The Mid-Morning Dump: Clemson Tigers Stem the Tide, Beat Alabama in Title Game

JACKSON FINDS HIS ROLE. Solid defense and intense play has earned Donovan Jackson a role in ISU’s small ball lineups.

BRIDGET GETS IT. Bridget Carleton, who struggled earlier in the season, has definitely found her shooting touch.

NOT THE TIME FOR LARD. Jared Stansbury writes that Steve Prohm leaning towards not playing Cameron Lard this season is the right move.

CLEMSON WANTED BAMA, GOT BAMA, AND BEAT BAMA. The Tigers were able to overcome last year’s title game loss and beat the Crimson Tide in a classic finish.

HOLD UP HOLD UP. The Alabama Dynasty is on pause after Saban and Co. failed to pause Deshaun Watson.

CLEMSON IS NOW THE 1%. To be elite, you’ve got to beat the elite. And Nick Saban and Alabama are about as elite as it gets.

5 IMPORTANT TITLE GAME STATS. 100, 3, 99, 13,3, 4.

ALSO THIS IS IMPORTANT.

SO IS THIS.

NO WAYYYYYY! Steve Sarkisian says the offensive coordinator transition had nothing to do with Alabama’s loss.

JACKSONVILLE, WILL YOU EVER LEARN? The Jag’s have hired Tom Coughlin to be their football VP, and Doug Marrone (25-25 record at Syracuse) to be their head coach.

NO ROSE IN THE GARDEN. So the Knicks had a home game vs the Pelicans last night, and Derrick Rose was not there?

FIFA EXPANDS, 3 GROUPS OF 16 TEAMS. Starting in 2026, the World Cup will not only expand, but undergo some format changes as well.

FINALLLLLLLLLY. A successful bowl season has armed the Big 12 with some much-needed momentum going into the 2017 season.

WHO THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA? ESPN’s “Voices” coverage of last night’s game was a disaster, but had some funny moments.

Most of them involved Bill Walton wearing an Uncle Sam costume.