So, did last night put a hole in....

[bamawriter]

Last night ya'll were missing a DC, period. I lost count how many times the secondary turned around pre-snap and shrugged shoulders, pointed to each other, shook heads, etc.

Watch the '17 national title game and you'll see the same thing. Same thing in '16, so it's not like Smart was immune.

 

[82_VOL_83]

This game was won and lost on the LOS. Tua did not have a good night but he was pressured on almost every pass attempt. In the first qtr bama was faster on the outside than Clemson but the tigers adjusted and the long throw was not there. Clemson's front four on D was able to hold the line and let the LBs plug the holes to contain bama'a run game. I don't know if the fake FG was panic or just a brain fart on Saban's part but it was bad, bad either way. Clemson's O Line was able to Give their Qb time and get enogh push for them to run with some success. But it boils down to what I was told playing pee wee ball "he who controls the LOS controls the game".

I agree except his timing routes sucked too. Both int's were timing routes. One was a terrible (oh wait, a back shoulder 50/50 ball) under throw for a pic 6 and the other was a timing throw deep expecting the receiver to be ther or it to be an incompletion and uh-oh, there was a safety there! Tua has made his greatness on timing and expectation and those routes being there. Last night they weren't.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Last night ya'll were missing a DC, period. I lost count how many times the secondary turned around pre-snap and shrugged shoulders, pointed to each other, shook heads, etc. Lupoi was sweating like a hooker in church.

or there were uncovered receivers.....

 

[MWAVolfan]

....Saban's "my system's so good any two doofuses, one season each, can be the coordinators and I win" theory?

Clearly Venables, a marquee coordinator (perhaps the best one extant) beat the crap out of the Tide offense, and whoever that chump with the Slingblade haircut pretending to be Saban's DC didn't stand a chance. If Swinney had ordered it, Clemson could have scored 65.

Did every good coordinators' stock just go up significantly last night?

Alabama's secondary was a huge question coming into this season. they FINALLY ran into a team good enough to exploit it.

Last night was less about Saban and his system than it was about the fact that Clemson has Superman at QB and an excellent system of their own.

Afterall, Alabama was 14-1 this year, beating everyone in the SEC by A LOT. It was just a case of "wrong place wrong time"

 

[Milerd]

Milerd said:


This game was won and lost on the LOS. Tua did not have a good night but he was pressured on almost every pass attempt. In the first qtr bama was faster on the outside than Clemson but the tigers adjusted and the long throw was not there. Clemson's front four on D was able to hold the line and let the LBs plug the holes to contain bama'a run game. I don't know if the fake FG was panic or just a brain fart on Saban's part but it was bad, bad either way. Clemson's O Line was able to Give their Qb time and get enogh push for them to run with some success. But it boils down to what I was told playing pee wee ball "he who controls the LOS controls the game".

I agree except his timing routes sucked too. Both int's were timing routes. One was a terrible (oh wait, a back shoulder 50/50 ball) under throw for a pic 6 and the other was a timing throw deep expecting the receiver to be ther or it to be an incompletion and uh-oh, there was a safety there! Tua has made his greatness on timing and expectation and those routes being there. Last night they weren't.

On the timing routes...since the Tiger front 4 could preasure Tua the LBs could sit on those routes and make Tua wait, which he couldn't, for them to uncover or throw over them.

 

[Gandalf]

I love seeing Bama get trounced. But they are nowhere near done unless Saban leaves. They have lost a Championship to Clemson before, only to come back to win the next one the following year. Right now Bama and Clemson are alternating national titles. So long as little Nicky is there Bama will contend, unfortunately.

Yeah, I dont think anyone is exactly thinking Bama is "done" just because this one year they fell flat in defending the NC game after dominating the rest of the year. Someday, however. Meanwhile I can simply wallow in their misery like a sow in mud.

 

[tennrich1]

Just like we see the "real Tom Brady" when he gets pressure?

Its almost like when a line plays bad it effects the qb.

Wow, who could have guessed poor blocking bogs down the o?

This post is HIGHLY underrated IMO...Starts and stops with the OL both from the defensive and offensive view...Your OL can hold containment on throw downs and create mismatches to generate holes on the run game you win...always...conversely if your DL cant overwhelm the OL then refer back to the first statement...OL is key to every single game both in high school, college, and NFL...

 

[82_VOL_83]

This post is HIGHLY underrated IMO...Starts and stops with the OL both from the defensive and offensive view...Your OL can hold containment on throw downs and create mismatches to generate holes on the run game you win...always...conversely if your DL cant overwhelm the OL then refer back to the first statement...OL is key to every single game both in high school, college, and NFL...

Don't feed the troll, what you interpreted was not what he was driving at. Unless you agree that JG is God's gift to man that is then, whatever.

 

[tbones0711]

I think Herby made a good point about the revolving door of coaches they‘ve had. I thought w Tua being off their playcalling didn’t adjust appropriately.

Clemson didn't need to adjust because they had the better scheme to start the game and with that being said Bama needed to adjust more on each side of the ball. Seems like that was the 1st time in a long while where they had to adjust to win and Bama's HC and coordinators looked real bad attempting to adjust. Bama could write contracts with huge buyouts and possibly stop some of their coaches from leaving early.

 

[bamawriter]

Bama could write contracts with huge buyouts and possibly stop some of their coaches from leaving early.

You can't insist on a buyout if the guy is getting a promotion. Absolutely no assistant coach will ever, or should ever, agree to that.

 

[tennrich1]

Don't feed the troll, what you interpreted was not what he was driving at. Unless you agree that JG is God's gift to man that is then, whatever.

Don't care what his agenda was....truth was caught up in his post and THAT'S what I hit on....agenda's are not my concern and I try as best I can to stay out of those silly arguments...take my post at face value and you'll be fine...JMO...

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

Locksley had his mind on crab cakes last night apparently.

That was as poorly called a game from that team as I can recall.

Clemson deserves a lot of credit, especially with their d line play minus Lawrence but there were some mind numbing calls in scoring position for Bama.

 

[Fatman Photos]

They are 14-1. I would take that any year. They had a bad game. As much as I hate to say it, their run is not over and they will be in the playoffs again next year.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Don't care what his agenda was....truth was caught up in his post and THAT'S what I hit on....agenda's are not my concern and I try as best I can to stay out of those silly arguments...take my post at face value and you'll be fine...JMO...

Your post was dead on, his was agenda laden. I agree with you completely though.

 

[Myrtleturtle]

I had a thought, as I watch the game last night, confirming my strongest beliefs for the success of any sports program is continuity of staff. It seems to me after great success, most programs start losing their position coaches (rightly so). Clem and their defense coach are a good example of what I am saying. Also, Bama's demise in this game is also an example, their game plan on both sides of the ball was an embarrassment. The best players on any two teams in the country were on the field. When players are "equal" look at the staff to see which team wins and which team loses...

It was 1 game. Nobody can deny Alabama has been doing things right for a long time. Sounds like Saban is being bashed for 1 loss.

 

[MadWorld]

I will bet you that the bubbas would have liked to have had Pruitt back last night. They were simply unable to stop the tigers. Made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy.

 

[Wezcoast]

It was 1 game. Nobody can deny Alabama has been doing things right for a long time. Sounds like Saban is being bashed for 1 loss.

I would strongly consider retiring if I were him. He could win the next 2 and still not erase the stench of last night's prison party.

 

[1TheCoach1]

Sometimes one game is more than just one game.

Something was really wrong with Bama last night.

I 100% agree with this. It took 4 years but Dabo finally has Saban's number and beat him like a drum in X's and O's. I know Clemson had beat them prior but nothing like they did last night. The constant staff turnover and the huge losses to early draft entrants is killing Bama too. That 1 loss I believe is the beginning of the end for Saban.

 

[1TheCoach1]

They are 14-1. I would take that any year. They had a bad game. As much as I hate to say it, their run is not over and they will be in the playoffs again next year.

You wouldn't happen to know the winning lottery numbers for tomorrow too?

 

[diehardvolsfan]

Clemson could match them up front and weren't afraid of them. They whipped mighty Bama in the trenches. Few teams have. The plug and play Bama deal may have caught up to them or maybe it was just time.. What goes up must eventually go down. No tears will be shed if that was the end of Bubba's run. Most are quite sick of it actually. No one will match that 10-12 year run maybe ever. They can chew on that for a while.

Who knows maybe that could have been one of the final NC games for Saban....

 

[VolArmy74]

We can only hope Saban actually wants to try the NFL at this point, but even if he does I'm sure Bama will immediately hire Urban Meyer.

Losing the NC game isn't likely going to be a program killer for Alabama. They are stocked with enough talent to win big for several years even if Saban does leave.

 

[njvols]

Eh. Pruitt's defense was worse against Clemson in 2017 than Lupoi's was last night. It hasn't seemed to matter who the DC is. Smart, Pruitt, and Lupoi have all been whipped by Clemson's offense in each CFPNCG. I don't know what is going on in film study, but every time Bama plays them (last year with a terrible QB notwithstanding) the secondary has no idea what their coverages are supposed to be.

Less to do w/ DB's and more to do with vaunted DL getting no pressure (like none) on QB. As someone pointed out, laws of football are the same with best of best as they are with no-bowling teams...whoever wins the trenches generally wins the game. Bama could run the ball, but TO's equalized that, and bama couldn't get past Clemson OL.

 

[njvols]

Alabama's secondary was a huge question coming into this season. they FINALLY ran into a team good enough to exploit it.

Last night was less about Saban and his system than it was about the fact that Clemson has Superman at QB and an excellent system of their own.

Afterall, Alabama was 14-1 this year, beating everyone in the SEC by A LOT. It was just a case of "wrong place wrong time"

I think they were at he right place at the right time! I'd like to see them in this spot more often. Even though Bama will be as good, if not better on paper next year, will be interesting to see if a couple higher level teams can mimic the UGA and Clemson game plans, which were fairly similar...though UGA...well...4th and 11.

 

[bamawriter]

Less to do w/ DB's and more to do with vaunted DL getting no pressure (like none) on QB. As someone pointed out, laws of football are the same with best of best as they are with no-bowling teams...whoever wins the trenches generally wins the game. Bama could run the ball, but TO's equalized that, and bama couldn't get past Clemson OL.

I'll disagree a little there. Bama got okay pressure. While they didn't get a sack, they disrupted some throws. Still, it seemed like Lawrence either got off a nice pass despite getting hit, or he got off a poor throw but was bailed out by amazing catches from Ross.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

We can only hope. You would think with his demeanor at some point he's going to leave Bama. What he's built will be too much for even him to maintain or anyone for that matter. The stress of it all will finally get too him, kind of looked like it did last night.

At one point in the game I seen him walk away from the sideline. I was just waiting for him to blow up on somebody and it never happened. Someone else mentioned in another post that coaching is probably not fun anymore for Saban.