Less than a minute later, Alabama took the lead with an easy pitch and catch touchdown from QB Jake Coker to OJ Howard thanks to broken coverage by the Clemson secondary.
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Alabama tight end O.J. Howard put his head down as coach Nick Saban began to apologize for not using him in the Tide’s offense more throughout the season. All of its power.
The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide outlasted the dynamic offense of the No. 1 Clemson Tigers to take home the CFP National Championship 45-40 on Monday night.
The Crimson Tide (14-1) won its three previous championship game appearances in runaway fashion.
But Saban, whose team had rarely been challenged since losing to Ole Miss in September, made a series of brilliant calls that quickly turned a game seemingly headed toward an epic finish.
Clemson took a 24-21 lead on a 60-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard plunge from running back Wayne Gallman.
In the locker room late Monday night, Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott solemnly slapped quarterback Deshaun Watson on the shoulders. Players kept saying it was a mental issue and guys were just out of position or not paying attention on busted assignments. It drove 61 yards to a field goal that drew the Tigers within 31-27. Recognizing that Alabama’s ship was taking on water, he went into scramble mode to save it. He played against type. In preparing for Clemson, Alabama’s coaches noticed the Tigers’ return formation showed a look that was vulnerable to the “pop kick”.
Heisman Trophy victor Derrick Henry carried 36 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Watson accounted for 478 total yards and four touchdowns against the country’s best defense.
Humphrey, athletically, is the ideal recovery man for an onside kick.
When watching film in advance of last night’s college football championship game, Alabama head coach Nick Saban noticed tendencies he thought his team could exploit if Clemson lined up a certain way on kickoffs.
Alabama joins Notre Dame, which won four titles from 1943-49, but those Fighting Irish never even played in bowl games, nevertheless two playoff games.
The game, which was won by Alabama 45-40, scored a higher overnight rating than the final three BCS National Championships (2011, 2012 and 2013) and trailed only last year’s inaugural CFP National Championship and ESPN’s first-ever national championship game in 2010.
Watson opened the sequence with a 20-yard burst, pulling the ball down and slipping through the left side of Alabama’s defense to put the Tide on their heels again. Because that’s what he is, so much so that he said this in his post-game news conference: “I love my teammates, love my brothers, and you’ll see us in Tampa next year, so …” Saban said he’s improved his blocking, too.
“We’ll grow from it, and I appreciate our fans”. The Tigers cover the 6, 6.5 or 7-points (depending on what number you got them at), leaving Alabama backers to rip out their hair and rip up their tickets in one of the more brutal backdoor covers in recent memory. T. J. Yeldon, who just finished his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, lands just behind Henry with 576 carries.
Clemson’s front got to Coker a lot on the first half and finished with five sacks against one of the best O-lines in the SEC, but it was those big plays that overshadowed what success the Tigers had up front. Alabama pulled away from Texas for Saban’s first Tide title to end the 2009 season. “I felt if we didn’t get ahead in the game at some point in time that we couldn’t just trade serves with ’em”.
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This from a player who hadn’t scored a touchdown since sprinting 52 yards on a crossing route against LSU.
