The Clemson offense put up 35 points against what was supposed to be a solid Alabama defense on Monday night, but at least one Crimson Tide player was not impressed by what he saw on the other side of the field.
Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said after his team’s 44-16 loss in the National Championship Game that the Clemson offense was “very easy” to defend. He said the Tide faced far better offenses before the title game.
“They weren’t hard at all,” Williams said in a postgame interview showed on ESPN. “They were very easy. They capitalized on a lot of mental errors. We made a lot of mental errors. They didn’t come out and do nothing special. We played greater offense than that – Oklahoma offense or Georgia offense. We just made a lot of mental errors and they capitalized. That’s what good teams do – they capitalize on mental errors.”
Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 20-of-32 passes for 347 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but Williams downplayed his performance as well.
Alabama DT Quinnen Williams on Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. "Trevor Lawrence threw the ball up. It ain’t like he just put them on the money, dropped dimes, none of that. He just threw them up and the receivers made plays. You’ve got to give all the respect to the receivers."
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) January 8, 2019
It’s hard to get absolutely demolished on such a big stage and not compliment the opposition, but that’s the path Williams chose to take. He’s right that turnovers and mistakes were a big issue for Alabama, but you have to give Clemson credit for forcing those mistakes. Williams also has a point about some of the incredible plays the Tigers’ wide receivers made, but that’s also a testament to how good of a team they are.
Clemson may not have had the best offense in the country, but they looked tough to stop on Monday. Taking credit away from them is just sour grapes from Williams.
