The second College Football Playoff under the four-team format had produced dreary semifinals that wreaked routs of 37-17 and 38-0, but the finale made those slogs seem worthwhile. They were first in rushing defense for the third time since 2011, giving up 75.7 yards a game, and tied with Ohio State for second in scoring defense with a 15.1-point average. Alabama followed with an onside kick, which Marlon Humphrey snagged for another possession.
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Both defenses stood tall and Greg Huegel, the kicker for the Tigers, was blocked on a 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired to end the first half in a 14-14 tie between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country.
Cue the twangy bass. “We argued against the call (Monday), but it didn’t get overturned”.
No wonder the normally stone-faced Nick Saban was smiling. Nick Saban has now joined Bear Bryant as the only two college football coaches with at least five national championships, and the Crimson Tide have now claimed their 16th championship. It looks like Swinney owes Saban dinner.
But not on Monday, not against the program that has now won more national titles than not over the past seven years. The SEC’s national title drought ended after two brief seasons with the Tide coming out on top on Monday night. When that alone couldn’t do it, it was up to one gutsy trick to help win the fourth national title of the Saban dynasty.
The game was a thrill-a-minute. Ex-Clemson running back C.J. Spiller held that role for the Tigers.
The biggest key in the biggest game would be if Deshaun Watson could evade Alabama’s mean defensive front.
“Great play by them”, Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney said of the onside kick.
Praising Howard for his patience during an in-season lull that saw him fairly disappear from the offense, Saban said, “I would say it’s bad coaching on my part, that he didn’t have the opportunity to do that all year long”.
“The explosive plays beat us”, Venables said. “It was as huge play”. And who then cracked a rare sideline smile when his big gamble paid off …
Saban, as he does to many media questions, shrugged off any suggestion that the onside kick was an uncharacteristic risk. “I made the decision to do it because the score was (24-24) and we were exhausted on defense and weren’t doing a great job of getting them stopped, and 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”.
The risk immediately paid championship dividends.
On the second play of the drive and with 9:45 to play in the game, Coker found Howard wide open down the field for a 51-yard touchdown to take a 31-24 advantage over the Tigers.
But just for good measure, just to show you that in college football the rich do usually get richer, after Clemson scored on a field goal, Alabama’s Kenyan Drake ran the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for a dagger-in-the-heart touchdown.
Saban reached genius level when called for an unexpected onside kick midway through the fourth quarter.
Moments later, Alabama took back the lead.
Folks thought they were done after the loss to MS, and they weren’t. Like Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, Texas QB Vince Young piled up over 400 total yards, but his Longhorns came out a victor when he scored on fourth down in the closing seconds.
Saban brought his own guts, and it worked. Minutes later, Wayne Gallman capped off a nine-play, 60 yard drive when he dove into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Howard was the offensive player of the game with five catches for 208 yards, including a 63-yarder that set up Alabama’s final score. It was yet another surprise from a guy who began the night with a confession.
“You’ll see us in in Tampa next year”, he said. Those are correctible, Watson said, and will be fixed before next season – and another run at a national title.
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That bit of history was wiped away for Kiffin on a night when history clearly descended on Saban. “I thought we should have won”. “Most of my appreciation lies with the players”.
