Alabama defenders nearly came to blows on the sideline of Cotton Bowl

To say the Alabama defense had a good day against Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl would be a bit of an understatement. The Spartans had only 29 rushing yards, had two turnovers and were shutout in Dallas. So why did Crimson Tide defenders nearly duke it out on the sidelines in the games closing moments?

According to AL.com, Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart had to prevent a fight from breaking out between senior linebacker Dillon Lee and junior safety Eddie Jackson. The reason for the sideline heat? 

"We got in a disagreement about keeping our shutout and not letting them drive down and score late in the game," Lee said.

If the Crimson Tide are that fired up about letting a team come close to scoring while up by 38 late in the game, how much more intense can they get heading into the national championship game against Clemson? Tiger quarterback Deshaun Watson accounted for 332 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in the Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma. The Tide's odds in the championship rely on limiting the Heisman finalist in Arizona. 

As long as they keep up this level of intensity for another week in practice, expect the Tide to limit Watson and take another title home to Tuscaloosa.