Breaking down ‘Bama, Clemson title tilt

Alabama’s ferocious front-four will wreak havoc on Clemson’s potent offense and the Tide will ride Heisman Trophy victor Derrick Henry to Nick Saban’s fifth national championship. People have voted against Clemson a lot this season and Dabo Swinney doesn’t mind one bit.

“You take a guy like Dan Brooks”, Swinney said.

Saban is looking to build on Alabama’s great tradition, and SEC dominance, and Clemson is looking to be the giant killer. “It’s really hard to do”.

Against Oklahoma in the playoff semi-finals, Gallman ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns bringing his total to the year to 1,482 yards and 12 touchdowns as a key cog in, by ranking, the best team in college football.

Ask Hopkins about his alma mater Clemson’s chances against Alabama in the national championship game and he’ll give a breakdown of the undefeated Tigers. You’d think that with Henry, third down would be a strength, but the Crimson Tide rank 96th in the nation in third-down conversion percentage (36.2 percent).

“I think he’s done a fantastic job at Clemson in terms of how they develop players, the quality of players that they’re able to recruit, and the good job that he does helping his players be successful as well”, Saban said.

Tonight, the Clemson Tigers will go head to head against the Alabama Crimson Tide for college football’s national championship.

No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama will end the college football season on Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Alabama has been on a path to the title since getting smoked by Ohio State in the second half of the Sugar Bowl in the national semifinals last season. DE Shaq Lawson leads the nation in tackles for a loss (23.5) and is expected to play despite injuring his knee in the Orange Bowl – coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday that Lawson “looked good” in Saturday’s practice.

I think Mackensie Alexander, Clemson’s star cornerback, will need to shut down Calvin Ridley. They both beat their foes by a sizable margin, so simply the outcomes of those games does not say much since they were both dominant.

“I owe them as the leader of the organization”, Saban said. “We just have to play a better game than they play”. “He’s done everything he needs to do to play in the game”. But Clemson will present problems the Tide has not faced this season – and hasn’t really solved in the past few years. Saban was the defensive coordinator for Bill Belichick’s Cleveland Browns from 1991-94, helping leading his team to a playoff win in 1994.

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Swinney was his normal outgoing self, excited to have his team in the title game for the first time in 34 years, while the laid-back Saban acted more like a guy who’s been there before. “But again, until you get out there and you’re playing in a game of this magnitude with the intensity and physicality, you never know”.

Fortunately for Clemson, this is not the first time they have been doubted this season. Ole Miss was the only team to beat Alabama this season, the Rebels had a dual threat QB in Chad Kelly that posted better than 425 yards. “I was at Alabama 13 seasons, and I just finished my 13th year (at Clemson)”.