Kiffin ‘hitched a ride’ back with Saban after missing bus

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

Through the first half, taking Clemson and the points seemed like a great play, as the Tide had shown no signs that they were about to start blowing them out any time soon.

It is the 14th NCAA national title for the Crimson Tide, which finished the season 14-1.

Its the Crimson Tides sixteenth national championship in school history, and a fifth national title for Saban, further cementing his status in college football history. The potent Cornhuskers needed a trick play – a “fumblerooski” TD by lineman Dean Steinkuhler – to stay in the game. “It probably wasn’t one of our best games when it just comes to flat execution”, Saban said.

It might not be that long before Clemson contends again, especially with Watson back next season. They also had seven plays that were 25 yards or more from the scrimmage line, where the Tigers reciprocated with four big plays.

Alabama scored 24 fourth quarter points that included a 95-yard kickoff return, a 51-yard pass that came 49 seconds after a field goal and a risky onside kick and a 1-yard Derrick Henry rush with 1:07 left that apparently iced the game, but didn’t.

It also would have meant Watson’s 24-yard strike to Jordan Leggett with 12 seconds to play could have been a game-tying score instead of a timely backdoor cover that swung millons of dollars in Vegas in favor of the 6.5-point underdogs.

Coming into the contest, Howard, a junior, only had two touchdowns in his career. “It won’t be 34 years before we’re going to be back, I promise you that”, Swinney said.

Before Monday, tight end O.J. Howard hadn’t found the end zone since November 9, 2013. Young’s 467 total yards – 200 rushing, 267 passing – represented a seminal effort for dual-threat QBs and Watson was better. Alabama had three touchdowns of 50 or more yards, allowing it to win the war even when losing the trench battle.

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

“I made the decision to do it because the score was (tied) and we were exhausted on defense and weren’t doing a great job of getting them stopped and 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. “I was just arguing the call that went against us”.

The Tigers lost in the season finale 45-40 to Alabama, but when coaches, players, and fans look back they’ll be able to point to just a handful of plays that determined the outcome of the game – the onside kick and the three busted coverages just to name a couple. Several times Alabama’s highly lauded defense had him trapped, absolutely.

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. A 27-yard pass from Watson to wide receiver Charone Peake reached the Tide 39. Smart said over the weekend that then-Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman “embarrassed us”, though Smart himself wasn’t too abashed to call Herman and ask how he’d done it.