Alabama outlasts Clemson to win NCAA football title

But Nick Saban has never had to overcome an opponent like this with so much on the line, making all the more impressive what Alabama did Monday night to beat No. 1-ranked Clemson for the College Football Playoff title 45-40.

The Tide won the national championship in 2009, 2011 and 2012, and with head coach Nick Saban at the helm, has become synonymous with college football greatness.

“I think win or lose, you have to continue to grow and challenge yourself to get better, and that’s what we’ll do”.

Watson put up 170 total yards in the fourth quarter while trying to lead Clemson back after two special teams plays gave the Crimson Tide control . Saban rolled the dice and called an onside “pop kick” which was perfectly executed by kicker Adam Griffith, who booted what looked nearly like a ideal fade pass with just the right amount of air and touch to allow cornerback Marlon Humphrey to run under it at midfield for the recovery.

Three plays into the Tide’s second possession, running back Derrick Henry exploded through a hole in the Tigers defense to reel off a 50-yard run, staking his team to a 7-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.

Second, Kenyan Drake returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to open up a 38-27 lead with seven minutes remaining. Coker’s 63-yard pass to Howard set up the 1-yard touchdown run by Henry that finally sealed the victory with 1:07 to play. He destroyed a defense considered one of Saban’s all-time best, passing for 405 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 73 yards.

It was a classic, full of big numbers, big plays and special moments that swung momentum in a game that went back and forth. The Irish had the ball with 1:01 left after rallying to tie the score, and needed about 40 yards to get into Joe Azzaro’s field goal range. Two plays later, Greg Huegel’s 44-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Alabama’s D.J. Pettway and fell short. Not only for their team, but for the fabulous game they had just witnessed. He finished with 158 yards on 36 carries.

This is the Tide’s 11th National Title in the poll era and that’s more than any school.

Deshaun Watson, the Clemson quarterback, kept his team even before Alabama went bonkers with a 24-point fourth quarter. TCoker completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,110 yards, 21 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, while running for two scores as well. “There’s a lot of things we can learn, and that’s what we’ve got to do with this”, Swinney said. This was Clemson’s first shot at a national title since 1981, and the ACC’s second appearance in a title game in three years.

“We stand toe-to-toe with everybody in the country”, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

“We thought we could do a better job than we did against their quarterback”, Saban said.

Ala-Howard 53 pass from Coker (Griffith kick), 12:53. “People are obviously giving their respect to Alabama, but then also at the same time talking about Clemson and the great season they have had”. He finished with five catches for 208 yards, the most receiving yards for an Alabama player in a bowl game.