Fifth title puts Saban in a league of his own

The Crimson Tide (14-1) won their three previous championship game appearances in runaways. However, after some early jitters, Coker settled down nicely and made the plays he needed to in order to win the game, including a huge scramble on a third down in the final few minutes to set up Henry’s final touchdown.

Howard’s second score came after defensive back Marlon Humphrey recovered a high-bouncing onside kick toward the right sideline.

“We try to emphasize with our players that if you’re a first-round draft pick, the business decision is you should go out for the draft”, Saban said on Tuesday.

Coker, who finished 16 of 25 for 335 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, pumped his fist in the air after the run. He meant it: After Alabama tied the game at 24 with 10:34 left in the fourth quarter, Saban took a risk and called for one, and it worked marvelously.

It was just the second time Watson lost as a Clemson starter.

Watson led Clemson to a field goal to make it 31-27, and boom, another Alabama big play.

Alabama’s Kenyan Drake diving for the end zone on a 95-yard kick return.

Alabama’s Derrick Henry gets to keep his Heisman after carrying 36 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns.

Clemson, a 6½-point underdog at kickoff, had a big offensive game against the vaunted Alabama defense, outgaining the Crimson Tide 550 yards to 474. Griffith’s onside kick was the play of the game, and without it, we might be talking about a different National Title Game victor today. But yeah. Today at least, the talk is about a great game and Nick Saban’s fifth national championship. Clemson won its only national title in 1981. Legendary coach Frank Leahy is the only other coach to win four national titles in a seven-year span.

Watson finished with 405 yards passing, the most any quarterback has hung on the Crimson Tide this year.

Instead, Saban and the Tide raised another trophy, its first in this new playoff system, and got another confetti shower.

Clemson led 24-21 entering the fourth quarter after Alabama tight end O.J. Howard caught a 53-yard touchdown pass, which was answered by a Greg Huegel field goal and a Wayne Gallman 1-yard touchdown run. Watson has emerged as a dual-threat quarterback, meaning he is as deft running the ball himself as passing to his receivers, and some say this could give Clemson an edge in getting past Alabama’s monstrous front seven. Saban also has prior experience in NFL.

In no way, shape or form was this the traditional Alabama formula relying on dominant defense and its running game. Alabama pulled away from Texas for Saban’s first Tide title.

Trying to become the first FBS team to go 15-0, Clemson did not crumble under the force of Alabama’s might.

Cons: Saban will turn 65 in October so the odds of him being a long-term head coach in the National Football League is unlikely. All of this is made even more impressive by the fact that Renfrow was originally a walk-on player to the Clemson football program.