Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 34 Black-Faced Yama
"Yo! Yo! Yo!"

In Bryant-Denny Stadium, the whole audience booed, and the surging red wave poured towards the end zone with its fangs and claws. The sound waves were rolling, but Deshaun Watson was completely unaffected and stood in the end zone dancing.

Literally.

Amid the boos from the audience, Watson imitated the flirty dance steps from Drake's latest hit single "Hotline-Bling", shaking her hips slightly. Although her expression could not be seen because of the helmet, the dance steps were extremely insulting.

The louder the boos, the more excited Watson became.

For Clemson, who is playing away, this is the best reward.

In fact, Clemson was well prepared for today's warm-up game. Although it was just a warm-up game, both coaches Shaban and Sweeney had their own calculations. They each made arrangements according to the plan and executed it firmly.

In the first half, the Clemson Tigers played their best to open the game; while the Alabama Crimson Tide had some tricks up their sleeves, using their main offensive team and substitute defensive team to create a confrontation.

Shaban has his own considerations——

Firstly, in the team's practice match, the substitute defensive team performed really well. They only released eight first attacks in the whole game, which made the main offensive team led by Hurts dizzy. Shaban has more expectations for the substitute players.

Secondly, the first half focused on offense, while the second half changed the lineup and polished the defense; so in the first half, Shaban was almost tempting Sweeney to attack, while he continued to observe Clemson's offensive tactics.

There is nothing wrong with the strategy, it is even brilliant.

But Shaban underestimated the determination of Clemson players. From Sweeney to Watson, everyone was sharpening their knives to avenge their defeat in the final of the U.S. Championship in January this year, and they played very aggressively from the start.

Watson is worthy of being an NCAA star. He is not only the biggest contender for the Heisman Trophy this season, but also a hot candidate for the No. 1 pick in next year's draft.

Watson did not forget that this warm-up match was broadcast live across the United States, a great opportunity——

Normally, NFL teams have no time to watch NCAA games. All teams are the same, with professional scouts responsible for collecting information, so what is placed on the desks of head coaches and team managers are just scouting reports. Unless they are interested, they will not watch game videos.

But today is different.

It is still spring training camp, the NFL has just finished the draft, and training camp has not yet begun. Players and coaches are on vacation. In order to kill time, they will occasionally watch the game. This game broadcast live on ESPN may come into their field of vision. It is undoubtedly the best stage to increase their popularity.

Warm-up matches also have their special significance.

Watson was ready to take advantage of his opportunity.

So, as soon as he came on the court, Watson quickly got into the game, able to pass and run at full speed. His dazzling offense immediately opened up the situation and caught the Crimson Tide off guard with a devastating force.

"14:0".

It seemed that they had no time to catch their breath, and Clemson, playing away, was already leading by two touchdowns. Watson's shining performance throughout the game even overshadowed the outstanding performance of the Tigers' defense, with one passing touchdown and one running touchdown, which led to the scene of the Crimson Tide dancing in the end zone.

Today, the Bryant-Denny Stadium was packed. Facing the defeated opponent in last season's National Championship and a bitter rival with whom they have a deep relationship, the residents of the small town came out in full force. Even though it was just a warm-up game, the team showed the momentum of the National Championship, and the mighty red tide stirred the whole stadium.

However, Watson was very flamboyant and unrestrained, and he performed at a top level from the first wave of offense at the beginning of the game, so much so that people completely forgot about Hurts' existence.

The Crimson Tide played a bit dull in the first quarter.

Shaban was not flustered.

First of all, we must admit that Clemson has performed well since the start; but taking a step back, is Clemson really that good? Let's start with the offense of the Crimson Tide. The root problem is still the ground offense. Shaban's team is not good at passing offense, so the ground offense is the key to opening the situation. Sweeney also knows that the Crimson Tide, which lacks Derrick Henry, is in trouble at the running back position. He seized the opportunity and made targeted arrangements to completely strangle the throat of the Crimson Tide.

The four defensive forwards of the Tigers' defense team all have top-notch personal abilities. In fact, Sweeney's defensive tactics are the same over and over again, but the defensive forwards' individual combat abilities are really outstanding, and they are not of the same intensity. Among the four players, there are at least three first-class players, so even if there are not many tactical changes, they can still form a collective advantage.

Carlos Watkins, a junior in September, defensive tackle.

Christian Wilkins, sophomore in September, defensive end.

Dexter-Lawrence, September enrollment, defensive tackle.

Shaban is familiar with Watkins, having played against him last year. He is a blue-collar player who works diligently. Although he lacks some explosiveness, the key point is that he rarely misses tackles and completes each defensive task solidly and steadily. Such a presence is like a stabilizing force.

The real highlights are the two young players, Wilkins and Lawrence, who are strong and fierce enough, and have the qualifications of being first-round picks in terms of talent and ability.

The biggest difference between football and other sports is that there are so many players, so those who can enter the first round of the draft are all abnormalities. Not to mention the first round, the rookies in the first three rounds are all talented people.

"First-round pick" is the best affirmation.

In addition, there are many positions on the football field, and teams often do not choose the most talented players when drafting, but instead choose the ones they need most, so it is even more rare for players in some positions to enter the first round.

That's the case with the defensive front.

In Shaban's opinion, Wilkins and Lawrence do have first-round potential.

The two of them, one responsible for the inside and the other for the outside, were like a black-faced devil, completely strangling the ground offense. Jacobs and Clark's running ball could not open up the situation at all.

As a result, when Hurts tried to pass the ball, his tactical intentions were often discovered in advance, the passing accuracy fluctuated violently, and the offense was stuck.

Pressure creates a vicious cycle.

In Shaban's opinion, it's still a matter of momentum.

Jacobs and Clark both knew the power of Derrick Henry last season. As long as Henry was on the court, he could intimidate the opposing defense. Deep down, they knew they could not match Henry, but they subconsciously tried to prove that they could fill Henry's position.

This is contradictory.

Because of this contradictory mentality, when they were advancing on the ground, they lacked observation and thinking, and kept bumping into the wall.

Jacobs was a little irritable. He was still young.

The current situation is due to both the opponent and himself. Shaban is very calm and always observes the overall situation.

Let’s talk about the Crimson Tide’s defense.

The core reason lies in Watson's growth. The Crimson Tide defense has never been able to see through Watson's tactical choices. This quarterback with super athletic ability and talent has completely carried the Tigers' offensive banner on his own.

Thanks to Xiao Dengtou for the reward! Dear book friends, the competition on the new book list is fierce. I beg for all kinds of support. Please vote as much as you can. Thank you all very much!

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(End of this chapter)