Couldn't cover when it mattered and truthfully, were worn down after too much time on the field. Sure, the offense had a big hand in that, but for a defense that was touted as one of the best ever by some, it was a slow drudge to being deflated, worn out, and pedestrian. Two minutes with a three point lead should have been enough. I also understand the offensive criticism, but 31 should be enough if you are Alabama.
Bama's defense lost this game
- Thread starter Shamoan
- Start date
I think Alabama's offense lost the game. Lack of sustained drives in the second half left the defense on the field too much and their pass rushers were gassed at the end of the game. Clemson ran north of 90 plays. Even if that game had gone into overtime, Clemson was going to win.
Bama's QB is less than serviceable when he's forced to throw the ball. He leaves the pocket too early and throws the ball away too much. They can say it wasn't a factor, but they missed Kiffin last night in my opinion.
Bama's QB is less than serviceable when he's forced to throw the ball. He leaves the pocket too early and throws the ball away too much. They can say it wasn't a factor, but they missed Kiffin last night in my opinion.
all good points, but i was very disappointed with bama's defense in the whole second half. 28 points in the second half for a defense that was in the discussion for GOAT.
the offense played a big role in that without question. the defense just couldnt keep it up which is a difficult standard for any defense with 99 plays against and not as much depth as in the past. they lost their nastiness somewhere in the 2nd quarter and never regained it.
the offense played a big role in that without question. the defense just couldnt keep it up which is a difficult standard for any defense with 99 plays against and not as much depth as in the past. they lost their nastiness somewhere in the 2nd quarter and never regained it.
On the Clemson TD, I'm surprised Bama didn't call a timeout to instruct the DB's to just tackle the Clemson receivers. That would have put Dabo to a tough decision on whether or not to kick the FG or go for the win.
Clemson did a good job of scouting Bama. They knew that Bama would be in 'zero coverage' (man-to-man) coverage inside the 5 yard line. Clemson ran the 'pick play' to perfection.
ESPN .. "The outside receiver on the play runs a quick slant, and the outside cornerback initiates contact and grabs him. This forces the inside cornerback to take a circuitous route to cover the inside receiver, who initially fakes inside, only to quickly cut outside. He is wide open. The throw is perfect. Clemson dethrones the Tide.
If the outside receiver had initiated contact, or had not made an attempt to run a route, offensive pass interference could have been called. Heck, if the defender had not initially grabbed the outside receiver, it probably gets called."
Am I the only one that thought Hurts blew the game?
The dude couldn't pass to save his life other than one blown coverage. Yes, he had a scramble for a TD, but by then they had worn out their D and gotten Scarborough beaten to death.
The dude couldn't pass to save his life other than one blown coverage. Yes, he had a scramble for a TD, but by then they had worn out their D and gotten Scarborough beaten to death.
My thoughts exactly. That bama D could only hold Watson and the Clemson O so long being forced to pretty much stay on the field the whole second half. Hurts freshman showed itself when he got under pressure, and those repeated 3 and outs killed bama.
I don't think Kiffin would have made any difference. Hurts still wouldn't be able to throw the ball. The simple fact is, Bama's offense wasn't as good this year as it has been throughout Saban's tenure and their defense has great starters, but not much depth so they were vulnerable to getting worn down. Clemson simply had the better team and could have won more convincingly if they hadn't been -2 in turnovers and missed on a short 4th down conversion.
Kiffin was a lot more aggressive with his playcalling on first and second down.
That kind of stuff drove Saban crazy, but it made their offense more explosive and unpredictable. They may have hit on one or two more big plays last night if Kiffin were coaching.
Hurts is hailed by the media for his ability to look like a robot the entire football game. Bama needed to be able to rally around him in the second half and he's over there looking into the distance like Forrest Gump.
Here is his "I just scrambled for an amazing TD in the 4th Quarter of the National Championship" face.
View attachment 5873
Here is his "Clemson just scored with one second left on the clock to beat us" face.
View attachment 5873
Scarborough going down was the turning point in the game. Bama was done after that. He would have scored at least 2 more TD's in the late stages of the game and wore Clemson's D out
Bama had like nine 3&outs and 12 punts, completely inept offensive performance and Kiffin definitely would've made the difference. He's much more creative, uses the pass on 1st down to set up the run, and generally just creates wide open guys in the pass game that Hurts is comfortable hitting (like in the MSU-Bama game).
Bama not being able to possess the ball or have anything remotely close to a long clock eating drive created an abnormal amount of possessions/plays for Clemson. 100 plays is a lot, but having to go out there for 17-18 possessions was the killer when the average game has between 10-12 possessions.
Bama stopped Clemson on 9 of their first 10 possessions... If their offense would've been decent the game shouldn't have had many more possessions than that
Bama not being able to possess the ball or have anything remotely close to a long clock eating drive created an abnormal amount of possessions/plays for Clemson. 100 plays is a lot, but having to go out there for 17-18 possessions was the killer when the average game has between 10-12 possessions.
Bama stopped Clemson on 9 of their first 10 possessions... If their offense would've been decent the game shouldn't have had many more possessions than that
Look at it at face value:
14-0
Scored 31 or more points in 11 of those 14 games
Freshman QB that likely trusts Kiffin
Kiffin has been OC and head coach at multiple places (has felt the pressure of play calling often).
Kiffin was OC last year on championship winning team
There are simply too many indicators that point to Kiffin likely calling a better game than his replacement last night. Firing him broke a routine for the players and was probably a distraction. Then when the RB goes down you have to think Kiffin would be better prepared to deal with it. I'm not a huge fan of Kiffin but I think Saban overplayed his hand and undervalued intangilbes about firing a coach at that time.
Pointing to one game the week prior to the championship is cherry picking and doesn't help your argument at all.
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