Clemson extended their second quarter lead on Alabama to 28-16 with this shovel pass that you’ve definitely seen before:
2 reasons Clemson’s shovel TD against Bama was even cooler than it seemed
The play looks nice, but there’s meaning behind it.
That’s a great play! Alabama tried the same play earlier in the game, but was stuffed by Clemson’s defensive line.
But let’s get back to the inspiration behind this play for a minute, because Alabama doing it earlier in the game wasn’t the first time we’ve seen this.
Clemson fans are especially aware of this play, because Pitt beat them with it in 2016 by using it multiple times.
The Panthers were wrecking the Tigers with the smooth shovel pass play to keep Clemson linebackers on their toes:
Defensive ends were also caught off guard with the play as well:
Pitt won that game 43-42, upsetting the then-No. 2 Tigers.
In case you forgot, that Pitt team had James Conner as their star running back, and NATHAN PETERMAN as their starting quarterback.
The Peter Man threw for 308 yards and five touchdowns to beat Deshaun Watson not all that long ago, which seems impossible if you’ve watched any NFL football the past two years.
It seems Dabo Swinney appropriately thought that if The Peter Man could use it to beat his squad, he and his plethora of talent could burn Bama with it.
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