Alabama captures 4th title in 7 years under Nick Saban

But Coker bounced back from a shaky first half that included four sacks and burned Clemson’s aggressive defense with long throws.

Clemson was No. 1 every week in the college playoff rankings and had won 17 in a row dating to last season. Alabama surrendered about 13 first downs per game this season, but Watson marched his team to 31 last night, six of them coming on third down.

“I thought we needed to do something to change the momentum of the game and that certainly did”, Saban told ESPN after the game.

Two plays later, Coker, a Florida State transfer, found a wide open Howard for a 51-yard touchdown, giving ‘Bama a 31-24 lead that it never relinquished.

In the end, the Tigers (14-1) just couldn’t keep up with the huge chunks of yards Alabama gained throughout the evening, especially in the final quarter.

An Alabama field goal tied it, 24-24, before the game’s key play – the onside kick. Alabama scored a go-ahead touchdown a few plays later.

Heisman-winning running back Derrick Henry sealed the outcome with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:07 remaining, stretching Alabama’s lead to 45-33. He also said he talked to Alabama running back Derrick Henry following the game and that the two plan to meet up this summer to work out.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was livid on the sidelines after Alabama came away with the kick. “This program doesn’t take a backseat to anybody”.

It’s why he defended them so vehemently when thinking everyone had written them off after the Ole Miss loss. They have a great football team.

The Crimson Tide became the second team in college football’s poll era, dating back to 1936, to win four titles in seven seasons.

The Crimson Tide have now won four national titles in the past seven years, all under coach Nick Saban. It marked Henry’s third touchdown of the game – the first coming on a 50-yard run for the first points of the game midway through the first quarter.

The sophomore, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, had 478 total yards against a loaded Tide defense that was the toughest in the country and bested Young’s 467 yards against the Trojans.

After a 33-yard Alabama field goal tied the game at 24-24, Humphrey caught the ball cleanly at the 50-yard line.

“I just wanted to contribute to the team, whatever it was”, Henry said. The Tigers kept pace with the Tide offensively, it was special teams that ultimately doomed their national title hopes.

After Watson and walk-on Hunter Renfrow hooked up for two touchdown passes to give Clemson a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, Henry tied it up with a 1-yard plunge. Henry had compiled 128 yards by halftime and finished with 158 on 36 carries.

Howard caught five passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns, and afterward said, “Coach Saban is going to go down as one of the greatest of all time”.

The Tigers looked strong through most of the game, repeatedly sacking Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. The touchdown gave the Crimson Tide a 21-14 edge over the Tigers. If you want an idea of the rarified air in which Saban finds himself, just know that the other three coaches in the graphic ESPN showed outlining most titles won, Saban was the only one not wearing a an old style fedora hat while coaching in his picture. Head coach Nick Saban also has a title with LSU, totaling five in 11 years for the historically good coach. “We dropped some balls and just had some miscues… and it’s hard to beat a team like Alabama if you make those mistakes”.

Huegel would add another field goal for Clemson, but the Crimson Tide immediately responded with points of their own from Kenyan Drake.