Alabama is vying for their 16th national title. Now Alabama (13-1) is one victory away from an unprecedented achievement.
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Alabama head coach Nick Saban reacts during the first half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Clemson Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz.
No wonder the normally stone-faced Nick Saban was smiling.
Last year, the four-team playoff replaced the Bowl Championship Series in which the top two teams were selected to play in the final game.
Watson threw his third touchdown pass to make it 38-33 with 4:40 left, and then Alabama went back to its workhorse Heisman Trophy victor. But two things are keeping me from saying that with confidence.
Academy Sports and Outdoors will open up immediately after the National Championship game if Alabama comes out on top. He would finish with 335 yards and two touchdowns, making the right plays later. Those were his first touchdowns in two years. Clemson has won 51 in a row when leading after three periods. He then helped secure the win with a 63-yard reception in the fourth quarter on a backside screen pass he broke down the left sideline. Alabama’s defenders must be disciplined like Seattle’s defenders who stayed at home against Adrian Peterson this weekend, especially since mobile quarterbacks have often used Alabama’s athleticism and aggressiveness against them.
Deadlocked 14-14 at halftime, the plotlines were established.
Moments later, Alabama also took back the lead. Paying huge dividends in this game.
CLEMSON: Leggett 24 pass from Watson (Huegel kick).
Watson, facing his sternest test with Alabama’s vaunted defense, passed with flying colors.
This cast of Alabama defensive ends and linebackers are faster than they were in years past, but they’re not Deshaun Watson fast. Ridley has showed that even the best corners can’t take him out, see his scorching of Vernon Hargreaves in the SEC Championship for proof, and he will definitely have his chances against Clemson’s man-to-man.
CLEMSON: Wayne Gallman 1 run (Huegel kick).
But Watson was intercepted by Eddie Jackson out of Boyd Anderson (Fort Lauderdale Lakes), setting up Alabama’s tying score when Henry dove in from the 1 to make it 14-14. And Alabama, and Henry, are marching into the red zone. Clemson’s defense will provide an interesting test.
RAY-RAY RECEIVING: Clemson WR Ray-Ray McCloud spent most of his life as a running back. And, despite being undefeated – the lone undefeated team in the country – the Tigers find themselves a touchdown underdog in Monday night’s tilt against Alabama in Arizona.
Field goal problems for Alabama could be a bad omen.
When Henry scored from a yard out for a 14-14 tie, Alabama had epic package that averaged 290 pounds, including quarterback Jake Coker. Anger. And mostly, Cyrus Jones says: “Hurt”.
Alabama gets the kickoff. The sophomore is the most talented quarterback Alabama has faced and he poses a threat running and passing.
Both started and made early impacts in different ways.
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Last year, the Missouri football team did harness their power when they came together to threaten to boycott a game because of a string of racists incidents on campus. Henry needs to break a few early to loosen up Clemson’s defense for Jake Coker. Clemson matched that in the first half.
