Alabama coach says Clemson will be a handful

Getty Images Clemson is ranked No. 1 in the country, but Alabama showed that it is the best team in college football by crushing the Spartans.

Alabama reserve defensive back Tony Brown, however, will remain suspended, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said during Monday’s teleconference. The 1981 Tigers went 12-0 and beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to claim the school’s only national championship. Since the teams are evenly matched, it’ll be the games-within-the-game that’ll eventually dictate a victor. He rushed for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns this season and was responsible for 36.1 percent of the Crimson Tide offensive production this year. “Henry has had several games (when) he’s carried the ball 40-something times”. When you push the pace, forcing Saban to alter his substitution patterns, the Crimson Tide defensive is less effective.

Even with the losses endured on defense and along the offensive line after previous year, Swinney didn’t lower the bar at all in the offseason. Gallman became Clemson’s single-season rushing leader with 1,482 yards on 269 carries. Clemson held Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise to 50 yards on 15 carries, and limited North Carolina running back Elijah Hood to 65 yards on 14 carries in the ACC Championship Game.

Swinney said that if he could script his first national title appearance, it would be against Alabama. After 30 years as head coach (1940-69), he hired former Alabama player Hootie Ingram, who coached at Clemson for three seasons (1970-72). It’s not just Saban though. Defensive assistant Chris Rumph left Swinney’s staff for Alabama. Special teams coordinator Bobby Williams was with Saban at Michigan State and has been at Alabama since 2008.

Coker transferred to Alabama after backing up Jameis Winston at Florida State.

The SEC won eight of its 10 postseason appearances with Texas A&M the other team that didn’t wrap up its season with a victory. Since that game, Coker has improved steadily, and his performance against Michigan State in the semifinal may have been his best. Clemson will also need its receivers to create big plays down field.

However, if Clemson can strike with some big plays early and dictate what Alabama must do on offense, the Tigers can effectively take Henry out of the game in the second half. Clemson was the underdog in all four of those contests, and they covered the spread in each one by a TD or more. Allen tormented Connor Cook last week and provides a complementary flash to bigger linemates A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed. Alabama’s three down linemen are each at least 6-3 and weigh between 312 and 315 pounds, and its four starting linebackers weigh between 240 and 252 pounds. “This is going to be a tougher challenge, but our defensive line and front seven are definitely up for it”.

There is nothing flashy about the way the University of Alabama football team goes about its business, and that includes when it comes to promoting the team, too. The high octane offenses attract the most public attention in the betting markets, but it’s likely to be the team that stands tall defensively who brings home the national title next this Monday night.

If those five reasons are not enough to convince you that Alabama will win this year’s national championship, consider this bonus reason. “First of all, Wednesday and Thursday they’ve got a little bit more time”.

While that last meeting between the Tigers and Tide was just the beginning for Alabama, it was the beginning of the end for then-Clemson coach Tommy Bowden. The Alabama offense is averaging 34.4 points and 423.8 yards per game and they have turned the ball over 17 times.