The Alabama Crimson Tide defense was dominant in the 2018 Sugar Bowl as they moved past Clemson and into the National Championship Game.
The epic trilogy between the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide was set to conclude on Monday night in New Orleans as they competed in the second College Football Playoff semifinal, the 2018 Sugar Bowl. However, most expected this matchup to be much different than these two programs’ previous meetings in the CFP. Namely, this one was going to be all about defense as the other two installments ultimately turned into shootouts.
In the first half, that’s exactly how things played out. Clemson opened the game with a three-and-out, which Alabama answered with one of their own before the Tigers again gained just three yards before punting. That’s when the Tide were able to get on the board with a field goal, and then came up with another stop to get the ball and drive on a short field for a touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Calvin Ridley.
Ever resilient under Dabo Swinney, the Tigers rallied off a 13-play drive on their next possession to get on the board with a field goal. Then, late in the first half, Clemson seemed to catch a break as Bama missed a field goal in the closing moments to leave the halftime score at 10-3.
Swinney’s group then caught another break as Hurst fumbled on the first play of the second half, and the Tigers capitalized with a field goal to make it 10-6. After forcing a punt, things were looking up. Then everything came tumbling down for the Tigers after that.
Kelly Bryant started a drive that went 33 yards on five plays. On the sixth play, however, big Alabama defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne got his hands on the ball and hauled it in for the interception. To add insult to injury, the big fella then caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with the short field to go up 17-6 in favor of the Tide. On Bryant’s first play of the ensuing drive, he was picked off again, this time by Mack Wilson, who then took it 18 yards into the end zone for a huge 14-point swing in mere minutes.
Frankly, there was little else to speak of beyond that. The air seemed to be let out of Clemson’s tires and Alabama was content to rest on their laurels on both sides of the ball. In the end, though, it was their two massive defensive plays that changed the game, which is really just par for the course when it comes to Nick Saban’s group.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from the 2018 Sugar Bowl.
3. Alabama’s offense needs to be better vs. Georgia
No one can call what Alabama did in the Sugar Bowl anything but dominant. However, when you look at what the offense did on Monday night, it was a far cry from where they would like to be, and possibly where they need to be, when they face the Georgia Bulldogs for the National Championship.
Considering that the Dawgs put up 54 points in a double-overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, we know that the UGA offense is undoubtedly dangerous. Granted, they weren’t up against the Bama defense, but they’ve faced high-caliber SEC defenses all season and still put up points and controlled games with their offense. Alabama is going to have to keep up with that.
Though his final stat-line might not reflect it, Jalen Hurts left a lot of yardage on the field on Monday. He missed throws and his issues with inaccuracy as a passer were evident at times. And against the dominant Clemson defense, the rushing attack that was so vaunted coming into this game wasn’t anywhere near the levels we’ve seen them at throughout the year. If they’re going to beat Georgia and win another title, these types of things can’t happen on offense.
2. Kelly Bryant isn’t Deshaun Watson
You’re welcome for stating the painfully obvious as it pertains to Clemson.
Everyone knew that the Tigers were a much different team than the one led by the great Deshaun Watson. This iteration of Dabo Swinney’s team was predicated on the success of the defense and a lesser offense than they’d had in recent seasons. However, this was never more evident than with the play of Kelly Bryant on Monday night.
The interceptions on back-to-back drives were obviously back-breaking for the Tigers and eventually led to the game being all but over. Why it felt that way, though, is because there was no belief that Bryant could orchestrate a comeback in the stylings of his predecessor at the position for Clemson. It was truthfully tough to watch down the stretch.
Bryant will be back next season, and perhaps the narrative for him will change moving forward. Having said that, it was made clear in the Sugar Bowl that he needs to make major strides to get Clemson closer to the level they were at with Watson at the helm of the offense.
1. Can Alabama handle the run-heavy attack of UGA?
There’s no question that the Alabama defense is one of the best in the country, and that was on full display in how they man-handled the Tigers. With that being said, their upcoming matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs offers a much different and perhaps much more formidable challenge for this group.
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When you look back to Bama’s loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, one thing that stands out is that the Tigers were able to move the ball well on the ground, moving the sticks while controlling the clock. That’s what Georgia loves to do with the combination of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel coming out of the backfield. What’s more, that’s not something Clemson could throw at the Crimson Tide in this game.
Thus, it stands to reason to question what the Tide defense can do in attempting to stop that kind of attack. It’s always a fool’s errand to doubt a Nick Saban defense. However, the Bulldogs offense should be a much tougher challenge than what Swinney’s group offered on Monday night.