The Sugar Bowl semifinal live blog: Alabama dominates Clemson in Round III
The Tide will meet the Dawgs in Atlanta for the national title.
Fourth Quarter
0:00. That’ll do it. In a down year for the SEC overall, the league has two teams in the national title game and is guaranteed its ninth national title since 2006. This was more Godfather III than Ali-Frazier III.
1:43. Bryant makes a couple of lovely third-down passes to Renfrow, Cain catches a 19-yarder, and Clemson is able to mount its most sustained drive of the night. But after 18 plays, 75 yards, and more than five minutes of possession, the Tigers stall out on fourth-and-goal. That’ll do it.
The most noteworthy thing that happened on that drive: Jennings, who has missed time to injury already this year and has dominated tonight, got hurt again.
7:06. The Tide kill about three minutes this time before punting. Ruggs makes a nice 15-yard catch to keep the drive going, but two incompletions keep stopping the clock before Scott’s punt just barely ends up in the end zone for a touchback. Nick Saban: unimpressed.
9:55. Another Clemson three-and-out. Bryant has no time and nowhere to go with the ball. Wilson very nearly reels in another pick six. Spiers’ seventh punt is fair caught at the 41. Clemson has 113 total yards.
10:59. Bama doesn’t kill much clock, going three-and-out. Scott’s mile-high punt is fair caught at the Clemson 25.
- Yards per play so far: Bama 4.0, Clemson 2.4. Eww.
12:54. Clemson starts at the 5 after a nice Scott punt, and Bryant completes passes to Cain and Renfrow to move the chains, but Terrell Lewis nearly picks off a second-and-10 pass from the 26, and Bryant can’t connect with Rodgers on third down, and the Tigers have to punt again. Bama will start at its 31 in full kill-the-clock mode.
Third Quarter
0:00. Clemson’s defense does its part. Hurts scrambles for a first down but can’t do it a second time, and Alabama faces a fourth-and-8 from the Clemson 38 when the fourth quarter begins.
Oh, the power of turnovers. Alabama gained only 43 yards in the third quarter but increased its lead by 11 points.
1:45. Alabama’s in full-swarm mode. Clemson gets one first down, but Da’Shawn Hand sacks Bryant on first down, then Isaiah Buggs sacks him on third. Clemson punts, and Trevon Diggs returns it to the Bama 47.
5:27. PICK SIX. ALABAMA 24, CLEMSON 6. Oh man. Wallace breaks up a pass intended for Cain, and Mack Wilson snares it and takes it 18 yards for a score.
Clemson was driving to take the lead four minutes ago. Now the Tigers are down 18.
5:40. TOUCHDOWN. ALABAMA 17, CLEMSON 6. Bama fully capitalizes on the turnover. Harris dives over the top to move the chains on fourth-and-1, then Hurts and Ridley connect for 13 yards to the Clemson 1. On second-and-goal, Hurts rolls right and finds ... PAYNE.
Oh my. The big man got the pick and the touchdown reception. Don’t make me love you, Bama.
9:18. INTERCEPTION. Clemson’s drive starts with a pair of one-on-ones. Deon Cain beats Levi Wallace on a 12-yard sideline pass to start, then Wallace breaks up a downfield pass to Cain on the next play. After an eight-yard run by Travis Etienne (who missed most of the first half with an unspecified injury), Bryant avoids about eight tacklers in scrambling for a first down to the Bama 43.
Etienne runs for eight yards up the middle, but then disaster strikes: Anfernee Jennings hits Bryant as he’s throwing, and big Da’Ron Payne catches the ball in midair. He returns the ball to the Clemson 42 and draws a horse-collar tackle to boot. (How else could they bring him down?)
Bama will start at the Clemson 27. We just had a Playoff Piesman moment.
11:17. Bama’s discombobulated second-half start continues, as the Tide go three-and-out with an incomplete third-down screen that is doomed from the start. Scott’s punt is downed at the 26. Clemson is adjusting, and Bama doesn’t have a Plan B yet.
12:45. ALABAMA 10, CLEMSON 6. Perfect response by the Alabama defense, pushing Clemson backwards five yards and forcing a field goal attempt after the fumble. After a high snap, Spencer nails a 42-yard field goal to cut the Bama lead to four.
14:48. FUMBLE. Nightmarish start to the second half for Alabama. The Tide fumble an exchange when Hurts keeps the ball too long before releasing to Harris. Kendall Joseph swoops in and recovers at the Bama 20.
Halftime
Some stats:
The second quarter was far more even, with each team gaining 80 yards.
Second Quarter
0:00. Bama crosses midfield with a 6-yard run by Harris and a Clemson offsides penalty. Van Smith cuts down Harris for 2 yards on what looked like a promising off-tackle run, but Harris gains 11 yards up the middle on the next play. This is scoring opportunity No. 3 for Bama. Clemson calls timeout with 2:20 left.
Hurts fires quickly to Ridley for 9 yards, and after off-setting penalties (illegal man downfield for Bama, pass interference for Clemson), Scarbrough gains 6 yards to move the chains again. Then Hurts makes a terrible mistake, freezing in the pocket and taking a sack instead of throwing the ball away. He scrambles to the 15 on third down, and after a delay of game, Andy Pappanastos hits the upright on a 38-yard field goal. A few different mistakes by Bama in the last minute here. Clemson kneels out the rest of the half, happy to take only a seven-point deficit into the locker room.
4:06. Four-and-out for Clemson. Bryant fires an absolute dart to Amari Rodgers for 16 yards, but Da’Shawn Hand and Rashaan Evans eat up a dump-off to Tavien Feaster, and Bryant has to throw the ball away on third-and-6. Will Spiers’ fourth punt travels just 37 yards. Bama will start at its 41.
- Average starting field position so far: Bama 41, Clemson 17.
5:52. Clemson tackles Henry Ruggs III at the Bama 15, but Bama quickly flips the field when Najee Harris takes a short pass 22 yards down the left sideline. The Tide attempt a flea flicker, but Hurts rushes his pass when he doesn’t need to. Ridley is wide open but has to slow down, and the pass is broken up. Missed opportunity.
After the blown flicker, it’s another short pass to a back — Damien Harris gains 9 yards to set up a third-and-1, then takes a handoff 2 yards for a first down.
Catching on, Clemson stuffs a short pass to Harris, and a 4-yard run by Scarbrough sets up a third-and-6. Hurts is pressured and can only complete a 1-yarder to Scarbrough. JK Scott’s punt is fair caught at the Clemson 10.
10:00. FIELD GOAL. ALABAMA 10, CLEMSON 3. Finally, a positive play from Clemson. Bryant has to scramble on third-and-12, gets a couple of nice blocks, has a couple of Bama defenders run into each other, and gains 20 yards. It’s the first Tiger first down of the evening. Then, on third-and-8, Bryant faces down a blitz and fires to Deon Cain for 19 yards. Deionte Thompson went for the pick and couldn’t get there, and Cain turned it into a big gain.
From the Bama 42, Clemson creates a much more manageable third-and-1 with a quick slant to Cain, and Bryant converts it, spinning inside the 30. He carries twice more for a combined 1 yard, and on third-and-9, he has to rush a lob to Tee Higgins in the end zone, and Tony Brown breaks it up. Alex Spence’s 44-yard field goal creeps in, and Clemson is on the board.
First Quarter
0:00. If you took a breather after the unbelievable Rose Bowl, here’s what you’ve missed:
Hurts is 4-for-6 for 43 yards and a touchdown, and he’s rushed three times for 27 yards. Clemson’s Kelly Bryant: 2-for-5 for zero yards and a 7-yard sack. That pretty much tells the tale. The Tigers face a second-and-long from their 12 as the second quarter begins.
0:12. TOUCHDOWN. ALABAMA 10, CLEMSON 0. What a play by Hurts. Eventually. On a second-and-9 from the Clemson 12, he can’t find anyone open before the pass rush comes — he misses Calvin Ridley coming open over the middle — so he starts to tuck and run but finds Ridley breaking open again. He gets rid of the ball right before he crosses the line of scrimmage.
Perfect start for the Tide.
3:38. Clemson’s getting off the field at a rate where I’m almost getting behind on the live updates. I kid, but I say that to say it ain’t good for the Tigers on offense. Clemson has more penalties [one] than they do total yards.
5:23. FIELD GOAL. ALABAMA 3, CLEMSON 0. Hey, we got some points! Jalen Hurts got the game’s first first down.
Bama’s offense heated up to drive down the field and get the ball into the red zone. But Clemson’s defense stood tall and held the Tide to a field goal.
10:47. Another three-and-out for Clemson (scroll down to see that this is indeed a trend). This is one of those games where it just looks like the hits are harder. Both defenses are swarming. This is a stark contrast from the Rose Bowl, which just went into double overtime.
The field positioning battle may be the thing to look for over total plays, at least if things keep going like they are right now.
12:04. The teams trade three-and-outs to start the game.
15:00. You’re probably still watching the Rose Bowl, but hey there’s other Playoff football on.
Preview by Christian D’Andrea
The Alabama Crimson Tide’s inclusion in the College Football Playoff, despite an 11-1 record, raised some eyebrows. Was a team who failed to win its division and counts its best win as a victory over a good-not-great LSU team more deserving of a final four spot than multiple Power 5 conference champions? The Crimson Tide can prove they’re worthy -- and gain an inkling of revenge — by dispatching the No. 1 Clemson Tigers on Monday night.
The last meeting between these teams ended with the Tigers’ first national championship in 35 years. Deshaun Watson hit Hunter Renfrow with a 2-yard touchdown pass with just one second left on the clock to tie the all-time series between the two in National Championship Games to 1-1. With a win Monday, the Tide can redeem themselves en route to a third straight appearance in college football’s biggest game.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
- Time: 8:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: WatchESPN
- Odds: Alabama is favored by 3 points
Alabama vs. Clemson news:
- The Clemson defense sucked the life out of Miami to win the ACC title.
Clemson has 231 yards of offense to Miami’s 64.
Clemson’s 5.2 yards per play aren’t huge, but they’re dwarfing Miami’s 2.5.
Clemson’s run 44 plays in 17:40 of possession time, compared to 26 plays in 12:20 of clock time for Miami. The Tigers have controlled the ball and the game.
- Why Alabama deserved its playoff spot: it didn’t lose to Iowa by 31 points.
Alabama had one bad moment on the road against a hated rival. (Injuries contributed, showing that even Alabama can be affected by injury eventually.). Its key component in the out-of-conference schedule was Florida State, a team whose season collapsed when starting QB Deondre Francois was injured by the Alabama defense. The departure of Lane Kiffin was supposed to take something vital out of an Alabama offense; instead, the Crimson Tide are actually up a few tenths of a point per game.
- Bill Connelly weighs in on how Alabama should attack Clemson’s defense.
- The Tigers should be pretty fresh for Monday, seeing as they didn’t have to do much in the final two quarters of that ACC title game blowout.
No injuries. Another Clemson Championship. Game completely secured in the third Q. Backups got plenty of reps. Continued to save some of our offensive creativity for the playoff.
Only negative was giving up three points to Miami (that was such a Mark Richt move...).
The “emerging DL” in the headline is LaBryan Ray, who was working in a black non-contact jersey. Saban said that he had a broken foot that required a pin, essentially the same injury suffered by Dylan Moses and Mack Wilson. The fact that he was able to practice on it 10 days before the game portends very well for his availability, barring any unforeseen setbacks. Oh, and rumors that Saban has the entire front seven practicing in Timberlands at this point have not been confirmed.
Can Jalen Hurts redeem himself?
Alabama took a lead into the final seconds of last year’s National Championship Game despite the play of its freshman quarterback. Hurts was bad in the biggest game of his career last winter, completing just 13 of his 31 passes but adding 63 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He’s grown as a passer this season, cutting back on his interceptions and allowing his running game to do the heavy lifting. Even so, he’ll have to step up and find holes in the Tigers defense if he wants to get revenge on the team that handed him his first collegiate loss.
Alabama vs. Clemson prediction:
Clemson has proved itself time and time again this season, but is still a three-point underdog in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers swarming defense is enough to match Bama step for step — expect Dabo Swinney’s Tigers to make it two in a row against the Tide.
Be sure to check out all our bowl predictions here.