Watson’s big night can’t lift No. 1 Clemson in 45-40 loss

Alabama’s 45-40 win over Clemson at University of Phoenix Stadium was the Crimson Tide’s fourth championship in seven seasons, and it was the highest-scoring college football national championship game ever.

Few national title games this century were on par with this one – maybe Ohio State upsetting Miami, Texas outdueling USC and Florida State surviving Auburn would be in the conversation.

Watson threw two first-half touchdown strikes to Hunter Renfrowe, but it was his balletic escapes from pressure that set the tone. “If we didn’t get it, they’d have got the ball on the 45- or 50-yard line, so it’s not really like it would have been the end of the world, but it was worth the risk I felt”.

“These guys have come so far and done so much…this is all about winning the game for them”, Saban said.

The College Football Championship game tonight features No. 1 Clemson facing off against No. 2 Alabama. The Crimson Tide lead the nation with 50 sacks, but Monday night couldn’t get their arms wrapped around Watson, recording zero sacks.

After Alabama’s first touchdown, Nick Saban’s expression didn’t change.

Watson threw his third touchdown pass to make it 38-33 with 4:40 left, and then Alabama went back to its workhorse Heisman Trophy victor. The ball was miraculously caught by a twisting, turning ArDarius Stewart – a thirty-eight yard reception that gave coordinator Lane Kiffin’s squad the yardage it needed to kick a game-tying field goal.

Watson’s had bigger stat showings, his career best coming with 435 yards passing in his first game as a starter last season against North Carolina.

Kenyan Drake’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter gave Alabama an 11-point lead.

Watson led Clemson 68 yards in 6 plays and 55 seconds even after Alabama’s final TD, but it wasn’t enough. Saban was so incensed about the Tide losing contain on Watson on a 16-yard run in the third quarter he ripped off his headset.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney assesses his team’s second-half performance that included multiple defensive mistakes that Alabama was able to capitalize on.

Saban had said that the Crimson Tide had “sort of participated in the game” and wanted to “make a statement and do something special”.

The biggest beneficiary of Clemson’s screw-ups was Alabama TE O.J. Howard, who I swear to god was invisible to Clemson’s secondary.

On its previous three drives, Alabama’s offense had managed just 26 yards.

Watson led Clemson in passing with 405 yards and in rushing with 73 yards.

With the score 24-24 and 10:34 remaining, the Tide’s Adam Griffith surprised the Tigers with an onside kick that was plucked out of the air by Marlon Humphrey.

Look, after you see a contest like Alabama and Clemson put out on Monday night, it’s OK to say that.

The Clemson defense was hurt by the loss of cornerback Mackensie Alexander, who limped off the field early after being questionable for the game with a hamstring injury sustained in the Tigers’ victory over Oklahoma on New Year’s Eve.