Simply put, the Cotton Bowl showed that controlling the line of scrimmage was the determining factor when it came to us vs. them. They could sustain drives, we couldn't. Their defense was fresh, ours got tuckered out, and that was the end of the story.
While the line play had improved through the year, it wasn't nearly as good as 2017's, and certainly not good enough to handle a multitude of Clemson players who will be likely starting on Sundays at some time in their careers.
Open up some holes, protect the passer better, and for God's sake, be able to make adjustments on the fly to stunts, and I can guarantee a much more level playing field, should we have the opportunity again. They would still have the upper hand at that time, but at least it becomes a "we can win one out of three" instead of "we might win one out of ten times."
If Jeff Quinn can't do the above, then it may be time to relegate him to his old job (he is an excellent recruiter), and bring in a better line coach.
That being said, we have a deep pool of offensive line talent available to us, so he'd better be able to show some significant improvements in 2019.