How Clemson can beat Alabama for the College Football Playoff title

Need proof that Clemson can beat Alabama?

You can either rewatch last year's classic College Football Playoff National Championship or you could just read Scouts Inc. analyst Steve Muench's game plan for the Tigers.

Need proof that Alabama can't and won't lose?

Then keep reading: Muench's Scouts Inc. colleague Kevin Weidl has come up with a perfect plan to help the Tide repeat.

Muench: What Clemson's offense needs to do

Mix in some Deshaun Watson quarterback runs

Clemson has a talented 1,000-yard rusher in running back Wayne Gallman, and the Tigers supplement their ground game with jets sweeps and quick-hitter passes to receivers Artavis Scott and Ray-Ray McCloud. But it's important that Watson run at least five designed QB keepers in addition to the carries he gets off the Tigers' option packages and on scrambles.

Clemson needs to help its offensive line against the Bama front, and designed Watson keepers create favorable blocking numbers in two ways. First, using Gallman as a lead blocker means the front side of the offensive line is able to stay with double teams instead of releasing up to the second level. Secondly, the Tigers can motion Gallman outside and empty the backfield, which could force Alabama to remove a defender from the box. Watson is an efficient runner with above-average vision and quick feet to make the first defender miss.

Use tempo to dictate defensive personnel

Watson is in complete control of Clemson's offense, and he's battle-tested, with the poise to run an up-tempo offense without making a lot of mistakes. Plus the versatility of tight end Jordan Leggett and Gallman gives the Tigers the ability to throw multiple looks at defenses without having to change their personnel -- both Leggett and Gallman are capable of moving around the formation from play to play. Meanwhile, Alabama's run defense is at its best with Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson on the outside with Da'Ron Payne and Dalvin Tomlinson on the inside.

The Tide pass rush is at its best when Allen kicks inside, with Tim Williams coming into the game to line up opposite Anderson on the outside. As a result, running at Williams and throwing when Allen lines up on the outside puts the Tigers in the best position to succeed, and tempo is one way to prevent the Tide from getting personnel on the field. Alabama's depth makes it difficult to wear out the Tide, but Clemson could have some success over the course of drives by preventing Alabama from substituting.

Isolate Leggett and Mike Williams inside the 10-yard line

An Alabama defense that leads the FBS in points allowed per game (11.4) and ranks third in opponents' red zone touchdown percentage (38.1) has surrendered just three rushing touchdowns all year. Watson and Gallman run hard and pick up yards after contact, but neither has the power base to regularly push the pile when they don't get a seam against the Crimson Tide front. The Clemson front is going to struggle to create those seams, especially near the goal line.

However, Alabama is going to have a difficult time matching up with 6-foot-3 225-pound receiver Mike Williams (nine touchdown passes in the red zone this year) and the 6-foot-5 260-pound Leggett in these situations. They have the wide frames to box out on underneath routes in addition to the height and length to win 50-50 balls in the corner of the end zone working against Alabama's defensive backs on the outside.

Weidl: What Alabama's defense needs to do

Limit Clemson's explosive plays

One of the most glaring observations from last year's title game was the Tigers' ability to manufacture big plays on offense. In fact, Clemson registered 10 total explosive plays (20 yards or more) against the Tide, and in all seven of their scoring drives had at least one explosive play. To put it in perspective, Alabama had surrendered a total of 58 explosive plays all last year, an average of only 3.9 per game. This year, the Tide have given up just 47 explosive plays (3.4 per game).

That said, studying what Ole Miss did against Alabama this year (the Rebels offense is the most similar to Clemson's) was a good way to break down this game. The Rebels manufactured eight explosive plays, with six coming on their seven scoring drives, while putting up the most points on Alabama all season with 43.

From an offensive skills standpoint, Clemson will present the most talented group the Alabama defense will have faced all season. Alabama's defense has NFL talent at all three levels and its ability to play with great technique and discipline makes it hard for any offense to piece together long drives. However, Clemson has the personnel to produce big plays from anywhere on the field, directed by the most dynamic quarterback in the country, who is surrounded by a wide variety of playmakers.

Keep Watson in the pocket

How does the Tide defense limit the big plays from the Tigers offense? One way is to make Watson stationary. In last year's championship game, Watson had his hand in nine of Clemson's 10 explosive plays. The Tigers really hurt the Tide defense on throws outside of the pocket in which they either changed the launch point (half or full rollouts) or by Watson buying time and extending plays with his feet. Below is a look at Watson's passing from both inside the pocket and outside the pocket last year, with yards per completion being much higher on throws outside the pocket.

Watson passing vs. Alabama in 2016 CFP title game

Inside the pocket: 23 of 37 (62.1 percent), 243 yards, 3 TDs, (10.5 YPC)

Outside the pocket: 7* of 10 (70 percent), 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, (23.1 YPC)

*Five of the seven completions were for 20 yards or more

Alabama must find a way to force Watson to play from the pocket as a passer as much as possible. They will have a big advantage with their pass rush up front, particularly on the edges with Anderson and Williams. In addition, they have better interior rushers from last year with Tomlinson and Da'Ron Payne joining versatile end Allen to generate pressure on the inside, which should help.

However, while they want to apply pressure on Watson, maintaining gap integrity will be crucial this week to prevent him from breaking out. The Tide also made an adjustment late in the game last year by spying Watson and could use a similar plan in the rematch with rangy linebacker Rashaan Evans or safety Ronnie Harrison, who will line up in the box on occasion.

How well Alabama is able to limit the big plays will be one of the biggest determining factors not only for the success on this side of the ball, but for the entire game. If the Tide is able to apply pressure on Watson and keep him in the pocket, then the advantage heavily tilts in their favor. Watson has not shown great ball security as a decision-maker this season, which means that kind of pressure could result in turnovers.

Protect the perimeter

The Tigers have excellent team speed, along with a wide variety of weapons and ways of attacking the perimeter that can make them very difficult to stop. Clemson will use its zone-read concepts with Watson and Gallman, fly sweeps with McCloud and Scott, and quick-hitting passes to Gallman out of the backfield to supplement the running game. This is where the Tigers did their most damage against the Tide last year, and Alabama must be ready for it this year.

The good news for the Tide is that they will have a big advantage in the trenches with their size, versatility and depth. It will be key for this front line to hold their gaps and limit the damage from the Tigers' run game in between the tackles -- that allows them to remove defenders from the box, particularly when Clemson attempts to spread them out. Also, watch for defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt to pick his spots when to elect to go to a one-high safety shell and cheat defensive backs near the box.

Weidl: What Alabama's offense needs to do

Get Jalen Hurts some easy ones early

Hurts had arguably his roughest performance of his freshman season last week against Washington, particularly as a passer. This started with the first play, when the Tide dialed up a play-action pass to tight end O.J. Howard down the field that was nearly picked off by Huskies safety Budda Baker. Hurts looked rattled after that and was never able to recover -- he appeared out of sync and hesitant as a decision-maker. It should be noted that the Tide's interior offensive line allowed too much leakage, which contributed to Hurts' struggles.

Alabama might be wise to play to Hurts' strengths early on with some run-pass-option concepts to allow him to gain some confidence by using his legs as a runner, or with simple throws to get a few completions under his belt. One big mystery to keep your eyes on: How much will switching offensive coordinators -- from Lane Kiffin to Steve Sarkisian -- this late in the season affect Hurts?

Ride the hot hand

Alabama has a stable of capable running backs in Bo Scarbrough, Joshua Jacobs and Damien Harris to team up with Hurts in the backfield. However, it was Scarbrough who stole the show against Washington, running for 180 yards and two touchdowns last week. Scarbrough's listed at 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds, so it's hard not to compare him to Derrick Henry, but it's a fair comparison -- and Scarbrough might have more agility and lateral quickness.

Like Henry, he brings strength to run through contact and is a nightmare to tackle when getting into the open field. Scarbrough's ability to hit the home run is what separates him from the other backs, and considering how fresh he looked in the semifinal -- only 90 carries coming into the playoff -- continuing to increase his carries on Monday night would be a wise decision.

No matter who is carrying the ball, Alabama must get better blocking along the offensive line this week. Washington's defensive line took it to the Tide in the trenches, particularly on the interior, with their size and strength. Clemson will bring a highly talented defensive line that is littered with NFL talent. However, while the Tigers are quicker than the Huskies up front; they aren't as a rugged and are more powerful in a phone booth, which might be a better matchup for an Alabama offensive line that relies more on athleticism than power. In addition, the Tigers have a strong tendency to slant along the front line that allows them to create penetration but can also cause them to lose gap integrity at times.

That said, having Scarbrough teamed up with Hurts as much as possible makes sense, as they are the Tide's most dangerous runners that have the ability to make the Tigers pay should they find a crease and get into the open field.

Brace yourself for the blitz

It's no secret that Brent Venables is one of the more aggressive defensive coordinators in the country. He does a nice job of designing exotic looks and pressures while changing up the launch point. Hurts has struggled handling pressure on tape, and his numbers when under duress are even worse (25 percent completion rate, four TDs, five INTs). That said, Sarkisian must have a plan to keep Hurts out of trouble, particularly in obvious third-down passing situations.

The Tide could look to take advantage of the Venables aggressiveness by dialing up some perimeter screens to its speedster receivers, Stewart and Ridley, who both have the ability to manufacture yards as runners. In addition, Sarkisian might try to change the launch point for Hurts with some rollouts, where he will be in position to take advantage of his dual-threat capabilities.

Bottom line: Alabama must protect the football this week and can ill-afford to turn the ball over and give their defense a short field to defend, especially against the explosive Clemson offense.

Muench: What Clemson's defense needs to do

Force Scarbrough to run east-west

The 228-pound Scarbrough is coming off a breakout game against a tough Washington run defense. Preventing him from duplicating that success has to be near the top of the to-do list for Venables. Scarbrough's power and speed are his greatest strengths, so it is imperative that the Tigers make it tough for him to get downhill and build a head of steam. The good news for Clemson is that their front four headlined by defensive end Christian Wilkins and freshman defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is capable of holding its own against Alabama's front five.

However, look for Venables to continue to attack gaps with linebackers Ben Boulware and Kendall Joseph in an effort to force Scarbrough to run sideways. It's also important that outside linebacker Dorian O'Daniel build on a strong showing against Ohio State and keep the outside contained so Scarbrough isn't in a position to turn on the jets when he does bounce outside.

Make Hurts prove he can deal with pressure

There are risks to blitzing Alabama. For starters, Ridley and Stewart have the speed and body control to threaten downfield when they get one-on-one matchups working against Clemson's corners. Secondly, any breakdowns in gap discipline will open the door for Hurts to do what does best, which is make big plays with his feet.

However, Hurts is an inconsistent passer who has struggled to make plays when he's been pressured, and rushing five or more creates one-on-one matchups up front that Clemson's pass-rushers are capable of exploiting. Deploying creative blitzes that force him to quickly decipher the coverage could lead to critical mistakes that kill drives. At the very least Clemson should be aggressive until Hurts proves he can make them pay for it. If he makes a few plays, Clemson can take a more conservative approach, and it's worth noting that Venables does an excellent job of masking where pressure is coming from when he rushes four or fewer.

Cover O.J. Howard, cover O.J. Howard, cover O.J. Howard...

A lot has changed since these two teams met last season. But there are lessons to be learned from that game, and the most important for Clemson's defense might be making sure Howard doesn't repeat last year's performance. Howard, who caught five passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers, has the speed to threaten downfield, the burst to produce after the catch and the versatility to line up all over the field.

Clemson needs to do a better job of disrupting Alabama's timing and making it difficult for him to get into his route by getting physical with him at the line of scrimmage when he lines up in the traditional tight end spot and out wide. Howard will also go in motion, cross the formation behind the line of scrimmage and release out of the backfield, making it far tougher to for Clemson to get their hands on him. It's important that the Tigers take sound angles and wrap up when he's able to catch the ball out of these looks.