Clemson (14-0) and Alabama (13-1) will collide in Arizona to play for a national championship.
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Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says he is confident All-American Shaq Lawson will play in the national title game against Alabama after the defensive end missed most of the Tigers’ semifinal victory with a knee injury. He has gained 100-plus rushing yards in five of the last six games, with 145 against Oklahoma.
Gene Stallings, who led the Tide to a national championship in 1992, joined The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5 Tuesday and gave his take on the Crimson Tide’s chances of winning another national title.
That was also a pivotal year for the Tigers. Every other ACC defense (except Clemson) got absolutely torched by their bowl opponent. The Tigers are trying to become the first college team to win 15.
Swinney said talked about playing his alma mater. “It was just a matter of when”.
But Ohio State coach Urban Meyer downplayed the rule before the national championship game, saying he didn’t want to push his players too hard at the end of a long season. “We’re going to do what we do so it won’t change anything”. “This year, we really wanted to make a statement and do something special”. They’ve held the top two spots since. Watson will have a strong performance.
Alabama vs. Clemson odds, including point spread, over/under line and stats to know while analyzing the matchup. Clemson’s Wayne Gallman was getting further upfield than OU’s Samaje Perine before contact. It might have joined Ohio State among single-loss teams foiled by a border-state villain, teams whose mightiness we might never get to gauge.
He has been an impact player for the Crimson Tide all season which begs the question: How does Clemson football stop a Heisman Trophy victor? “It’s going to be because they beat us”. Let’s look at some of the key factors for both teams.
Lawson leads the Tigers’ defense with 23.5 tackles for loss, including 10.5 sacks.
Offensive tackle Cameron Robinson said, “We know what our ultimate goal is”.
“We’ve just got to go play the game”, Swinney said.
The best part of Alabama’s game is its ability to play shutdown defense. In a typical game, Alabama’s defensive linemen number 11, but Florida Coach Jim McElwain quipped that they feel like 30, while lip-reading TV viewers might have read Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook as saying, “They’re (expletive) everywhere”.
Jonathan Allen and the ferocious Tide defensive front sacked Connor Cook four times and allowed the Spartans only one trip into the red zone – which ended with Cyrus Jones intercepting a pass at the goal line.
He mentioned that Alabama was in the Red Zone (inside the Michigan State 20) four times and scored three touchdowns and a field goal.
“I think as it should be, this is a game that two great teams are going to have a great opportunity to compete in, and it’s something that we’re certainly looking forward to and pleased that we’ve created the opportunity for ourselves to do that”. It’s a great opportunity for them.
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But despite holding the Big Ten Champion scoreless, Nick Saban – as he does – found plenty of areas for Alabama to improve when asked if the Tide played a flawless game.
