When that alone couldn’t do it, it was up to one gutsy trick to help win the fourth national title of the Saban dynasty.
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Two plays later, Alabama quarterback Jake Coker found a wide-open O.J. Howard on a 51-yard touchdown pass that gave Alabama a 31-14 lead with just over 10 minutes to go.
And the special teams lived up their name: Alabama blocked a field-goal attempt and perfectly executed a daring onside kick, and Kenyan Drake returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Yet he has arguably celebrated more big wins than anyone ever, with five national titles, second only to Alabama predecessor Bear Bryant, who won six in an era without true championship games.
Clemson has one national championship to its credit. And it lived up to billing.
#Alabama has put just-enrolled FR Jalen Hurts to good use, having the speedy QB play Dehsaun Watson on scout team.
Henry was the first to strike.
Running back Derrick Henry, who won the 2015 Heisman Trophy, capped his spectacular season last night by finding the end zone three times.
Watson led Clemson to a field goal to make it 31-27, and boom!
Then, as the first quarter ended, Clemson grabbed a 14-7 lead after Watson connected with Renfrow once more on an 11-yard scoring pass.
Alabama’s Derrick Henry runs for a touchdown during the first half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz.
Clemson ranked in the top 25 in the major defensive categories and got dominant performances from defensive end Kevin Dodd in the last two games.
Alabama had allowed only 19 points in the opening quarter its first 14 games before giving up two touchdowns to Watson’s Tigers. 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.
Deshaun Watson threw his fourth and final touchdown to Jordan Leggett with 12 seconds left. Unlike the Spartans, however, the Tigers have cornerbacks in Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse who won’t let receivers Calvin Ridley, Richard Mullaney and ArDarius Stewart run free, as was the case in the Cotton Bowl.
Henry carried 20 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns, a 50-yard dash and a 1-yard plunge to power Alabama. Howard was the offensive player of the game with 5 catches for 208 yards, including the 63-yarder that set up Alabama’s final score.
Coker, though, was under extreme pressure most of the night.
Swinney expects defensive end Shaq Lawson to play tonight. He then hit Gallman on an 8-yard pass to the 4, and then Gallman took it in from the 1 with 4:48 left in the third quarter.
Griffith said Saban asked him if he wanted to give the onside kick a try.
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That’s when they used some trickery, recovering an onside kick that sparked the Crimson Tide to another national title. But Clemson will present problems the Tide has not faced this season – and hasn’t really solved in the past few years.
