Clemson's Shaq Lawson expected to play in championship game

Clemson will likely have a key piece of its defense back for the National Championship Game against Alabama.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said during a teleconference Monday afternoon that star defensive end Shaq Lawson should be able to play against the Crimson Tide.

Lawson played only two series in Clemson’s 37-17 win against Oklahoma before leaving with a knee injury after sacking Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“We'll get him back out there (Monday). He looked pretty good, so, so far, so good,” Swinney said. I think the prognosis is good at this point. I'm very optimistic that he'll be able to play.”

Lawson leads the Tigers in tackles for loss with 23.5 and sacks with 10.5. He said following the Orange Bowl that he would do whatever he could to play in the game.

“I’m going to be able to play. I feel great,” he said. “My knee’s just hurting a little bit, but nothing too serious. I’ll be back and ready to play for the championship.”

Bama DB remains suspended

Alabama reserve defensive back Tony Brown remains suspended after being sent home from the Cotton Bowl for violating team rules. Brown had played in every game this year before missing the Cotton Bowl.

In addition to playing as a backup in the secondary he also contributed on special teams.

“Tony is suspended, and until we get any new information, he will continue to be suspended,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

Totally different team

Alabama and Clemson have not played since 2008 when the Crimson Tide rolled to a 34-10 win, but Saban warned this Tigers team is different from the one Alabama faced seven years ago.

“That's ancient history compared to the kind of team Clemson has now and the kind of team we're going to play against in this game,” he said. “Even though it was something that helped us establish a foundation for the program here a long time ago, I don't think it has much significance in what's going to happen in this game.”

Alabama hasn’t played its best

The Crimson Tide annihilated Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl, but Saban believes his team can still play better.

“There was a lot of good things that we did in the game, and (I am) very pleased and happy about that,” Saban said. “But you know, there was a lot of things that we could do better, and hopefully our players will look at that and try to go to work and improve on those things.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 5:35 PM.