Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 139: Indistinguishable
The decisive battle is here!
Before the game, the analysis of those experts, fans and betting odds did make sense:
The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers are indeed the two teams with the best overall strength and the most outstanding competitive state in the NCAA. They are fully worthy of a seat in the final of the National Championship Game, and both teams are ready to climb to the top of the championship throne.

There was no slow start, no hesitation, the game was on track from the very beginning.

The first wave of offense and defense, Alabama Crimson Tide offense and Clemson Tigers defense.

Clemson Tigers head coach Sweeney understands that defense is not his strong point; moreover, a common problem for all teams facing the Alabama Crimson Tide this season is how to limit the running backs led by Levi. I am afraid that the Clemson Tigers defense cannot get around this problem.

However, this does not mean that the Clemson Tigers have completely given up on defense.

In fact, Sweeney also made targeted arrangements. He actively absorbed the defensive strategies of Louisiana State University and made adjustments based on his own situation.

The Clemson Tigers use a "4-3" formation. Thanks to the presence of four defensive frontmen, they are often able to exert more pressure on the front line and create trouble for the quarterback by rushing the passer, but Sweeney changed his strategy today.

The front line still has to stick to its strengths in putting pressure on the pass rush; but the specific strategy has been slightly adjusted. They are not looking to sack the quarterback, but instead insist on releasing enough pressure on the front line to disrupt the smoothness of the Alabama Crimson Tide's free transition between passing and running, creating some chaos.

At the same time, they are not in a hurry to move forward or to defend closely at the first moment. Instead, they evolve the defensive group into layers of gates, leaving some adjustment space in front of each gate, waiting for the opponent to determine the offensive tactical choice before conducting targeted defense.

What do you mean?
Simply put, Sweeney also knows that defense is not his strong point, so he does not pursue close defense or cutting off the offense at the first time. Whether it is passing or running, they are willing to give up some yards, and then block and cut off, relying on a series of gates to help each other, using the time difference to accumulate numerical advantage and stop the offense.

This method is a bit stupid, as it will lose yards almost every time, but at least there will be no big mistakes, and it will not lose sight of one thing while focusing too much on defending the pass or the run. It will not be like the University of Washington's last game, where they were too aggressive and too risky, exposing their own defensive loopholes.

The purpose of defense is to consume, confront, and delay, gradually eroding the offensive power of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

This strategy is indeed special.

It can be understood that Sweeney believed that they could not stop the Alabama Crimson Tide from scoring touchdowns or points, but he prolonged the process, constantly consuming the opponent's energy and physical strength, destroying the explosiveness of the Alabama Crimson Tide's offense, and dragging the game into a war of attrition.

They adhered to this tactic from the first wave of defense at the beginning of the game, which shows that they were indeed well prepared.

Since the major reversal in the spring training camp, Sweeney has been studying strategies and layouts and carrying out corresponding training. Now he has finally waited until this moment, put it into use immediately, and see immediate results.

In fact, the effect is really good -

Including Hertz and Levi, who are in Mount Lu, cannot see its true appearance for the time being, but they can vaguely feel a sense of stagnation.

Whether passing the ball or running the ball, the advancement can still be carried out smoothly, but the number of yards advanced each time is relatively scattered, unable to be coherent and smooth, and unable to play with explosive power, and it is necessary to fight a positional battle down to earth.

After all, Shaban's offensive tactics are not known for their fancy tricks.

In the first wave of offense and defense, the Alabama Crimson Tide played for a full six minutes and thirty-nine seconds, and finally completed a touchdown with Levi's two-yard run at the front of the end zone.

It’s difficult, it’s really difficult.

But from another perspective, the Alabama Crimson Tide's offense has been controlling the ball and firmly holding Watson to the sidelines to watch the show. The Clemson Tigers' tactics are also based on sacrificing their own offensive time; plus the Alabama Crimson Tide finally scored a touchdown, so now the advantage is still in the hands of the defending champions.

In the second wave of offense and defense, the Clemson Tigers attacked and the Alabama Crimson Tide defended. This time it became Watson's personal exhibition game.

Apparently, Watson was waiting for this moment.

Generally speaking, the quarterback often needs to release the ball quickly, because the longer he holds the ball, the higher the risk of the defensive front line breaking through the blockade and sacking the quarterback. This is true for passing the ball and for the quarterback himself advancing on the ground with the ball.

However, Watson was very bold. He consciously increased his time holding the ball, lured the enemy deeper, and then relied on his flexible and light footsteps to walk on the tightrope, looking for opportunities to pass the ball.

When the Alabama Crimson Tide's defensive front line breaks through the pocket and presses forward, the short and intermediate pass areas are easily left empty, and Watson dances wildly on the edge of the knife to find passing space.

When the Alabama Crimson Tide only applied pressure but did not break through, Watson simply used sufficient time and space to try long passes and strike deep into the backfield, because the backfield is often a one-on-one matchup between the wide receiver and the safety, and the defense is not as dense as in the short pass area.

There is no doubt that Watson is bold, even crazy; and he has indeed demonstrated his passing ability as a quarterback.

Short pass, medium pass, long pass. All of them showed good accuracy.

This can't help but remind people that before the game Watson said he was ready to prove whether he was a running back or a quarterback. He was not afraid of passing the ball and made full use of his footwork advantage to create passing opportunities.

It has to be said that a top quarterback can indeed change the game. In college games, where offensive and defensive tactics are relatively less diverse, the quarterback's personal physical advantages are further highlighted. Watson seized the opportunity to turn this national championship game final into a stage for him to write his own speech to all NFL teams.

The Alabama Crimson Tide defense is indeed facing a severe test.

Watson, coming with all his might——

It took four minutes and seventeen seconds for Watson to once again rely on his footwork to run out of the pocket to attract a lot of defensive power, and then the twelve-yard pass found Clemson Tigers' top wide receiver Mike Williams.

This talented wide receiver, who was widely considered to be eligible for a first-round pick, snatched the football from cornerback Humphrey and turned around to cut into the end zone.

Touchdown!

Despite the danger and excitement, and despite Watson's constant testing on the edge of the cliff, in the end, the Clemson Tigers still ended their first wave of offense with a touchdown and fought back without showing any weakness.

"7:7".

Sure enough, it lived up to everyone’s expectations!
Before the game, people had already predicted that this would be an exciting match; and now, the two teams have truly demonstrated their fighting spirit, with sparks flying from the start and both teams launching attacks without giving an inch.

Wonderful, it’s already here.

The third update today.

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(End of this chapter)