Clemson’s Lawson expected to play against Alabama

If Clemson gets behind the chains on a consistent basis Alabama’s defense will surely force sacks and turnovers.

But for the loony lateral of a beefy tight end for a lucky Arkansas on fourth and 25 in overtime at Ole Miss on November 7, Alabama wouldn’t have qualified for the SEC Championship game even with a better overall record than Ole Miss. The phrase has gone down in the books as Swinney’s coaching philosophy. One since it was recent, one from Bo Wallace, and one from Gene Stallings’ championship run. Nine of the last 10 title winners have featured at least one All American on the defensive line. A’Shawn Robinson is an absolute freak.

“Every game is won in the trenches”, said Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, a 20-year-old freshman standing 6-4 tall and weighing 315 pounds.

A lot of eyes were on the knee of Tigers defensive end Shaq Lawson. The arrival of Lane Kiffin two years ago has been hard to endure as he has the quarterback whip the ball all over the field like it’s lacrosse or something, but by and large they run the ball, mixed in with play action pass, and have a stout defense.

Swinney said the Tigers have been moving closer to the championship for the past three or four years.

Swinney has been at Clemson nearly as long as he was a player and an assistant coach at ‘Bama. It’s true there were voices in 2015 – not at Spanning the SEC, but elsewhere – that said the SEC wasn’t what it used to be, but most of that has died down since the bowl season. He proudly wears his Christianity on his sleeve and he never shies away from an opportunity to bond with his players, whether that includes throwing an arm around them and showing he loves them in public or dancing in front of them in the locker room. I expect Clemson to make some big plays on offense and to probably lead the game in the first half. This is a huge offensive line and is the strongest that Clemson will have faced to this point. If the Tigers win, they’ll have finished this season a flawless 15-0. The Sooners were a seven point favorite for the play-in game, but the Tigers took it 37-17, successfully shutting down Baker Mayfield’s dynamic passing attack. And Clemson’s big home win over Florida State must be devalued after the Seminoles two TD loss to Houston in their bowl, especially considering FSU didn’t have starting QB Everett Golson for that game either. It was Saban’s second season with the Tide, and they were ranked No. 24 compared to Clemson’s No. 9.

Alabama looked like a team with no weaknesses against Michigan State.

Simply put, it doesn’t have anything to do with Clemson at all.

It is well known in college football that if you are going to lose, do it early in the season, and Alabama reinforced that theory. But, the offensive line is just as good. The Tigers won each of the first three matchups with the Crimson Tide, but have fallen in each meeting since as Alabama enters Monday’s game riding a 12-game winning streak.

“Clemson is a great team, undefeated, a great program”, Saban said. He has got a great family. In 2012, Texas A&M beat ’em.

This four-star defensive tackle is committed to Alabama but still isn’t totally sold on officially signing with the Crimson Tide. It’s getting real, Alabama fans. May I remind you that Michigan State took down the defending national champs in Ohio State. These two rosters are loaded with future National Football League talent and will likely be making the move from Saturdays to Sundays shortly. Burton Burns, a member of former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden’s first staff, coaches running backs. Clemson may try and do the same, but they will still have to deal with Coker.