There may be no such thing as the perfect college football game, but Alabama’s 38-0 shellacking of Michigan State in last Thursday’s Cotton Bowl was quite impressive.
The Crimson Tide struggled early to get going offensively before senior quarterback Jake Coker erupted for a career performance, completing 25 of 30 attempts for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama’s vaunted defense dominated from start to finish, limiting the Spartans to 26 rushes for 29 yards.
Whatever drama was remaining at halftime was exhausted when the Tide took the opening possession of the third quarter for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead, but can they top that showing in Monday night’s national-title game against Clemson?
“You’re always critical as a coach,” Tide coach Nick Saban said this week on a teleconference. “There were a lot of good things we did in that game, and I’m very pleased and happy about that, but there are a lot of things that we could have done better. Hopefully our players will look at that and try to go to work and improve on the things that would help us play better.”
The Crimson Tide did not practice Tuesday after working out Sunday night and Monday afternoon. They will practice each of the next two afternoons and Friday morning before flying to Arizona.
Alabama’s devastation of Michigan State has helped factor into the Crimson Tide being touchdown favorites against Dabo Swinney’s undefeated Tigers, and Swinney marvels about the defense he’s about to face. In their last five games, beginning with the 31-6 win at Mississippi State, Tide defenders have allowed three touchdowns.
Charleston Southern scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter on Nov. 21 after Alabama had taken a 49-0 lead. Auburn scored a week later on a 77-yard Jason Smith tipped reception from Jeremy Johnson, and Florida scored in the Southeastern Conference championship game with 5:02 remaining on a 46-yard strike from Treon Harris to C.J. Worton that got the Gators within 29-15.
Florida’s first touchdown in the SEC title game occurred via special teams.
“They are clearly the best that we’ve seen,” Swinney said. “They’re as good as it gets in the country. They’re No. 1 in just about everything defensively, but the biggest thing is that they just have great depth in their defensive line. They roll all those guys in there who just play at a very high level, and it’s why they’re a great team.
“We were No. 1 in the country in defense last year, and we had six seniors in that defensive front. We had great experience and depth, and that’s what I see with Alabama.”
Alabama leads the nation in scoring defense (allowing 13.4 points per game) and rushing defense (70.8 yards per game) and ranks second in total defense (256.8) and fourth in pass-efficiency defense. The Tide also lead the nation with 50 sacks, having sacked Connor Cook four times last Thursday.
Cook was seen on the gargantuan AT&T Stadium video board during the third quarter mouthing “They’re everywhere” in regard to Crimson Tide defenders.
“It’s a blessing to have those guys up front,” Alabama senior cornerback Cyrus Jones said in a news conference after the game. “We work hand in hand, because they count on us to do our job covering, and we count on them to get pressure on the quarterback. You can sense the frustration a little bit, and it gives us a hunger to keep going after them.”
Said Cook: “Everything we saw on film was out there.”
Whether Alabama can repeat such an outstanding effort against quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Wayne Gallman, who combined on 50 carries for 295 yards and three touchdowns in the Orange Bowl shredding of Oklahoma, remains to be seen. Not to be overlooked is the fact Clemson flexed its own defensive muscle against the Sooners, holding them to 67 yards on 33 rushes.
The Tigers enter Monday night ranked No. 6 in total defense, allowing 301.6 yards a game.
“That’s kind of how we’ve been here,” Swinney said. “We’ve built this team in the trenches, and with most great teams, that’s where it starts.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.