Few people saw a blowout coming in Monday’s National Championship, and even fewer thought that Clemson would be the team to administer it if it happened. That is what happened, though, as the Tigers hammered the Alabama Crimson Tide 44-16 in a total dismantling of what had been the consensus best team in the country.
How did it happen? It was no one factor, but a combination of many things Clemson simply did better. Here’s at the five biggest reasons why they so thoroughly crushed the defending champions.
5) Alabama’s little mistakes piled up
The big Alabama errors were glaring ones, but minor ones showed that Alabama was not at their sharpest on Monday night. There was a missed extra point and a shanked kickoff early, plus a false start at the goal line. That last mistake didn’t cost them points in the end, but it was indicative of a slightly jumpy and possibly nervous team. The Crimson Tide were also the less disciplined team — where Clemson took just one penalty, Alabama was flagged six times for 60 total yards.
4) Clemson generally limited the big play
When Tua Tagovailoa answered Clemson’s early touchdown with a 62-yard touchdown to Jerry Jeudy in the first quarter, it looked like we were in for a shootout. Clemson, however, managed to clamp down on things. Their safeties, identified as a potential weakness, held their own, and the Tiger defense performed spectacularly. After the Jeudy touchdown, Alabama had just three plays of 20 or more yards for the remainder of the game. Alabama gained yards, but they had to put a lot of plays together, and their first three second half drives ended up falling flat on fourth down. Clemson got the big plays; the Tide did not.
3) The fake field goal
Even the greats overthink themselves, and that’s what happened in the third quarter when Alabama ran its inexplicable fake field goal attempt. Nobody in the stadium actually thought Alabama was kicking. The Clemson defense was more than ready for a fake. Having the kicker as the lead blocker wasn’t going to make anything better. The Crimson Tide should have simply sent the offense out and tried to get the first down that way. The time for trickery had long passed. They may or may not have gotten it, but falling short there — and falling short in that manner — felt like a sign that Alabama was panicking, and in that sense, the outcome was in little doubt the moment they tried it and failed.
2) Turnovers
The simple fact is that Clemson took care of the ball and Alabama did not. The Tigers didn’t turn the ball over once, ensuring Alabama’s vaunted defense couldn’t get the takeaways it sought. The Crimson Tide only turned the ball over twice, but both were massive turnovers. One was an early pick-six, the other an interception by Trayvon Mullen inside Clemson territory with the Tigers protecting a five-point lead. That second interception was huge as it both prevented Alabama from retaking the lead by cutting their drive short while also giving the Tigers the ball back to drive for another touchdown, putting them two scores ahead. They never really looked back after that.
1) Trevor Lawrence outplayed Tua Tagovailoa
A year ago, Tagovailoa made his name in this game, entering at halftime to lead Alabama to a dramatic comeback over Georgia in the National Championship. On Monday night, he saw his star fade some, throwing a pair of high-profile early picks that directly led to 14 Clemson points. He also failed to do much with his legs, limiting his options and getting stuffed on a key fourth and goal play in the fourth quarter. Lawrence, on the other hand, was flawless, spinning difficult throw after difficult throw and racking up 347 yards and three touchdown passes without a turnover, getting some help from his receivers. This was his big entry onto the national stage, and he outshone Tagovailoa and everyone else on the field.
