Clemson football will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide Monday in the National Championship. What’s the key to slowing down that Tide offense?
You’re not going to stop Alabama offensively.
In my opinion, the Crimson Tide have one of- if not- the best offense in the nation. They have one of the most talented quarterbacks in the nation in Tua Tagovailoa.
They’ve also got a very solid offensive line, a speedy and talented group of wide receivers and a stable of powerful and explosive running backs.
So, what will it take for Clemson football to slow down the Alabama offense?
The key is strangely not what we’d think at first sight.
Slowing down the Bama offense…
There has only been one team this entire season to hold Alabama under 25 points. That team was Mississippi State. Now, of course, the Bulldogs were shutout.
But what they did, along with some of the other tendencies that we’ve seen all season with Alabama, has led me to believe that the key to stopping the Alabama offense is not necessarily in the passing game, but in the running game.
Alabama is going to use the run to set up the pass.
As talented as Tua is and as many skilled wide receivers that Nick Saban has at his disposal, the offense is going to get going based off of that running game with guys like Damien Harris, Joshua Jacobs and Najee Harris.
If you can slow down that Bama running game and get pressure in the backfield, you have a chance to minimize their offense efficiency. That, in part, was what Mississippi State was able to do.
As much talk as we’ve had about the secondary and their importance, the key to slowing down Alabama may actually rest in the running game. It’s going to take a great effort from all units to slow down that prolific offense, beginning with its rushing attack.