Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster makes presence felt right away in national championship game
It’s hard to single out any one player on Alabama’s defense, which went into the national championship game ranked first in a slew of statistical categories, but Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott pointed at All-American linebacker Reuben Foster.
“He’s totally transformed from last year,” Elliott said last week. “You can see that he’s grown up. He’s in charge.”
Foster didn’t waste any time proving Elliott right Monday night, leading all players with seven tackles through the first 30 minutes as he slammed down receiver Artavis Scott for no gain in the first quarter, then sacked Deshaun Watson for an eight-yard loss in the second.
Teammate Jonathan Allen, an All-American on the defensive line, had talked about Foster’s ability to change what offenses try to do against the Crimson Tide.
“It definitely doesn’t get any more intimidating than Reuben,” Allen said.
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Clemson star receiver Mike Williams returned from a helmet-to-helmet hit in the opening quarter to help set up Watson’s touchdown run late in the first half.
About midway through the first quarter, Williams caught a pass and was wrapped up at the Clemson 43 by Anthony Averett, which allowed cornerback Tony Brown to charge in and take an open shot at his head.
Williams played sparingly over the next few series and Watson didn’t throw a ball in his direction for the remainder of the quarter.
The next time Williams caught a pass was with about six minutes remaining in the first half. The catch was significant, as Watson scrambled into the end zone from eight yards on the play that followed.
The top-rated receiver for the upcoming draft, Williams went into the game with 90 catches for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns. He sat out the national championship game last year because he was recovering from a fractured vertebrae.
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A long time had gone by since Steve Sarkisian worked the sideline.
Spending most of this season as an offensive analyst for Alabama, the former USC coach was not permitted to deal directly with players. That changed last week when he was promoted to offensive coordinator.
“To get this opportunity to be back on the field, I feel like I was almost like a bottled-up ball of energy,” he said.
It showed Monday night as Sarkisian chose to work from the field, not the press box, moving up and down the sideline with the offense, speaking with quarterback Jalen Hurts between possessions.
“That’s where I’m comfortable,” Sarkisian said. “I’ve always called plays from the field. … I think it’s important for me to have the one-on-one contact with Jalen on the field, see his demeanor, really talk through things.”
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With Clemson deep in Alabama territory midway through the third quarter, the Tigers hurried to the line, hoping to snap the ball quickly. Referee Mike Defee sprinted toward the center, waving his arms and blowing his whistle.
“I was paged before the snap,” Defee announced to the crowd.
No, it wasn’t his wife asking him to grab a quart of milk on the way home. Officials in the booth had called for a review of the previous play, which ultimately showed that Clemson receiver Deon Cain had, in fact, caught a low pass.
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Coach Dabo Swinney blamed Clemson’s 14-7 halftime deficit on field position.
“We’re getting our butts kicked in field position right now,” he said. “We’ve had some difficult field position tonight. If you have to go 99 yards against them, that’s some tough sledding.”
Clemson’s average starting position in the first half was its 19-yard line. Alabama’s was its 36.
Follow David Wharton on Twitter: @LATimesWharton
Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez
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