Anybody remember Alabama in 2017-2018?

Nov 8, 2020, 8:51 AM

Alabama, at the end of 2017, was not looking good. At all They limped into the end of the season, were getting the ball run down their throats, and people were talking about "the end of the Alabama dynasty"...whatever. They were just seriously banged up.

They backed into the playoffs after not even winning the SEC, got in as a #4 (we were the #1 seed and had just boat-raced Miami in the ACC title game)...and promptly beat us in the first round of the playoffs, mostly because they just healed up. And then they won the national title against UGA when Nick Saban stuck Tua at halftime of the National Championship game. They just found a way.

We're gimping right now but our list of injuries looks like a phone book. Notre Dame was missing nobody - zero, not one guy. Stuff is weird like that. And it still took them double OT, the luck of the Irish, multiple benevolent nudges from (cough) friendly ACC referees, and us giving up another offensive turnover touchdown plus an uncharacteristic strip-fumble a couple plays later from our best offensive players to gift the Irish that win.

We still control our own destiny.

No, we are not a perfect team. But this is 2020...and there are no perfect teams this season. Promise. Bama and OSU both have major holes as well. And this COVID-borked season was never going to be anything but an unholy mess and if you want a team that can negotiate it I'd prefer one with guys like Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and Amari Rogers on offense and a DC like Brent Venables running our D.

There's also some positives amidst the carnage, if you care to look:

*We found a QB of the future. No, DJU is not quite Trevor Lawrence...yet. But you can make a compelling argument he looks better than Lawrence did as a true freshman. He might have the most talented arm I've seen on a QB since maybe Jeff George. We're used to it because, well, Deshaun, Trevor...but you do realize that means "more years of dominance" once Trevor gets drafted first overall? There is no football team in America that wouldn't kill to have Clemson's QB room. And that actually does include the NFL.

*Cornell Powell. Where the heck did this guy come from? He's who I thought we were getting when I saw him in the Shrine Bowl a few years back but we just never saw that guy at Clemson until the last couple weeks. But man I like you. Your arrival has certainly been long in coming...but timely.

*Mason Trotter. If you're looking for a glint of hope on the interior of the OL, pop the tape when he came in for Bockhorst. He looked pretty durn good last night...not bad for a +1 last-second walk-on add to the 2019 class. Lot of push, didn't give up much penetration. I might even give some thought to pushing him ahead of Cade Stewart, who has had some struggles, and maybe doing a little re-shuffling with Walker Parks at RT and McFadden moving to OG if Bockhorst is out for awhile. But the guy adds something, and gives us some options. He was definitely a very nice find.

*The poise and belief of this team. We made some goofy (and correctible) mistakes to keep Notre Dame in the game and let them back in it when it appeared we'd finished them...but man. This team just does not panic and their composure and collective belief is astounding. You don't beat these guys so much as they just run out of time. The mental makeup of this team is as good as I've seen in college football, maybe ever.

The other thing is, a defeat like this does hammer home mortality. Way too many mistakes the last couple weeks but this also reminds Clemson they are not maybe as invincible as they looked putting 70+ on Georgia Tech just a couple weeks back...always a good reminder headed into the late-season stretch.

It's 2020 for sure, but I'd still rather have Clemson's team than anybody else's.

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Anybody remember Alabama in 2017-2018?

Re: Anybody remember Alabama in 2017-2018?

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Re: Anybody remember Alabama in 2017-2018?

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