Then the team with all the track athletes always wins. Then Florida State and Miami cannot lose. Then Nebraska never wins.Among the top 35 or so teams, there is not really that much difference in athleticism. There is an execution difference. In the first half, Clemson looked really fast on defense because we executed poorly. In the Second half, you did not see that "speed" difference because of the improvement in assignment execution.
There has always been this perception that teams from the southeast and the west coast are full of super athletes who can run twice as fast and jump twice as high as all others. This just isn't so.
Utah's speed on defense ate Alabama's lunch! there is a difference in athletes and how they are schemed in the play of the game. all things being equal, speed kills, size can be overrated.
Check the performance tests and evaluations. They are almost equal for the top half of the Division I teams.
Utah simply wanted the game more than Alabama, and were better prepared.
"Speed", or the perception of it, is the product of not only athletic ability, but execution, scheme and focus. Clemson's athletes were no faster than Nebraska's, their defense was just well schemed, well coached and well focused. That's why they appeared to "slow down" in the second half when Nebraska played better.
Then their "blazing, dominant speed" held Nebraska to only 20 points in the 3rd quarter.