TIDE WINS #16 THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, THEY EARNED IT

       Clemson is an excellent football team that played its absolute best game of the year. If you want to know the difference between the two teams, here it is. Alabama didn't play anywhere near its best game of the year and still found a way to win. Clemson almost won because they played a great game. Alabama won because they made great plays. The Crimson Tide had so many explosive plays I thought the roof might blow off the University of Phoenix Stadium. While it appeared that Clemson quarterback was the brightest star on the field, it was an underutilized junior tight end named O.J. Howard who became a supernova. Five times Jake Coker found his tight end open and two times Howard was dancing in the endzone. The real Hard Luck Kid, Kenyan Drake,  returned a kickoff 95 yards for his biggest touchdown as a Crimson Tider. It was a combination of skill and flat-out speed. It also was a message about never giving up. 

            The other kickoff play that mattered was a chip shot kick from Adam Griffin to Marlon Humphry. That wasn't an onsides kick. It was a designed play. It didn't require a crazy bounce or one bit of luck. Griff kicked the ball at a precise spot and Marlon Humphrey caught the ball in the air. We may never see another play like that one in our lifetime.  It took a lot of guts for Saban call the play, but the Tide knew it could work. It did, and the direction of the game changed. The momentum flipped a light switch and the evening got a lot brighter for Alabama. 


GREAT PLAYS BEAT A GREAT PLAYER

       In the last post, I suggested that DeShaun Watson would make a lot of good plays, but he wouldn't make enough. That's what happened.  For all the accolades afforded Watson, and he deserves them, it was Jake Coker who walked off the field as the winning quarterback. Let's not forget that. It was remarkable watching Coker progress from where he started last season to where finished his career is storybook stuff. He was this season's Blake Sims plus a better ending. I doubt anyone predicted the number of points scored. What most thought would be a wrestling match turned into a track meet. It ended up a great night for 'Bama and for Clemson as well.  And once again, the Tide coaching staff under Nick Saban, adapted and continued to win. I'm not talking Birmingham Bowl stuff. I'm talking NCAA College Football Championship stuff. Four titles in seven years may never happen again in my lifetime. You think five in eight years is possible? With Alabama, it's all possible.

CLEMSON IS AN SEC TEAM STUCK IN THE ACC

           Clemson is an SEC type team playing in the ACC because crimson blood runs deep in Dabo Sweeny. Sweeny had his team well prepared, and he a had a superstar at quarterback. That's a deadly combination. Despite all the talk about Alabama being able to handle the dual threat that Watson brought to the table, they couldn't shut him down;  but they slowed him down enough to win. In the long run, the Crimson Tide had enough defensive talent to tip the scales. What a luxury for teams like Clemson and Florida State to have such little competition within their conference. As long as Sweeny coaches at Clemson, you can count on the Tigers returning to the playoffs at some point the future. Alabama doesn't have that advantage. The SEC is a tough conference. Kudos to the entire SEC for winning nine out of eleven post season games. 

A long run fulfilled

        It would be unfair to say that winning the National Championship was uneventful. Alabama played for its life after the Ole Miss game. They never wavered, they never panicked, they didn't rely on luck in their run to the flag. They did it the old-fashioned way, they earned it. The Tide won it in the trenches and with a stout running back named Derrick Henry. They won because a couple of freshmen turned into great receivers, and throw in one old head from Oregon State to give them time to develop. They won because of quarterback who turned the team's season around even as he turned his personal season around as well.  They won it in the final game because the Tide used a little used tight end with so much talent and speed the Tigers had no answer. Coaching, talent, and heart were the hallmarks of #16. This national championship is one where it was a team effort. Saban said so, and I believe it. 

CLEMSON WILL SOON UNDERSTAND BAMA

ALABAMA IS READY...



    It's always the last team standing isn't it?  Only one team can be National Champion. Regardless of the method chosen to pick the winner, only one team gets to walk away saying "we are the man". It is hard to look at the auspicious list of teams who have won that trophy, and not see that one team is mentioned most. The name Alabama stands out from all the others. In the State of Alabama, we have two things - we have millions of nice people, and we have college football. There is not a lot in between according to national polls. In our State, there is only one poll that matters. We all know which one it is.  We may not be the richest, most educated, or even progressive State, and sadly, the rest of the United States sometimes laughs at us. They don't laugh at us about our football, however. Alabama is the gold standard for college football whether they win or lose on Monday night. My bet is they win, make half the State happy and the other understanding how much they have to improve to be like Bama.  That would be a galaxy far, far away as the movies say. 


      Most football programs have about as much in common with Alabama as winning the lottery. Since Nick Saban arrived in Alabama, I have never seen an Alabama team beaten. The Tide might lose because of turnovers, fluke plays, and what can only be described as a miracle.  No one has physically beaten the Tide. Let me put it another way. If Alabama played the same team that won a game against them, the Tide would be favored if the two teams played again next week. And Bama would win.

       I tip my hat to the Clemson Tigers. I salute Dabo Sweeny and admire DaShaun Watson's talent. Gentlemen, get ready for you are about to buried alive by the Crimson Tide. Think about this for a moment - the only undefeated team in the NCAA is now an eight-point underdog. I don't think eight is enough. Alabama is the most focused team I've ever had the honor of watch play football.  Tide players beat Michigan State and when asked about that game, to a man the answer was, we still have one game to play. 

      This blog today is not about numbers, statistics, or comparable scores. A Crimson Tidal Wave is coming to wash Clemson away. Our players are warriors. They don't have a gimmick offense; they don't use trick plays. They line up and look you in the eye, and to let you know the Tide is about to trample you into a distant memory. So to all the trash talking Clemson players and fans you will soon understand what we mean. As fans and players say in Bama - you are about to be processed

TIDE'S VICTORY OVER MICHIGAN STATE JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE...       

          
     

Coker has proven his critics wrong

 Gene Stallings recently said that six or seven SEC teams could beat Michigan State. I'm not a football coach but except for TAM, I'd have to agree with his assessment if Coach was talking about the SEC West. That does nothing to diminish the power of the Alabama win over State. We have to understand the complete pounding inflicted by the Tide on the Spartans to put it all into perspective. The Selection Committee did their best job in putting together the Final Four teams. I'm not saying that Alabama made the Selection Committee look foolish, but rather, it was the absolute dominance of the Alabama football team. The Tide defense took the eleven offensive players of State and made them look like a second rate junior varsity team. It was a whipping of monumental proportions. 38-0 is one of those scores that indicate that Michigan State wasn't the fourth best team in the nation. Or perhaps it is one of those scores that indicate that Alabama is the best team in the NCAA by the widest of margins. I'd put my money on the widest of margin theory. I think that's where the smart money will find a home. If you believe that Alabama's defense was overwhelming, you've got to give some strong praise to an offense that scored 31 points. Even the Tide's special teams outscored the Spartans.

Clemson is excellent  

      None of this means that Clemson isn't a good team. They won the ACC Championship and then beat Oklahoma. They aren't chopped liver. They have a great quarterback and two excellent running backs who often play in tandem. I'm can't remember us playing a duel threat quarterback as good as Clemson's. Their defense is flat out tough. A lot of talk among the analysts is that this is the quarterback that will beat the Tide. I think those same analysts are going to understand soon that Alabama has re-tooled to beat those quarterbacks. I have no doubt their quarterback will get in his licks, however. He's a tremendous talent. Players of his caliber always make some plays. Clemson may pile up some yardage. They won't pile up enough to win in my opinion.

TIDE SEEMS TO BE READY FOR THE FINAL STEP

 

   I think that the Tide is on the cusp for #16. Who would have thought, with the quarterback issues the Alabama staff faced, that making it to the national championship game was a possibility? Not only did the did lose Blake Sims but they also saw their two top pass receivers go to the NFL. The offensive line had to find three new starters. The Tide staff and players fixed all those problems. 

        This year's team might be the most unlikely championship that Alabama has ever had a chance to win. My guess is that the Tide is going to win on the 11th. I could be wrong. Perhaps Clemson is a team looking destiny square in the eye. Alabama is just looking at the same thing that the Tigers see. The difference? Alabama doesn't need fate or destiny to carry the day. Alabama creates its own.  Bama by 14.

   

         Gene Stallings recently said that six or seven SEC teams could beat Michigan State. I'm not a football coach but except for TAM I'd have to agree with his assessment. That does nothing to diminish the power of the Alabama win over State. We have to understand the complete pounding inflicted by the Tide on the Spartans to put it all into perspective. The Selection Committee did their best job in putting together the Final Four teams. I'm not saying that Alabama made the Selection Committee look foolish, but rather, the absolute power of the Alabama football team. The Tide defense took the eleven offensive players of State and made them look like a second rate junior varsity team. It was a whipping of monumental proportions. 38-0 is one of those scores that indicate that Michigan State wasn't the fourth best team in the nation. Or perhaps it is one of those sscres that indicate that Alabama is the best team in the NCAA by widest of margins. I'd put my money on the widest of margin theory.