Clemson should keep their heads high, but Alabama showed that it is truly the best team in college football. Far from it. But the Tide had turned. The game itself was gripping: the Crimson Tide recovered a gutsy onside kick in the fourth quarter and went on to win 45-40. “Championship football is a game of a few plays, and that is what this came down to – just a few plays”.
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The Heisman finalist racked up 478 yards of total offense (405 passing, 73 rushing), while completing 30 of 47 passes and throwing for four touchdowns.
Watson disagrees. He said he’s got to work on his accuracy and get stronger. “I told the players, ‘Look, hard practice, easy game”.
Among the potential players to declare are tight end O.J. Howard, Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry, safety Eddie Jackson and defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen.
Thank goodness Saban didn’t buy a Powerball ticket, leaving folks one more shot at their dream. Alabama surrendered about 13 first downs per game this season, but Watson marched his team to 31 last night, six of them coming on third down. He also did not have any touchdowns at all.
The junior tight end finished the night with five receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns. It worked, and Alabama went on to beat Clemson 45-40.
Watson continued to make big plays, fighting to the final seconds and leading two more touchdown drives. “The chink in the armor is they didn’t finish well because (Clemson QB) DeShaun Watson had his way”.
With the score 24-24 and 10:34 remaining, the Tide’s Adam Griffith surprised the Tigers with an onside kick that was plucked out of the air by Marlon Humphrey.
Alabama’s Kenyan Drake diving for the end zone on a 95-yard kick return.
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. Sixty-three yards later Howard had Alabama at the Clemson 14-yard line setting up Henry’s game-clinching scored with 1:07 on the clock. While Clemson’s Jordan Leggett managed to catch a 24-yard touchdown pass from Watson with 12 seconds left in the championship game, this final touchdown was too late for the Tigers.
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Saban won his fourth national title at Alabama and fifth overall. This decision quickly gave Alabama the momentum to win another national title. 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”.
