Derek Mason, the Vanderbilt coach who has known Joe Burrow for so many years that he calls him Joey, said he thought Clemson’s defensive timing was a lifeline for the Atlantic Coast Conference champion.

“If Clemson can give static looks and launch from those different platforms and be able to make Joey hold the ball just a little bit,” he said, “Clemson’s pass rushers may have an opportunity with the speed and the athleticism.”

Clemson’s style did not go unnoticed during L.S.U.’s preparations for the championship game.

“It doesn’t worry me at all, but it’s also something to think about,” said Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a tailback. “This will pretty much be the first time that we’ve faced a team that throws in a call so late, and being able to not let them get the call, I think, is going to be something big.”

But Venables deflected the idea that his approach was especially sophisticated. Instead, he said, it was all about trying to even the balance of power when an opponent has the ball.

“They’re trying to get in the best looks on offense and trying to prevent negative plays, and we’re trying to not make it easy on the opponents by opening up our playbook for them,” he said. “We’re trying to do just what the offense does. I don’t know why we get so much attention for it.”

In a halftime interview, Ed Orgeron, L.S.U.’s coach, suggested his team had solved the Clemson riddle: “We figured out what they were going to do; now we’re moving the football.”

Maybe Orgeron spoke too soon. After the intermission, Clemson promptly stopped two L.S.U. drives.

Clemson gets a stop, then scores to tighten the game.

Clemson has 45 sacks on the season, and none was bigger than one that stopped Joe Burrow’s first possession of the second half. Clemson then got a 15 yard penalty on the punt and an opportunity to reset.