Alexander’s Injury is Final Nail in the Coffin for Clemson During College Football National Champion

Glendale, Arizona-- Clemson fell to Alabama, 40-45, at the College Football National Championship at the University of Phoenix in Glendale, Arizona Monday night, shattering a 14-0 record that Clemson held this season.

The game started as a frantic tug-of-war between both sides, but Clemson’s defense quickly became the poster child for mistakes and miscommunication after losing key player and star cornerback Mackensie Alexander in the second quarter.

After injuring his MCL during the Capital One Orange Bowl vs Oklahoma on December 31st, Alexander has been on the slow road to recovery with the CFP Championship looming over the horizon. Although he was not considered 100 percent when he stepped on the field Monday night, it was evident that injured or not, Alexander was a crucial piece of the Clemson defense.

Alexander was expected to play a huge role for Clemson, but after completing two tackles he was walked of the field with a debilitating hamstring injury, leaving Clemson’s defense scrambling to cover up the obvious holes he left behind. Game footage intermittently flashed back to Alexander struggling to stand on the Clemson sideline, searching for any signs of a miraculous recovery, but it became clearer with every passing minute that Alexander was out for the count and that Clemson’s coaching staff had some quick decisions to make.

Clemson defense held it’s own in the beginning of the second half, allowing quarterback Deshaun Watson to really shine. With the support of his defense, Watson was able to calm down and focus on creating plays for the Clemson offense, throwing one great pass after another and running the ball through the gaps in Alabama’s defense.

With each successful connection and game-changing run, Clemson continued to build its momentum and Alexander’s absence seemed less and less of a problem. Clemson’s success was short-lived, however, when Alabama began to push back with a vengeance, directly attacking the gap on the field where Alexander should have been standing.

Without the man-to-man coverage that Alexander brought to Clemson’s defense, the team struggled to find it’s footing in the third quarter, leaving key Alabama players open and allowing several huge plays that turned the tide of the game in Alabama’s favor.

Clemson’s missteps led to Alabama’s key play of the 4th quarter, where quarterback Jake Coker threw a 51 yard pass to tight end O.J. Howard for a touchdown. Not only was Howard completely open for the pass, but Clemson’s defense was nowhere to be seen and Howard was able to practically jog into the end zone.

Alexander’s absence became more apparent as the 4th quarter dragged on, and even Watson’s impressive ball handling couldn’t make up for massive blunders in Clemson’s defense. Alabama was able to return a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown at the seven minute mark of the fourth, bringing the score to 38-27 for Alabama. Clemson was able to keep the pressure on Alabama with a touchdown that brought the score to 38 - 33, but with four minutes remaining and Alabama in possession, the chances of a Clemson victory became very slim.

Alabama solidified its victory with a touchdown at the one minute mark. Not willing to give up, Clemson responded with a touchdown bringing the score to 45-40 with 12 seconds left in the game, but it was too little, too late.

By taking advantage of Alexander’s absence in the most crucial quarter of the game, Alabama was able to flaunt the flaws in Clemson’s defense and use them to their advantage. Clemson’s failure to provide coverage allowed Alabama to make the last few touchdowns that surged them ahead, leaving Clemson looking like a lost, amateur team that could not have possibly held a 14-0 record previous to the championship.

---

#Clemson #Alabama #football #injury #Alexander