2 observations on Alabama - Clemson game
1) Clemson wins despite being -2 in turnovers and having a seriously inferior punting game - thus losing the field position battle in a major way for most of the game. Even those things up and Clemson might have won by 3 touchdowns.
2) It took an incredible (2nd half) performance by a very very good team to beat an Alabama team that fought with one arm tied behind its back. Damn they're good.
Will be interesting to see how Alabama's loss of its aura of invincibility plays out during the final 3 weeks of 2017 recruiting. (No, I don't expect commits to defect, but just maybe it influences a certain 5-star DL's assessment of the schools he is considering).
January 10th, 2017 at 12:47 PM ^
Welp, she's gonna be Pee-Issed!!!
January 10th, 2017 at 11:09 AM ^
She sounded serious. Plus one for sharing her perspective.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 11:38 AM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 12:03 PM ^
I wonder how Mulva from Seinfeld reacted
January 10th, 2017 at 2:23 PM ^
they are in grave danger.
January 10th, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^
Is there another kind?
BOOM JESSUP'D
January 10th, 2017 at 11:00 AM ^
Yes, suck it Paul indeed ....suck it all the way until August you troll!! lol
As he was bashing M academics yesterday on some podcast my co-worker was listening to in his office ..
January 10th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 1:53 PM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 12:21 PM ^
How dumb do you have to be to actually admit that Paul Finebaum is on your mind?
January 10th, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^
And Michigan's aura of invincibility is better? I agree with your observations but your comment is a bit off the wall since we lost three of our last four.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^
Michigan was eminently vincible in November and December. However, my comment was focused on Alabama.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^
Begins now!
GO BLUE!!
January 10th, 2017 at 10:26 AM ^
Can someone explain to my why Bama kept playing man coverage in the red zone? They got caught on atleast 2 different pick plays. Is zone a bad option in red zone?
Also, I never undertand why player dont just switch on a pick play. Sort of like a match up zone. It seems like an easy adjustment but maybe I am missing something.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:41 AM ^
With only 2 yards until the endzone you don't have any room for error. Press man is the way to go. IMO that pick was borderline offensive pass interference.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:02 AM ^
is not going to get called on that play.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
If the picking WR doesn't slip he probably gets called for offensive interference.
January 10th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
Tommy Brown, the guy covering Renfro would have had to run into the Clemson WR running the slant. He chose to run around the bodies (leaving Renfro wide open) and thus there was no pick. The guy running the slant was basically tackled by the Bama DB, so no penalty on him. This was also what Spurrier noted this morning on Mike and Mike.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:29 AM ^
I was watching on the coach cam... and one of the coaches was pretty adament that it was blatant picking...
For me I though that Alabama paid for being to bland on offense and Watkins played the game of his life. I counted five passes that were downright remarkable: people in his face, completing a throw on a rope.
jdon
January 10th, 2017 at 11:40 AM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^
only if the pass is caught behind the LOS..
January 10th, 2017 at 11:42 AM ^
Picking is legal at the line of scrimmage.
January 10th, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^
I'd guess that coach calling it a pick was an offensive coach? They don't think the rules have been loosened enough still.
On 2 Tds - one to Williams earlier and the final one to Renfrew - a Clemson receiver bolts straight upfield until contacting the DB.
On the first he caused 2 DB to collide with each other, but then instantly disengaged and turned back to the ball ready to recieve. No pick play, despite contact. He has the right to that space just as much as a DB.
On the 2nd as was noted, the DB tripped him up causing him to fall, so no pick play. This time 2nd DB went around the pile, causing him to get to WR late.
Ingenious play calling, within the rules; in fact on the game winner the DB is maybe more likely to get called for PI as the reciever is for the pick.
If we're not doing that next time we have a goal line play instead of having our RB dropped for a 5-yd loss I'm gonna be PISSED!!!
January 10th, 2017 at 1:23 PM ^
is as old as the hills. Its a Brian Kelly staple in the red zone. Hard to defend really.
The only good solution i can think of is both DBs have to watch their receiver and watch the other receiver's first step. If they are both toward the center, they both have to know to stay home and let the receivers cross each other.
A hard jam as was mentioned would at least disrupt the timing.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
Posters not so hot takes? I really don't think so
January 10th, 2017 at 10:38 AM ^
No, we do not.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^
Where else would we get our fill of snark and air of superiority.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
Posters not so hot takes? I really don't think so
January 10th, 2017 at 10:38 AM ^
Stop asking.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 4:31 PM ^
agreed
January 10th, 2017 at 10:31 AM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 10:33 AM ^
What did I miss? Was I drunker than I thought?
How did Bama have one arm tied behind its back?
January 10th, 2017 at 10:36 AM ^
The yolked-up ref made Alabama tie their left arms behind their backs.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:22 AM ^
Kinda like OSU. Although OSU tries to pass. Sometimes.
January 10th, 2017 at 2:57 PM ^
Barrett is a better passer than Hurts. Barrett should not take that as a compliment.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:33 AM ^
January 10th, 2017 at 10:36 AM ^
Yeah I noticed this as well. I assume its where the contact happens not where the pass was, so i think they made the wrong call.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
...college refs are awful at their jobs.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:52 AM ^
...the refs in the M-Ohio St. game did exactly what they were paid to do.
January 10th, 2017 at 11:36 AM ^
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but inside the 15 yard line, PI is a spot foul. Doesn't matter if he said "in the endzone, so ball will be placed at the two" or "ball will be placed at the spot of the fould, the 2 yard line."
January 10th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
We were having that discussion too - they could have called it Holding rather than PI, as he grabbed him before the ball was thrown. I think the determination was that he shoved him forward upon releasing him. Either way, 1st down, but could've been at the 4 (los was the 8 I think?) rather than the 2, I guess?
January 10th, 2017 at 10:39 AM ^
Those Clemson WRs caught everything. They're really good.
Of course, kudos to Watson for putting the ball where they could make a play. An all-time performance from the should-have-been-heisman'd QB.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^
Alabama probably wins if their stud RB doesn't go down. They really needed that run game to be effective. Outside of Howard the TE, I wasn't impressed with their passing game. I can't name one of their WR's. Hurts is an average passer at best but a decent scrambler. Once Clemson figured out how to keep Hurts in front of them, he struggled.
Clemson's WR's and a veteran QB were the difference. Alabama is strong though and will back again next year.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
who was a 5* Michigan commit at one point. He good.
January 10th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
I have yet to see him play well at all. For the hype that he received, he has been passed by Bo Scarbrough who is truly a beast. Najee is likely to go in there and take away the No. 2 spot. If anyone saw Damien doing much of anything last night, I'd be interested in hearing what it was.
January 10th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
5 carries for 24 yards. He was fine against a very good front. He had 1000+ yards on an average of 7.2 yards a carry for the season (both stats lead the team, I believe). He's no Derrick Green.
I like Scarbrough a little more, but both guys are very good. Absent an injury, Najee may not get many carries.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
To be fair, Bama's WRs got separation deep a few times and Hurts just chucked it 10 yards over their heads. But yeah, Hurts had a 42% completion percentage and an awful 4.2 yards per attempt.
January 10th, 2017 at 10:59 AM ^