So they’ll have to get through that first before the national championship talk can start again.
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Alabama won its 10th Associated Press national championship with a 45-40 victory over Clemson in the College Football Playoff title game on Monday night. The game was tied at halftime, and Alabama made the necessary adjustments to win the game.
Here’s a few other epic games that belong in the club. Big Blue’s former leader, Tom Coughlin, has also kept busy, interviewing for the vacant head coaching position with the Eagles and scheduling a sit-down with the 49ers. Writing for Sports on Earth, Will Leitch said that while it’s Alabama’s opponents who usually are willing to try unconventional tactics to topple the mighty Crimson Tide, this time it was Saban who “pulled a huge David-thwarting-Goliath move with his most stunning, batsh!t-crazy, evil-genius call in recent memory”.
So dominant is Alabama most times that gimmickry and hocus-pocus are seldom required to do the deed. “It won’t be 34 years before we’re going to be back, I promise you that”, he said. But a surprise onside kick by the Crimson Tide led to a 51-yard touchdown pass. Clemson scored a field goal to get within four points, but Alabama’s Kenyan Drake took the ensuing kickoff across the field and all the way down the sideline for a touchdown. The game worked out perfectly for Vegas, in that Alabama won (saving them the liability of anyone cashing in on long shot bets on Clemson to win the title) but failed to cover (as 69% of bets against the spread were on Alabama -6.5).
“We got ahead, which allowed us to play differently because we weren’t playing great on defense”, Saban said Tuesday.
After watching Jake Coker scramble, weave and dive to pick up the first down, Alabama center Ryan Kelly began to think that the Tide was about to win the national championship.
ESPN’s college football championship game on Monday night witnessed a smaller decline versus its two semifinal games on New Year’s Eve when compared to last year’s games.
And not Alabama defensive back Maurice Smith who took this crushing blow to the head.
Ole Miss may be losing some talent entering the matchup, but the Rebels, or “Landsharks”, or whatever they choose to call themselves will hold bragging rights as the only team to have calmed the Tide in 2015. He threw for 4,109 yards and 35 touchdowns and rushed for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns. And with Alabama leading by five at 38-33, Howard took a swing pass for 63 yards to the Clemson 14. He had three touchdowns. His biggest play of the game though and one that may be the biggest play of his career was a 61-yard catch in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. That’s why Clemson (14-1) should be more than excited about its prospects next year.
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An Alabama field goal tied it, 24-24, before the game’s key play – the onside kick.
