National Championship game
Alabama (13-1) vs. Clemson (14-0)
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona (72,200)
7:30 PM CT/8:30 PM ET
ESPN
Chris, Herbie, Heather, Tom.
Tom has S, Heather has Dabo
Coaches:
Alabama
Nicholas Lou Saban Jr.
64 years old, born in Fairmont, West Virginia.
190-60-1 in 20 years, 76%; 99-18 in nine years at Alabama, 85%; Bowls 9-8.
Four national championships: 2003 @ LSU, 2009, 2011, 2012 @ Alabama. 6 SEC titles: 2001, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015.
Clemson
William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney
46 years old, born in Birmingham, Alabama
75-26 in eight years at Clemson as head coach, 74%.
Two ACC titles (2011, 2015), 2 Orange Bowls. Lost to West Virginia, 70-33 in the 2011 Orange Bowl and defeated Ohio State in the 2013 Orange Bowl, 40-35. Also defeated LSU in the 2012 Chick Fil-A Bowl, 25-24. One of the bright, youthful stars in the college coaching profession.
Refs: Pac-12, Terry Leyden
Weather: Retractable roof, 54 degrees, clear, 0% rain, wind, minimal: WSW 4 MPH
Line: Bama by 7
Breakdown
The Alabama defense and big playmaking ability are the keys here. The Crimson Tide has the number one rushing defense in the country, allowing just 70.8 yards per game. Clemson is 18th in the nation giving up 124 yards per. The Crimson Tide has the number one scoring defense in the country giving up 13.4 points per game. Clemson is 18th at 20.1. Clemson is fifth in the country in tackles for loss with 100, while Alabama is 23rd with 85. Alabama is fourth in the country in pass efficiency defense while Clemson is sixth. Alabama leads the country in sacks with 50, while Clemson is eighth with 43. Alabama is 11th in the country in interceptions with 18, while Clemson is 21st with 16.
Alabama
Derrick Henry leads the Tide with 2,061 yards rushing and 25 TDs. Jake Coker has completed 67.1% of his passes, 247-of-368, for 2,775 yards, 19 TDs and eight ints, and has been at his best late in the season. Calvin Ridley is a deep ball scoring machine. Calvin has 83 receptions for 1,031 yards and seven TDs. ArDarius Stewart is pretty awesome as well with 61 receptions for 637 yards and four TDs. Richard Mullaney is an underrated player for the Tide at wide out as he has 37 receptions for 361 yards and five, 7's . O.J. Howard has 33 receptions for 394 yards. Expect him to be a bigger part of the offense tonight. Cyrus Jones has four punt returns for TDs.
On defense, stud linebacker and defensive leader Reggie Ragland leads the team in tackles with 97, with 6.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. Reggie is all over the field. Linebacker Reuben Foster is second in tackles with 64, and Reuben is a phenomenal player also. The defensive ends are superb, dominant players with Jonathan Allen leading the way with 14.5 tackles for loss of 92 yards, and 12 sacks for -88 yards. Tim Williams is stellar with 12.5 tackles for loss of 92 yards, and 10.5 sacks for -78. Ryan Anderson is another dominant defensive end with 11.5 tackles for loss of -50 and 6 sacks for -41 yards. Then you have guys up front like the massive 6'4", 312 pound A'Shawn Robinson and 6'4", 313 pound Jarran Reed, who are major disrupters and run stoppers. This front line is loaded, massive and dominant. Safety Eddie Jackson leads the defense in interceptions with 5 for 230 yards and he's taken 2 back to the house. Minkah Fitzpatrick has two interceptions, both of which he's taken back for house calls. Minkah also blocked a punt against Georgia on Georgia's four yard line which he took it in for another seven. This is an all world Crimson Tide team in all three facets of the game.
Clemson
Clemson has had a terrific season going 14-0 and just annihilated Oklahoma, 37-17, in the Orange Bowl semifinal game.
They are led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has completed 303-of-444 passes, 68%, for 3,699 yards, 31 TDs, against 12 interceptions. Wayne Gallman is one of the best, most underrated running backs in the country. Gallman has rushed for 1,482 yards and 12, 7's. Watson has added 1,032 yards and 12, 7's on the ground. Artavis Scott is Clemson's leading wide receiver with 89 receptions for 868 yards and five, 7's. Charone Peake is another explosive weapon on the perimeter with 44 catches for 617 yards and five TDs. Tight end Jordan Leggett has 35 receptions for 447 yards and 7 TDs, and Hunter Renfrow is an excellent, Mullaney-type receiver for the Tigers with 26 receptions for 404 yards and 3 TDs.
On defense, 6'3", 270 pound defensive end Shaq Lawson leads the team and the nation with 23.5 tackles for loss. Lawson also posted 10.5 sacks for -79 yards. Lawson is battling a sprained MCL, but will most likely play. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't. Six-foot-five, 275 pound defensive end Kevin Dodd posted 18.5 tackles for loss of -73 yards and 9 sacks for -51 yards. Six-foot, 240 pound middle linebacker B.J. Goodson led the team in tackles with 98 and posted 14 tackles for loss of -70 yards and 5.5 sacks. Cornerback Cordrea Tankersly led the team in interceptions with five for 50 yards, one for a seven. Cornerback Mackensie Alexander is one of Clemson's most vocal players, but he doesn't have an interception on the season. Teams must throw away from him because you'd think by all the hype on him, he's lead the country in interceptions. He's questionable with a hamstring injury, so as Dabo says, it's next man up. Ridley, Stewart and Mullaney versus these cornerbacks could be game deciding matchups.
Final Analysis
Not everybody prescribes to this thinking, but I'm going to in this case. Alabama defeated Michigan State a week and a half ago in the Cotton Bowl, 38-0. Michigan State defeated Ohio State, 17-14, on November 21st at Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Notre Dame, 44-28, in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day. Clemson just got by Notre Dame, 24-22, on October 3rd, at home.
Some people don't like to compare scores, but I think they're relevant in this case. Despite the fact that Clemson has good numbers on defense overall, they gave up 432 yards of total offense to Notre Dame and barely won when Notre Dame couldn't convert their two point attempt at the end of the game. They game up 402 yards of total offense to a South Carolina team that struggled to score points and generate any offense all year in a 37-32 victory at Columbia, SC on Nov. 28th.
In Alabama's biggest tests, despite the early season loss to a very good Ole Miss team in which Jake Coker hadn't figured it out yet, Alabama has gone to Georgia as an underdog and dominated the Bulldogs, 38-10. At Texas A&M, which appeared to be a tough game at the time, 'Bama blasted the Aggies, 41-23. Against the highly acclaimed Leonard Fournette, whom the media had coronated the Heisman Trophy winner at the time, the Crimson Tide defense held Fournette to 31 yards rushing on 19 carries for an average of 1.6 yards per carry as the Crimson Tide blasted LSU, 30-16. At Mississippi State the next week, Alabama won 31-6. Alabama took care of business at Auburn, 29-13, when Derrick Henry went off for 271 yards on 46 carries, and then Henry ran for another 189 on 44 carries in a 29-15 defeat of Florida in the SEC title game that was not as close as the score indicated. In the semifinal Cotton Bowl, Jake and Calvin took over. Jake was 25-of-30 for 286 yards and two touchdowns with no ints. Calvin caught 8 passes for 138 yards and two TDs, and defense pitched a shutout holding Michigan State to 29 yards rushing, and forcing Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook to throw two ints. The Tide also sacked Cook four times.
Coker will need to be good against Clemson early because they'll probably load up the box to stop Henry. Kenyan Drake could really help which would be a huge boost for the offense, and while Bo Scarbrough has not been a major factor this season, he's a stud and could help. I'm not saying Scarbrough's going to get a lot of carries, but if Kiff gives him a chance, he will deliver. He's going to be awesome. Drake could really help with some explosive plays. Drake, Coker, Ridley, Stewart, Howard and Mullaney will have to be good to give Henry a chance to ground and pound the Tigers. The Tide offensive line will get the job done. Ryan Kelly and company are playing dominant football. For Clemson to win, Watson will have to play the game of his life, and Gallman will have to find a way to run the ball against this powerful front seven. Their defense will have to prevent explosive plays in the passing game and corral Henry and Drake.
That's not going to happen. The Tide just has too much weaponry on both sides of the ball for Clemson. Clemson's had a great season, but Alabama has been through the SEC gauntlet and come out once again on top. Clemson played a very good game against Oklahoma, but this is too much to ask of the Tigers. Like the Tide to win soundly and S to capture his fourth national championship in seven years. Then the question will be, can Alabama keep him from going to the National Football League.
Alabama 35, Clemson 17