Here is what I posted in my thread.
Post Game Thoughts:
First of all, congratulations to Clemson and OVER backers! Both calls were spot on! Even had Alabama not surrendered the backdoor cover with 12 seconds remaining in the game, Clemson was clearly the correct side here.
Last night, on college football’s biggest stage, Clemson proved they belonged. I am a huge Clemson and Dabo Swinney fan, so I’m very happy for Dabo and the program as a whole. They will certainly be a forced to be reckoned with in the future, and with all they have coming back next season, they get my early vote as the #1 team in the nation.
I knew coming into this game that Deshaun Watson is a transcendent talent capable of beating a lot of teams almost entirely on his own. I knew that for Clemson to win, or even cover for that matter, he would probably have to just that - have a Vince Young type of performance. That was something I really did not think he would be able pull off against Alabama’s defense. I was very confident that Alabama would be able to take away Clemson’s running game – which they did for the most part save for a big run by Wayne Gallman and quarterback scrambles. My contention was that if that happened and Watson was forced to win the game strictly with his arm, something that he had not had to do all season, that he would struggle against Alabama’s secondary, and that would likely lead to him making some mistakes. What actually happened was that Watson carved up Alabama’s secondary with precision passing just as Boom Boom predicted. And while I think Alabama’s defensive front won the battle of the trenches, Watson won the war by nullifying that advantage with his playmaking ability.
Alabama’s point output did not surprise me as I expected them to score in the mid 30s to mid 40s range. What did surprise me was how Alabama did it. I thought Alabama would be able to control of the point of attack and, by extension, the time of possession in the 2nd half with their running game. That didn’t happen. In fact if anything, Clemson’s defensive front got stronger as the game wore on. They completely shut down Alabama’s running attack in the 4th quarter forcing Alabama to rely on big plays in the final stanza. The problem for Alabama is that did not translate into them into dominating the time of possession, which resulted not in Clemson’s defense wearing down, but Alabama’s defense gassing out in the 4th quarter – something that Clemson’s offense specifically tries to do.
I was not surprised by Clemson’s pass rush. Dobbs was the star of the defensive line last night, but that’s largely because the right side of Alabama’s offensive line has struggled with quick, athletic pass rushers all season. Shaq Lawson, while overshadowed somewhat by Dobbs in the game, is an absolute beast! He has unbelievable speed and quickness for a guy his size. He will make an elite pass rusher for a NFL team one day. Most of the sacks were coverage sacks. The only thing that surprised me was that Coker took sacks when he didn’t really have to which stalled numerous drives.
The biggest surprise to me in the game was not Deshaun Watson’s performance. My biggest surprise was how well Clemson competed in the trenches on both sides of the ball. I felt very confident they would not be able to hold up for 4 quarters but they absolutely did and, that, as much as Watson kept them in the game.
I realize that Boom Boom is a very polarizing figure on Covers, but despite all of his foibles, he absolutely had this one right and for that he should be congratulated. I don’t know if he’ll post again, but if he doesn’t, he can at least say he went out a winner!
Congratulations Boom on a fabulous season!
. )
Thank you for the kinds words sir!!!
Everyone will be paid as agreed.
My god, I just got dumber. LMAO
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