Final Top 25: Alabama wins 10th AP national title

“I think that’s where you want the players to stay focused, and that’s the message that we’re trying to give them so that they can go out and have the best opportunity to be successful”. Watson threw for four touchdowns and accounted for 478 yards of offense, the Tigers topping the Crimson Tide nearly everywhere but on the scoreboard.

Coker’s 53-yard touchdown pass to Howard early in the third quarter put Alabama ahead, but a field goal and Wayne Gallman’s touchdown run gave Clemson the lead, 24-21. Howard had five catches for 208 yards.

Alabama coach Nick Saban drew on his inner Sean Payton and then did the most remarkable thing.

Watson was dynamic, throwing for 401 yards and four touchdowns in addition to rushing for 73 yards on 20 attempts in the loss.

Two plays later, quarterback Jake Coker hit O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown pass that game the Tide the lead for good.

The Tide will send another batch of players to the National Football League this year, as Saban always does. “I was like, we may never win a game”. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, sure, ‘” he said.

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

But facing a critical third-and-eleven with 11:35 left to play from its own 44-yard-line, Coker – under heavy pressure – heaved up a prayer down the right sideline.

Alabama tight end O.J. Howard hadn’t caught a touchdown pass since 2013. The score allowed Alabama to become the first team to take a lead on Clemson in the fourth quarter this season. But in the game’s last 10:34, Saban’s team erupted for 24 points, including three touchdowns after a bold onside kick surprised Clemson and was easily recovered by Marlon Humphrey.

“You’ve got to focus on the next play and do what you have to do, to do your job (and) to help your team be successful”, he said. However, Clemson sprinted down the field 68 yards in six plays to score with seconds left. Ara Parseghian’s Notre Dame team came into the game unbeaten and ranked No. 1. Two plays later, Coker found Howard again on a blown coverage by Clemson for an easy 51-yard TD pass. That meant bettors who (legally and illegally) took Alabama minus the 6.5 points were out of luck and, cumulatively, millions of dollars.

“I felt like if we didn’t do something or take a chance to change the momentum of the game that we wouldn’t have a chance to win”, Saban said.

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson). Alabama’s Rashaan Evans (32) sacks Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The title is the fifth for Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who also won one at Louisiana State.

Until Clemson pierced the Tide for 550 yards, Alabama had given up an average of 256.8 yards per game, second-best nationally. “I wouldn’t want to be no other place and play for no other coach than Coach Saban”.

Alabama’s Kenyan Drake returned a kickoff 95 yards and punctuated the score with a dive for the pylon in the fourth quarter of the National Championship game against Clemson. Like Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, Texas QB Vince Young piled up over 400 total yards, but his Longhorns came out a victor when he scored on fourth down in the closing seconds.

“Really, really frustrated with how the clock was handled”, Swinney said at halftime. Those roles for 2016 could be determined in the next few days, as Heisman Trophy tailback Derrick Henry and defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and A’Shawn Robinson are expected to forgo their senior seasons for the National Football League draft. “Again, he’s got great toughness, great heart, a great mind for the game, and just made some huge plays all the way to the end”. Howard finished the 38-0 win with three receptions for 59 yards. Clemson was involved in some controversy at the end of the second quarter when Watson picked up a first down inside the red zone with 12 seconds remaining in the half.