Swinney said the Tigers compounded the mistake with a bust in the secondary that sprung O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown. Kenyan Drake, who’s endured a broken arm and leg in his final two seasons, raced 95 yards for a touchdown on a kick return that gave the Tide 17 points in just over a three-minute span.
Advertisement
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin).
Clemson responded with a 37-yard field goal from Huegel and a one-yard rushing touchdown from the legs of Wayne Gallman with 4:48 to go in the third quarter to jump ahead by three points in the National Championship.
Saban talked about the toll that travel takes on the players and fans when they play in a bowl game and for the national championship.
“It’s 60 minutes of the game and then the 10 minutes in the locker room after the game that you remember for the rest of your life, and what you accomplish actually even transcends your life because they put a plaque up that this team won the national championship”, he said.
“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.
It finally broke open on perhaps the boldest call of Saban’s career.
He called an onside kick just after Adam Griffith’s tying field goal in a pivotal moment of the Crimson Tide’s 45-40 win over Clemson.
This might seem harsh, given that Alabama did just win a national championship.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban says he gave Kiffin a lift back to the hotel in the early hours Tuesday morning.
Alabama does it again, and the dynasty is as good as ever. Coker’s 63-yard pass to Howard set up the 1-yard touchdown run by Henry that finally sealed the victory with 1:07 to play.
Watson fired a ideal pass to Hunter Renfrow in the left corner of the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive. His team yielded to Alabama because of a handful of big plays the Crimson Tide turned, most particularly on special teams.
“I mean, that’s an incredible accomplishment”, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. But Watson kept finding a way to scamper free and get a first down or big gain with his feet. Swinney railed at officials after the perfectly executed kick, mostly because a similar play Clemson executed in 2014 against SC was disallowed. Whether it was an uncharacteristic lack of discipline from the Alabama front, the curious strategy to go without a spy in some cases, or Watson’s signature escapability and athleticism, the Clemson field general managed to break contain and get loose time after time. Commonly picked to come up short to the Florida State Seminoles in the Atlantic Division heading into the season due to a massive loss of talent to the NFL Draft, the Tigers had to prove doubters wrong from the onset. “I’m very proud of our team and the way they competed”. “I think that’s the kind of competitors that win championships, and that’s probably why we’re sitting here”.
Nick Saban now has four national titles with Alabama and five total. “I thought we should have won”, said Watson, who passed for 405 yards and rushed for 73. As Watson found success against the Tide, many on Twitter started comparing his outing to that of Vince Young, the former Texas quarterback who famously helped upset USC in the 2005 title game.
“You’ll see us in Tampa next year”, Watson said.
Advertisement
Pac-12 refs’ clock management: F Pac-12 refs have authored their fair share of gaffes in recent years, and they didn’t leave us disappointed on Monday.
