are doing in their run game, pass game, RPO stuff, etc., it’s fun to make calls in my living room and see whether those respective offensive coordinators/quarterbacks see what I’m seeing. I was doing pretty well early in the game when both teams were in shootout mode, but once Tua lost his mojo and Clemson took their foot off the gas, my guess accuracy started to fizzle, too.
  • Damien Harris and Najee Harris get all the hype for being 5-star recruits, but the guy in Alabama’s backfield who impresses me most is Josh Jacobs. He can run, catch, block, play wildcat QB, etc. Perhaps a bit like Kenyan Drake, Jacobs might be the unheralded guy at Alabama who doesn’t really show what he can do until he gets to the NFL.
  • We’ve known this for a while, but Michigan would have been smashed by both of these teams if the Wolverines would have sneaked into the playoff at #4 with a win over Ohio State and then Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship. The line of scrimmage would have been dominated by Alabama/Clemson, and they would have made mincemeat of Michigan’s safeties. I’d rather lose in a playoff blowout than in a Peach Bowl blowout to Florida, but Michigan would have ended the season with an embarrassing loss either way.

8 comments

  1. Comments: 1364
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    WindyCityBlue
    Jan 08, 2019 at 7:53 AM

    Not just talent, but the willingness and ability to use it to the max.

    Both teams also made gutsy moves with their quarterbacks, of the type that I doubt Harbaugh ever would. Unfortunately, he seems to be running a Carr-type meritocracy, based largely on seniority.

  2. Comments: 1863
    Joined: 1/19/2016
    je93
    Jan 08, 2019 at 8:17 AM

    That last part is spot-on. No matter how much we love our program, it was delusional to think we were on the same level as these two

  3. Comments: 522
    Joined: 8/12/2015
    DonAZ
    Jan 08, 2019 at 8:40 AM

    Nice write-up … thanks! I did not get a chance to watch the game, but in looking at the box score my sense was the difference was: 2 interceptions thrown by Alabama with long returns (one for a TD, I think?), and Alabama’s low 3rd conversion rate (they moved the ball, but they couldn’t when it counted).

    With respect to Michigan — (1) agree, they would have been embarrassed, and (2) the Mattison thing has me baffled. Is it a sign of some internal friction at Michigan? The next couple of weeks will be interesting.

    Lots of talk about who to replace Mattison with … a question: MSU seems to do fairly well on defense with what they have talent-wise. Would you poach any of their coaches if you had the chance?

  4. Comments: 23
    Joined: 11/15/2015
    brandywine
    Jan 08, 2019 at 9:15 AM

    These teams PUSH the ball downfield and have great run games outside the tackles. They play vertical with big pass plays over the middle. When they do run inside it’s a change of pace and often with QB draw.

    Too much of Michigan’s offense is horizontal. The interesting thing is, Michigan used to push the ball vertically in the pass game under Fisch with Rudock and Speight. Even in the 2017 opener vs FL Speight fired balls deep down the middle to Perry and Eubanks. It seems like in an effort to stabilize the QB position under Shea coaches decided to emphasize quick completions over yards, then punch the ball up the middle as the counter. It didn’t work because our quick outside game frankly wasn’t very good.

  5. Comments: 40
    Joined: 9/24/2017
    bluegoinggray
    Jan 08, 2019 at 9:56 AM

    Thanks for that last bullet. Now I feel soooooo much better about Michigan’s football program.

  6. Comments: 11
    Joined: 9/18/2016
    Double-D
    Jan 08, 2019 at 11:42 AM

    Ettiene from Clemson looked like the best back on the field. NFL caliber for sure.

  7. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Jan 08, 2019 at 12:03 PM

    Many are calling for M to follow the trend and try to match Clemson, Oklahoma, and other spread-pass offenses. ‘Even’ Alabama has done it. But I wonder if M can ever catch up and move ahead this way. Clemson has a 5-star QB and 5-star WRs. So does Bama. Maybe they can gradually claw their way up to consistently landing top 3 classes but we all know that M is geographically disadvantaged relative to the southern powers, Texas/Oklahoma, and even Ohio.

    So – doesn’t M have to do something different than everybody else to be the best?

    Honest question. I don’t know if M is willfully ignoring the evolution of football while trying to do something else, or if they are trying to catch up to everyone else and just going through some struggles to get there (due to coaching and personnel missteps)

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Jan 08, 2019 at 12:37 PM

      My opinion on offensive philosophy: M can make progress towards winning the Big Ten (beating OSU) more often if it follows (same as everyone else). If they want to win national title’s, they’ll need to lead.

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