Derrick Henry, O.J. Howard and Kenyan Drake hit No. 1 Clemson with long touchdowns, and No. 2 Alabama outlasted the dynamic play of Deshaun Watson to win the College Football Playoff championship 45-40 on Monday night.
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Dabo Swinney, the Clemson coach, was wringing his cap in hand and screaming while, in what was surely the most incredible part of the play, Saban just stood there and smiled. “I’m incredibly proud of our team”.
“We weren’t playing very well on defense, ” Saban said. “They saw the heart of our team”.
Saban told him at the team hotel before the game they’d probably run the play. It is the Tide’s 11th national title in the poll era – 10 AP and one coaches’ poll – more than any other school.
Perhaps the Tigers, who lost cornerback Mackensie Alexander to an injury earlier in the game, lost Howard in the lights, thought they were going against Ron Howard, something. It was 550 yards against the nations’ second-ranked defense, which came in allowing almost half that (256.8).
Finally, though, Alabama landed with a haymaker, or two, that Clemson couldn’t answer.
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson throws during the first half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Alabama Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz.
Henry, who opened the scoring on a 50-yard TD run on Alabama’s second possession, averaged just 3.1 yards per carry from that point on.
Quarterback Jake Coker and tight end O.J. Howard played pitch-and-catch, combining for two long touchdown pass plays and another that almost resulted in a score. And it atoned for one of the most boring bowl seasons ever. “Glad he’ll be back next year”.
“There’s no doubt that we will be back”.
“I 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.
The Tigers will be back, potentially next January 9 in Tampa, the site of the 2017 title game, with a loaded roster.
Swinney continues to recruit at a high level, with a class that’s now 12th per 247 Sports team rankings, headlined by 6-foot-4, 335-pound defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence out of Wake Forest, N.C. The consensus top-five prospect could help to alleviate some needs should Lawson, as expected leave.
Watson led Clemson in passing with 405 yards and in rushing with 73 yards.
Stanford, 45-16 winners over Iowa in the Rose Bowl, finished third in the final poll, followed by Ohio State, Oklahoma and Michigan State.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, sure, “‘ he said. But when it mattered most, Howard proved why he’s always been as good as advertised. I just wanted to get the win and do something that we haven’t done in 34 years.
As of noon, about 70 percent of voters said the greatest college coach of all time was Penn State’s Joe Paterno, who spent five decades leading the football program at this state’s largest university.
Back and forth it went.
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