Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Clemson Football: 5 Reasons Tigers beat Tide in College Football Playoff

By Justin Heisey

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. Clemson defeated Notre Dame 30-3. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. Clemson defeated Notre Dame 30-3. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

5. Battle Tested Tigers

Clemson enters this game coming off of a 30-3 victory of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish Boasted a top-20 most efficient quarterback, a running back with close to 1,000 yards despite missing four games, an offensive line with future NFL talent, and a defense that has several players projected to go in the first round.

Clemson came out and dominated all facets of the game with a balanced offense and a top-level defense filled with experienced playmakers. Clemson hadn’t played the toughest of competition and Notre Dame was a great test in preparation for their matchup against Alabama who also has a strong defense and offensive line full of NFL talent players.

Alabama had to face a tough test against Oklahoma’s offense but they haven’t gone up against any team with a team with a balance like Clemson. LSU and Mississippi State both gave them a run on defense, but their one-dimensional offenses couldn’t budge against Alabama’s defensive prowess. Oklahoma almost made things interesting against Alabama but their bottom-20 total defense couldn’t stop anything Alabama had to offer in the final quarter of the semifinal matchup.

Notre Dame may not have been on the same level as Clemson or Alabama, but they might be the next balanced team outside of the two championship-contending squads. Clemson is now battle tested against a team with talent on all sides of the ball that Alabama just hasn’t seen this season.

Home/Clemson Tigers