National Championship game notes: Bama vs Clemson

[hscoach]

First: Congrats to the Bama players and coaches on the victory and bringing home Bama’s 16th National Championship.  I must also say Clemson is a hell of a team and pushed it to the very end.  Too be quite honest I was not sure it was over until the onside kick was recovered.               
Offense:  The offense had their problem and still put 473 yards of total offense on the board.  I do think they went fast at times and had too much confusion.  Bama had 335 passing and 138 rushing.  As far as negative plays Bama had 5 sacks and 5 tackles for losses.   They only had 2 three and outs the whole night.  For plays for over 10 yards they had 8 passes and 3 rushes.  Bama got into the red zone 3 times and scored 2 touchdowns and 1 field goal.  They were aided by 4 touchdowns from outside the red zone.  One of the biggest stats was there were no offensive turnovers.
QB:  Coker had a decent game.  He complete 64 per cent of his passes.  I do think he started looking at the pass rush a couple of times.  I also think the routes could have been a little better to help him.  He made probably his best throws off his back foot on the 38 yard completion to Stewart. 
RB:  Henry had a good game.  He was hit hard and a lot by many people.  He did a pretty good job pass blocking
REC:  They had a hard time getting open and the Clemson defenders closed quickly after their catch.  I guess Clemson forgot Howard could catch and run or maybe Lane was holding out until this game.  Howard took advantage of his opportunities.  Now one thing I noticed was the receivers got hit in the mouth when they went to block therefore causing missed or poor blocks by them. 
OL:  At one point I thought the right side of the OL may cost Bama the game.  There was either miscommunication or poor technique that led to poor offensive plays for Bama.  Not only did they miss blocks they were blown up by the D lineman from Clemson. The OL had trouble getting a big push most of the night.  The good thing is that they got enough push so Henry could get 3 to 4 yards most of the time. 
Defense:  The D had a tough night.  They gave up 550 yards of total offense.  This was 405 passing and 145 rushing.  I will say I was surprised how strong Watson’s arm was.  Bama only had 2 tree and outs for the night.  As far as negative plays I have Bama for 5 sacks, 4 tackles for losses, 1 interception, and 1 block field goal.  Now here come the eye opener.  As far as plays for over 10 yards, Clemson had 19 passes and 5 runs that covered that distance.  I didn’t count the missed tackles but there were a few especially late in the game.  This is just my opinion but I think Bama was a little too cautious with their pass rush early and didn’t get to the QB because of being afraid of losing contain or the scrambling ability of Watson.  The D did lose contain a couple of times and rushed too far up the field and opened a running lane for Watson.  It seem to be the game plan early to attack wide and quick throws.  Clemson looked to be satisfied taking what we considered an uncovered rec and take that 5+ yards.
DL:  I really thought they played well.  Again I thought their pass rush was a little too cautious early and they picked it up later in the game.  If I remember correctly Bama’s first negative play didn’t come until late in the 2nd quarter, about the last 3+ minutes left to go in the half. One of the best efforts of the night was when Reed stopped the 2 point conversion.
LB:  They played pretty well in a tough situation.  These guys had to contend with a very mobile QB that could also throw the ball.  They had to play coverage and the run.
DB:  They played better than the stats show in my opinion.  The way Watson could extend plays it is very difficult to cover for that long.  Harrison had a huge play when the broke up the throw in the end zone which forced Clemson to take the field goal.  His techniques was great he watched the man and then went to the arms of the rec to break up the ball.  He never looked back.  If you noticed on the first TD by Clemson Fitzpatrick took a peek back for a quick second and that is when he lost his cushion that allowed the throw to get in. 
Penalties: Bama is only credited for 2 penalties both of those were pass interference calls.  The one on Foster kept the drive alive that led to points.  The one on Fitzpatrick looked to me like it could have been called offensive, but that is just my opinion.  Two holding calls were refused because Clemson took the plays. 
Special Teams:  This is where the game was won.  They got an onside kick which led to a touchdown.  They blocked a field goal which, if made, would have allowed Clemson not to have to go for two after the touchdown.  Finally, the kickoff return was a huge answer after Clemson had scored.  They did miss a couple of tackles on kickoff returns and Bama missed a field goal themselves.  The punting game for Clemson was pretty good and the punts took funny bounces which didn’t really allow Jones to stop them or return many.  When he was able to field them he did a good job.
Finally:  What a year.  Many people counted them out after the Ole Miss game.  This was a very good team that, if not for their own mistakes, would have been undefeated.  Again congrats to all the players and coaches.  Kirby Smart and players will be missed.  The leadership on this team is what allowed them to make the push and win this National Championship.
Please feel free to comment.
Good Luck and Roll Tide Roll
16 and counting

[ricky023]

AMEN! RTR!

[Old Tider]

Great review, Coach, as always.

I keep thinking of the pressure on Humphrey as he waited for the onside kick, knowing the coaches and team depended on him, realizing millions were watching and remembering he had dropped the kick in practice.  What a great play.     

[SUPERCOACH]

I do NOT want to face DW4 again next year.   

Maybe they will lose to FSU or NC or go back to Clemsoning. 

[Chechem]

...one thing I noticed was the receivers got hit in the mouth when they went to block therefore causing missed or poor blocks by them...

Coach, is this good technique or a foul?? 
I remember (as a DE) slapping helmets of WRs to rattle them as the ball was snapped; that was later made illegal.  Certainly this isn't legal either.

[Catch Prothro]

I do NOT want to face DW4 again next year.   

Maybe they will lose to FSU or NC or go back to Clemsoning. 

Definitely need to rethink that defense.  Giving the QB too much time in an effort to contain him didn't work.  Probably should go for the backfield tackle/sack every play, keeping a spy or two if he breaks contain, and being aggressive at the line of scrimmage with the receivers (because giving receivers cushions wasn't working either).

[N.AL-Tider]

Great assessment  Coach.  As usual you've done a great job of breaking down each position and their performance.  If it isn't too much trouble, I would like to see you do a brief assessment for each position for the entire season and give each a grade like Coach Saban and staff does.  If that is too much trouble then forget about it. I just think that would be interesting...

Again though, GREAT JOB!!!   

[Chechem]

I do NOT want to face DW4 again next year.   

Maybe they will lose to FSU or NC or go back to Clemsoning. 

Definitely need to rethink that defense.  Giving the QB too much time in an effort to contain him didn't work.  Probably should go for the backfield tackle/sack every play, keeping a spy or two if he breaks contain, and being aggressive at the line of scrimmage with the receivers (because giving receivers cushions wasn't working either).

We're leaving the Kirby Smart era, so you can bet there'll be MANY changes in strategy.  We should know early what those plans will be, since we start against a strong challenger next year.

Years ago we used the same strategy that Clemson used (generally): gamble with pressure, and hope the disruption will stop drives.  Clemson stopped our long drives, for the most part, but gave up big plays as a result.

 

[lstephen]

Great analysis coach!  Looking forward to National Sgning Day, Spring Ball, and the 2016 Season!  ROLL TIDE!!!!

[2Stater]

I do NOT want to face DW4 again next year.   

Maybe they will lose to FSU or NC or go back to Clemsoning. 

Their 3 best defensive players have declared for the draft. I don't think they are plug and play yet, like Bama is, so their D may not be as strong next year. Having said that, Watson can carry a team on his shoulders. He showed that against us, so I think they will be nearly as formidable next year.

We may have a similar weapon ourselves in Hurts. He was on the scout team in preparation for Clemson. I'm hearing that he is the real deal. Ought to be another good QB battle between him and Barnett. It will be interesting to see if Cornwell steps up or transfers.

[ricky023]

I am still wondering who our new coaches will be to replace thos who left. Mel Tucker being one of them. Have you heard anything hscoach? RTR!

[2Stater]

I am still wondering who our new coaches will be to replace thos who left. Mel Tucker being one of them. Have you heard anything hscoach? RTR!

Jeremy Pruitt is replacing Kirby. That is the only one I'm sure of.

[2Stater]

Riding home with the team.

Click here for link


Saban already watching film on the plane.  #Invalid YouTube Link#

[hscoach]

...one thing I noticed was the receivers got hit in the mouth when they went to block therefore causing missed or poor blocks by them...

Coach, is this good technique or a foul?? 
I remember (as a DE) slapping helmets of WRs to rattle them as the ball was snapped; that was later made illegal.  Certainly this isn't legal either.

When I say hit in the mouth I mean they are bringing it more than the recent did.

[hscoach]

Great assessment  Coach.  As usual you've done a great job of breaking down each position and their performance.  If it isn't too much trouble, I would like to see you do a brief assessment for each position for the entire season and give each a grade like Coach Saban and staff does.  If that is too much trouble then forget about it. I just think that would be interesting...

Again though, GREAT JOB!!!   

That would be very difficult to do.  I can probably come up with an overall grade for the year but think about the change in Coker from the beginning to the end.

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