LOS ANGELES — Max Browne stared downfield Saturday, glaring at an Alabama secondary that had draped his top target.
He recognized the cloud coverage, or otherwise known as cover 2. A cornerback kept in front of JuJu Smith-Schuster. A safety hovered above for help.
“It wasn’t anything intricate, or super crazy, or disguising things,” Browne said. “It was clear as day.”
It still worked.
Alabama kept Marlon Humphrey and another defensive back near Smith-Schuster throughout the game, as the junior receiver finished with just one catch for nine yards.
In 14 games last season, he caught 89 passes, which ranked second in the Pac-12 behind Washington State’s Gabe Marks.