I agree. To me, the telling thing was going for it on 4th and 1 on his own 35 IN THE FIRST HALF. That is out of character for him and it tells me that he knew he was over-matched.
Overall, I think Clemson has better personnel, particularly on defense. The secondary was capable of covering Bama's very good receiving corp. Up front, Clemson was able to hurry Tua while creating a chess-match of disguised coverages downfield. Coach Venables (?? sp) deserves a big bonus for his defensive game plan. Very impressive performance for Clemson on defense.