This was a moment to cherish, but it didn’t take long for a reporter to burst the bubble. The total for the National Championship Game has also moved significantly at some sportsbooks, opening as high as 53.5 and drawing one-sided sharp action on the Under since the Alabama-Clemson matchup was made.
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Clemson’s first coach and later its president, Riggs graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn), and since 1940, five University of Alabama graduates have served as head coach at Clemson, including Dabo Swinney.
This is where Kearse took exception. Four National Championships in seven years is only really fun for them – it gets boring for the rest of us. “It’s going to be because they just beat us”. And when presented with all the arguments for why Alabama poses the ultimate stumbling block, Kearse points to Watson as the equalizer. This is a huge offensive line and is the strongest that Clemson will have faced to this point. One since it was recent, one from Bo Wallace, and one from Gene Stallings’ championship run. Our guys don’t go to school on Friday. And if there was any question how Watson would handle that pressure, head coach Bruce Miller quickly found his answer in the locker room before the game.
Kelly-USA TODAY Sports But seriously, nothing would make things more interesting than a Clemson TD to start off the title game.
There was Watson, sitting in front of his locker, calm and collected, chewing on a bag of gummy worms – his usual pregame treat. The weight of the world – or at least the world that he had grown up in – might have been on his shoulders, but Watson never flinched. A usually-careful passer threw two interceptions while passing for 210 yards. I think they’ll be able to stop that Clemson offense.
The kid is unflappable, Miller said.
As for Wednesday and Thursday, he does not believe that it will hurt Clemson’s preparations. Everything from his name to his antics have people around the country buzzing – and waiting to see what he says or does next. “He’s just relentless about preparing”.
Born into a Crimson Tide family, Swinney dreamed of playing for coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Forcing Alabama to blitz and change out of its base packages could open up the space Clemson needs to make those big plays and pull off the upset. Alabama running back Derrick Henry won the 2015 Heisman Trophy, and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson finished third in the voting. On one of the photographs Swinney wrote to his father “Dad, Thanks for showing me the way.
That’s the hand we’ve been dealt, and we’ve got to deal with it”, the junior said. “I told our team, ‘We ain’t favored to win the game, but we ain’t no damn underdog'”.
In the days leading up to the Orange Bowl, tight end Jordan Leggett was happy to tout his quarterback’s inevitable success. Clemson has covered in four straight postseason games and is 5-2 ATS in its last seven non-conference contests. “He puts the ball exactly where it needs to be, every time”, Peake said. According to William Hill sportsbooks in Nevada, 61 percent of the betting handle for the January 11 title game is riding on the Crimson Tide with 71 percent of wagers being placed on the SEC power.
Swinney has a lot a friends in Alabama, and a few of them are conflicted on which team to root for on Monday. Swinney said it’s not hard to be impressed by what that unit has done.
Same guy, day in, day out. “Kind of gives them another team”.
So what’s to worry about against Alabama?
Clemson hasn’t been too bad either. There’s no doubting that.
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McElroy said some of the upperclassmen in 2007 were not quite ready to do the work the new coach demanded. It’s nothing to be anxious about.
