Gutsy play helps Tide beat Clemson 45-40 for national title

“O.J., quite honestly, should have been more involved all year long”, coach Nick Saban said.

Saban, who won his first national title at LSU, tied Alabama legend Paul “Bear” Bryant as the all-time leader with five national titles, but he deflected the attention to his players, thanking them for their effort in rebounding from an early-season loss to Ole Miss to reach the pinnacle. They even scored to make it 45-40 with 12 seconds left, requiring the Tide to survive one last onside kick.

“We stand toe-to-toe with everybody in the country”, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Four national championships, I mean, that’s an incredible accomplishment”. “I was ready for it. It’s just special; it’s different”.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Leggett with 12 seconds remaining brought Clemson to within a score, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds.

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.

TV cameras captured a kind of satisfied, I-got-you grin from Saban on the sideline that doesn’t often surface publicly.

“We made mistakes and they capitalized on our mistakes”, Clemson safety Jayron Kearse said.

The Tigers had more trouble in the secondary, particularly after Mackensie Alexander – questionable to start because of hamstring problems – did not play in the second half after having to be supported to get off the field late in the second quarter. “I think that changed the momentum of the game”.

Howard hadn’t caught a pass in the two games preceding the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, but he had three for 59 yards against Michigan State, including one for 41 yards that Kiffin said helped Howard’s confidence grow.

Quarterback Jake Coker finished 16-for-25 for 235 yards.

He completed 30 of 47 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran 20 times for 73 yards.

It’s Clemson and Alabama for all the marbles in the second-ever College Football Championship game tonight, in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Alabama players hugged each other, and Clemson players didn’t hang their heads as they left the field. “And I felt like if we didn’t do something … we wouldn’t have a chance to win”.

The Tigers had led 24-21 as the game moved into the fourth quarter. Cooper won the Biletnikoff Award – breaking every single-season and career record for an Alabama receiver – while Henry became Alabama’s second player to win the Heisman Trophy – setting an SEC rushing record with 2,061 yards and then becoming the program’s all-time leading rusher in the title game. “He’s the Heisman victor, national champion, so I’m trying to do the same thing and just learn from guys that have been there and done it”.

His final score came with 1:21 left following a 63-yard Coker-to-Howard pass play.

“It was a slugfest out there”, Swinney said.

That set up a field goal to tie the score at 24 and lead to the gutsiest play call in the College Football Playoff’s brief history. Watson threw for four touchdowns and accounted for 478 yards of offense, the Tigers topping the Crimson Tide nearly everywhere but on the scoreboard.

Alabama had allowed only 19 points in the opening quarter its first 14 games before giving up two touchdowns to Watson’s Tigers.

Clemson responded with a 6-play, 54-yard drive that ended when Watson fired a almost flawless pass to Hunter Renfrow in the corner of the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 5:18 left in the first quarter.