“Great play by them, it was a great kick”, Swinney said.
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For much of the night the game was a highlight reel battle between Deshaun Watson of Clemson and Alabama’s Derrick Henry, two of the three Heisman Trophy finalists this season.
Clemson led 24-21 entering the fourth quarter after Alabama tight end O.J. Howard caught a 53-yard touchdown pass, which was answered by a Greg Huegel field goal and a Wayne Gallman 1-yard touchdown run.
Clemson used a 31-yard field goal to get within 31-27, but Alabama kick returner Kenyan Drake carved through the coverage on the ensuing kickoff, taking it 95 yards and stretching out the ball to hit the pylon for a touchdown with 7:31 left.
It all added up to what Alabama will claim as its 16th national title. Saban didn’t think the Crimson Tide had “the same juice” it did against Michigan State last week.
In the fourth quarter, nearly the exact same thing happened again, this time resulting in a 51-yard TD for Howard.
Some could say if these teams were really that good, there would have been more defense. The difference, however, was that Clemson made crushing mistakes, and Alabama didn’t. Clemson was the underdog in many games this year even though they were ranked the best team for the majority of the season.
“We thought we could do a better job than we did against their quarterback”, Saban said.
Coming into the national championship game, the aura of Nick Saban and his Roll Tide program was teetering on being considered “overrated or “past it’s time”, but if the national championship was any indication on his program, the hype was real”.
Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey catches an onside kick during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Clemson Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Southeastern Conference, led by No. 1 Alabama, was right behind with five, followed by the Big 12 with four and the ACC and Pac-12 with three each. Young reminded everybody “We’ll be back” then led an offense that averaged 50.2 points per game and ended the USC dynasty.
From the outset, the game was a showcase for Heisman victor Henry and Heisman finalist Watson. Defensive back Eddie Jackson set up one of the touchdowns with an interception.
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Clemson’s Deshaun Watson had an incredible game in a losing effort (405 passing yards, four touchdowns and 73 yards rushing), but Alabama got it done with a total team effort. The Tide head coach called for an onside kick to try and get the ball back, and it worked out perfectly. Well, that’s ridiculous. These were two great teams, so no one should be shocked at the big plays that lit up the scoreboard. In the receiving end, Charone Peake had 99 yards in six catches while Hunter Renfrow added 88 yards and two touchdowns. For the championship game alone, Howard had 208 receiving yards and from five receptions, had two touchdowns.
