re: That was the type of loss that changes a program 1 way or another

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We got our arse kicked because we were lost, unprepared, unfocused and made terrible play calls

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Which is incredibly uncommon for a Saban team. It was an anomaly IMO. It just seems so stark because it never happens. It was a really bad night all around, but unless that type of performance becomes a trend, then I am not going to worry too much.

we had young players finally looking like young players and making mistakes. we had senior veteran players whiffing on blocks, plural. we had a defense with what, 9 new starters and multiple new coaches getting exposed by a senior led offense with a probable generational qb. obviously this could go on.

however, i dont think any one coach is to blame. i fully expect this team to get back to work on 2019 and be rocking and ready to go come september.

bama flat out ran into a buzzsaw and a combination of injuries, half the 2015 recruiting class transferring out, just plain old mistake filled football, done them in.

but thru it all, ROLL TIDE ROLL

I get why people are freaking out a little. Sooner or later we will come back down to earth but I don’t think it’s now. This team lost a lot. Even before injuries, the entire secondary...young linebackers...new starting QB. Tua’s brilliance covered up a lot and I think it will next year even tho the SEC will be a little better. Look if you say it will be harder because everyone around us is getting better, I agree but if you say it’s because Saban is going downward I disagree. Him and Belicheck are the best at making changes every off season to keep their team in the best position. Staff is young and changes need to be made but coach seems the same as he was 5 years ago and I trust him to get it right. We got whooped and out coached but it’s happened before (Ohio state, Auburn, Texas A&M) and we bounced back.

Clemson didn't have an answer for Josh Jacobs out of the shotgun or our running game.


i beg to differ. every time clemson needed to rise up and shut it down, they did. if you didnt notice. by letting bama run the clock by running the ball without a major downfield passing threat, they accomplished exactly what they wanted. when bama was at the goal line, they shut it down, period! bama couldnt get 6 inches on that defense.

you see it your way, i see it mine.

Eh Idk I don’t think they were letting us run it down their throat, I think our oline is much better at run blocking than we thought (also dexter Lawrence not playing) and much weaker vs an elite pass rush.They were obviously playing the pass and Tua so near the goal line when they could focus on stopping the run they did.

I still think these #1 recruiting classes need more scrutiny. Like a post-graduation re-ranking based on performance.

Recruiting rankings are so unclear and based on things that won't matter once a player straps the pads on.

We've recruited many more players from outside the deep south, from outside the inner cities, from outside the country boy areas...and it's started to show.

I don't think the sky is falling, but I do think there is room for a little recruiting scrutiny. Especially regarding regionality in the trenches.

2010 signees
LINK /

2016 signees
LINK /

Pay attention to who's contributing in the trenches (OL/DL/LB) on a regular basis (meaning, not injured all the time) and more importantly, pay attention to WHERE they are from.

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We don’t play to make their arse quit any more.

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it’s imperative that we get back to a physical style of football.

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Does anyone in CFB currently play more physically than us? We have to remember that the RPO has radically changed the game, and offenses currently have a major advantage over defenses. Until the offensive lineman downfield is changed to 1 yard like the NFL, college defenses will continue to be on their heels. Balance mus be restored via the rules committee.

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You also have lots and lots of talented people leaving early.

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This. Bama puts so many kids in the NFL after 3 and 4 years. Most other schools get 5 years out of these kids. Hell, on Clemson's D this year, only 1 starter is a younger than a junior. On the second team, only 4 people are younger than a junior. (RdShirt Soph and Junior are the same IMO).

How many in our defensive 2 deep are upperclassmen? A small handful?

All but 5 of Clemson's 22 players on their defensive 2 deep are upperclassmen.

https://www.ourlads.com/ncaa-football-depth-charts/depth-chart/clemson/90314

Face it. Bama is awesome, but player and coaching turnover is an issue sometimes. It's nothing to worry about. It's just part of being the best dynasty in the history of CFB.

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The thing that concerns me is we did get outcoached Monday. From top to bottom. And that falls at Coach Saban’s feet. That he allowed it to happen. Maybe it was just an aberration that will corrected but it’s disturbing. The zen master of every small detail didn’t even have the big details all in place. It makes you think. I hope it was just a fluke.

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While I agree that our defense couldn't find the adjustments in the second half like we normally do, and that our redzone play-calling was bad at times, we mostly just didn't execute well enough. Go look at our offensive production outside goal-to-go. We were moving the ball at will. Go look at our defensive production on 1st and 2nd down - it was great. We just sucked in goal-to-go situations on O and 3rd down on D (much like the OSU game in 2014).

My point is that sure, the final score was bad and it hurts. But if you look at the box score and understand our red-zone ineffieciencies, we were simply a handful of plays from being right in the shootout or even winning.

In the 10-15 or so plays in this game that really decided it, Clemson was perfect and we just missed making the play. Based on that, I'm not ready to paint the whole program with a wide brush of failure.

The reality is that we knew going into this year that the defense was going to be young and without much depth. Honestly, it's a wonder and a credit to the coaching staff that we didn't lose one or 2 of the first 14. All in all, I actually think the coaches did a hell of a job this year. Just laid a red-zone egg at the worst possible time against an opponent that started humming along when we struggled. Upperclassmen-laden teams can smell blood in the water, and Clemons was and did.