Former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden weighs in on Clemson-Alabama matchup, picks winner
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Tommy Bowden, one of legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden’s sons, coached the Clemson Tigers from 1999 to 2008, leading them to a 72-45 overall record and a 3-5 bowl record.
As he watches Dabo Swinney’s Tigers, he likes what he’s seen in his former squad.
Recently, he broke down the matchup Clemson has with Alabama on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl during an appearance on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP. He started with a discussion about which quarterback — Alabama’s Jalen Hurts and Clemson’s Kelly Bryant — was better (via AL.com):
“You have to give it to Jalen Hurts because he’s been in this environment before,” he said. “Kelly Bryant has not. That’s the only reason. The reason I picked Clemson last year was because Deshaun Watson had been in that position. Jalen Hurts hadn’t.
“Jalen isn’t that much more talented than Kelly Bryant, if at all, but it’s the fact that he’s been in that environment.”
Bowden then named the key to the game, which he thinks will be Clemson’s rushing total. He likes the Tigers to win if they have a big day on the ground:
“If Clemson runs the ball for more than 200 yards, they’ll win,” he said. “If Alabama holds them to 150 or 125 yards, I think advantage goes to Alabama.”
Will Bowden be proven right? Check out the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Kickoff is at 8:45 p.m. Eastern time and can be seen on ESPN.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
