The Alabama Crimson Tide enter the College Football Playoff National Championship Game looking for a second-straight title, and these are their keys to win.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been as close to perfect as possible this season, save for their SEC Championship Game scare against the Georgia Bulldogs. With Tua Tagovailoa taking over as the starting quarterback, Nick Saban’s team isn’t just an elite defense anymore, but rather an explosive offense that is strengthened by a stout defense among the best in the country. And that’s why they’re 14-0 and will face the Clemson Tigers in the National Championship Game on Monday night.
This is the fourth-straight year that Alabama and Clemson have matched up in the College Football Playoff. In fact, it’s the third time in four years that the two prestigious college football programs have squared off in the National Championship Game. The Crimson Tide won the first meeting in 2016, followed by the Tigers winning in 2017. Bama prevailed in their semifinal matchup last year, however.
Of course, things have changed mightily since last year for both teams. While the Crimson Tide have benefitted from a change at quarterback, so too have the Tigers with true freshman Trevor Lawrence taking over the offense and subsequently taking it to new heights. The Tigers should be much more of a challenge for the Tide in Monday night’s matchup.
This will no doubt be the toughest task that has been set before Saban’s team this season and the title hangs in the balance. And if they’re going to become back-to-back national champions, they must play the right game. These are the Alabama keys to victory against Clemson in the National Championship Game.
5. Tackles keeping Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant out of backfield
Dexter Lawrence being suspended for the second game of the College Football Playoff no doubt lessens the potency of the Clemson Tigers vaunted defensive line. While that may be so, there are still some elite players that will be trying to get pressure on Alabama’s offense, be it getting after Tua Tagovailoa in the passing game or trying to stifle the likes of Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs in the rushing attack.
When you look back at the matchup between Alabama and Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal of last year, however, the Crimson Tide did a tremendous job of ultimately keeping the likes of Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant at bay. In the case of the former, the best edge rusher that Clemson had, Jonah Williams did a fantastic job of keeping him out of the backfield.
There’s no question that Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is going to find exotic ways to dial up pressure against this Alabama offense, a la Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The pressure that Tua was up against in the first half caused him a ton of problems and is largely what gave the Bulldogs the lead early on in that game.
How Williams and the rest of the Clemson offensive line handle that pressure is going to be massively important for Alabama’s success in this game. If they are unable to stop the Tigers defensive front consistently, then the Crimson Tide offense could be in for a long day.