In the receiving end, Calvin Ridley had 138 yards and two touchdowns in eight receptions while OJ Howard added 59 yards in three receptions.
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Watson threw for four touchdowns and accounted for 478 yards of offense, yet Clemson lost its dream of 15-0 perfection with a 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide on Monday night. Henry This might have been the most interesting Heisman race ever.
Alabama also got a huge lift from Howard, who finished with five catches for 208 yards and two TDs, both times getting left uncovered by a confused Clemson secondary.
Watson’s play, though, could not make up for Clemson’s mistakes on defense and special teams against Alabama. Let’s not ignore Kiffin’s offensive sets that allowed a receiver to get behind the Tiger secondary for big plays. “I think that’s where you want the players to stay focused, and that’s the message that we’re trying to give them so that they can go out and have the best opportunity to be successful”.
128: Derrick Henry’s first-half rushing total.
A backup for three years, two at Florida State and one at Alabama after transferring, he finally won the starting job this season.
Alabama’s U.S. House of Representatives congregation took some time Tuesday to congratulate the Crimson Tide’s most-recent football national championship. He realized, midway through the game, that Clemson was every bit the match for his Alabama team.
The play of the game. History suggests he will: all of Alabama’s starting running backs under Saban – Glen Coffee, Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy and T.J.
The bruising Yulee native needed only a quarter and a half to extend his ‘Bama single-season record with his 10th 100-yard game of the season.
The star opened up the scoring in the national championship game with a handsome 50-yard run.
Clemson was seeking its first national championship since 1981.
Meanwhile, Clemson sports a Heisman trophy finalist of their own in quarterback Deshaun Watson.
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If Nick Saban hadn’t made the prescient decision to attempt an onside kick during a tie game in the fourth quarter, there’s a good chance we’d be comparing Watson’s performance against Alabama to Vince Young’s versus USC in the legendary 2006 Rose Bowl.
