There’s no doubt some very real concern among the Alabama coaching staff as it tries to devise a game plan to slow down a very talented and balanced Clemson offense in the upcoming national championship game on Jan. 11.

That’s because the Tigers’ up-tempo, no-huddle offense very much resembles that of Ole Miss, and the Rebels are the only team to have defeated the Crimson Tide this year when they did so 43-37 back on Sept. 19.

Granted, Ole Miss took advantage of five Alabama turnovers and a fluke play touchdown on a tipped pass.

But Ole Miss repeatedly stung the vaunted Alabama defense with a talented quarterback who was able to consistently get out on the edge and make plays with both his arm and his feet. Chad Kelly’s athleticism relieved the pressure from a Rebels offensive line that was being asked a lot in trying to hold off the nation’s most ferocious front seven of Alabama.

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Kelly, who passed for 341 yards three touchdowns and ran for 34 more and another score in that game, was able to buy time to find a bevy of capable targets downfield in the likes of All-American wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, Cody Core and Quincy Adeboyejo.

Undefeated Clemson, the ACC champions and the nation’s top-ranked team, boasts a similar style of high-octane offense. The Tigers might have better athletes overall than even the Rebels and also like to maximize that edge by speeding up the game to prevent opposing defenses from substituting.

Sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson earned the ACC Player of the Year honors and the Davey O’Brien Award that annually goes to the nation’s premier quarterback after completing 68 percent (303 of 444) of his passes this season for 3,699 yards and 31 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. Watson has shown exceptional touch all year, but especially on his deep throws.

Also a very gifted runner with great instincts in the open field, Watson ranked second on the team in rushing with 1,032 yards and another 12 scores. He is the kind of dual-threat quarterback that has proven to be the Crimson Tide’s kryptonite in recent years.

Underrated tailback Wayne Gallman paces Clemson in rushing with 1,482 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Artavis Scott leads a deep Tigers receiving corps that lists eight players with at least 18 catches this season.

Like Ole Miss, Clemson regularly uses its tight ends as a safety valve across the middle and near the goal line.

Rebels coach Hugh Freeze has called his team’s fast pace style “basketball on grass” and the up-tempo style helped the Rebels average nearly 19 yards per completion against Alabama in their meeting earlier this season.

You can bet Clemson coach Dabo Swinney will be looking long and hard at that tape.

It’s success that breeds imitation.