Tide’s Hurts back again, Tigers’ Bryant steps in
Jalen Hurts doesn’t have to look far for a reminder of the national championship game loss to Clemson.
Alabama’s quarterback needs only to turn on his phone, which sports a photo of him walking off the field after the Crimson Tide’s 35-31 loss.
“As many times as I open up my phone, I don’t look at it like, ‘Dang, I lost to Clemson.’ I don’t do that every time,” Hurts said. “But it’s definitely there, it’s definitely a motivating factor.”
Hurts’ counterpart for the top-ranked Tigers in the Sugar Bowl, Kelly Bryant, was a spectator for that game as Deshaun Watson picked apart a worn-out Alabama defense on his way to a game-winning touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second left.
Hurts and Bryant have led their teams back into the College Football Playoff, where Alabama and Clemson meet for the third straight year on Monday in a semifinal in New Orleans.
Hurts is the more-experienced quarterback in the game this time, instead of last season’s freshman vs. senior matchup. Both he and Bryant are efficient passers and dangerous runners who have logged more carries than any of their respective teams’ running backs.
Both also have done little but win.
Bryant has ably filled Watson’s shoes, but matching Watson’s performances against Alabama would be a tall order.
The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist accounted for 972 total yards and eight touchdowns in two previous playoff meetings against the Crimson Tide, almost unfathomable numbers against one of the nation’s top defenses. Not surprisingly, a number of Tide defenders have said Watson is the best quarterback they have faced.
“I think the quarterback now is even a better runner, if that’s possible, than the guy we played against the last two years, who was probably the best player in college football,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
Bryant has completed 67.4 percent of his passes, a College Football Playoff semifinal 8:45 p.m. Monday ESPN
hair better than Watson last season. He hasn’t thrown as frequently as Watson, who had seven 300-yard passing games last season, to one for Bryant this season. Bryant has run a couple more times per game while only having to play in the fourth quarter eight times.
“Kelly Bryant is a great athlete,” Alabama cornerback Levi Wallace said. “He’s definitely a little faster than Deshaun Watson, definitely more running talent. He can definitely throw deep balls. They have great receivers who make plays for him. He’s definitely a dual- threat quarterback.”
Hurts is, too. He already has run for more touchdowns (21 in 27 games) than any other Tide quarterback, and his 38 passing TDs rank fifth. Hurts’ 30- yard touchdown run with 2:07 left against Clemson last season gave Alabama a 31-28 lead that was erased with Watson’s 2-yard TD to Renfrow.
Hurts has passed for 15 touchdowns and been intercepted only once, throwing for the game-winning touchdown against Mississippi State.
Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell said Hurts appears to be an improved passer who is making better decisions.
“He’s a lot better passer this year — another year of maturity and another year of the offense,” Ferrell said. “Even when plays break down, he’s able to scramble out of the pocket and throw it downfield.”
But Hurts is coming off perhaps his worst game of the season in a 26- 14 loss to Auburn, when he made some questionable decisions and lost a fumble. The performance generated some criticism from fans on social media, but Hurts’ teammates are “behind him 100 percent,” tight end Hale Hentges said.