Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said after his team’s 45-40 loss to Alabama in Monday’s national championship game that the Tigers will be back in the College Football Playoff final.
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The 6-foot-6, 242-pounder always had the speed, as evidenced by that eye-catching play against LSU as a freshman. And his and Alabama’s process to be their best will remain, as well. “That’s quite a bit of sacrifice that gets made, and I think it’s challenging how do you get a team to maintain the focus that they need to have”.
It all added up to what Alabama will claim as its 16th national title.
Watson gave the Tide all it could handle, throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns, and conjuring up memories of Vince Young’s miraculous performance for Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl that derailed Southern California’s dynasty. “No doubt about it – that’s an easy answer for me”, Swinney said. Those numbers look absurd in any context, and then you remember that Watson did this against the Alabama Death Star.
When the Crimson Tide had practiced the play during the walk-through one day earlier, kick-team specialist Marlon Humphrey had dropped the “pop”. Eventually, Alabama was able to take control of the back and forth affair in the fourth quarter, winning their fourth national title in seven years, 45-40 over the Clemson Tigers.
So dominant is Alabama most times that gimmickry and hocus-pocus are seldom required to do the deed.
“I made the decision to do it because the score was (tied) and we were exhausted on defense and weren’t doing a great job of getting them stopped and 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”, Saban said.
From the outset, the game was a showcase for Heisman victor Henry and Heisman finalist Watson. However, just as he was against the Michigan State Spartans in the Cotton Bowl, the senior was at his best when it mattered most. Henry opened the scoring with a 50-yard TD scamper in the first quarter.
Christian Petersen/GettyWith Alabama playing soft defense with a two-score lead, Deshaun Watson led the Tigers down the field in just 55 seconds before connecting with Jordan Legget for a 24-yard score that would prove inconsequential to many, but meant everything to anyone with money on the game.
The game turned when Saban had the guts to call for an onside kick with the scores tied at 24, and the Crimson Tide recovered with 10:34 on the clock. They pulled within a point with less than a minute left, but instead of kicking the extra point that would have assured a championship, coach Tom Osborne chose to go for the win with a 2-point try. “I hit it real good”. Both of his touchdowns went to Howard, who recorded 208 yards on five catches (including a late 63-yard grab on second-and-long that helped ice the game).
However, it was the plays after the onside kick that really sealed Clemson’s fate – a long pass to O.J. Howard and a kickoff return for a touchdown shortly thereafter.
The victory marked the end of defensive coordinator Kirby Smart’s run at Alabama.
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Schlabach also pointed out that Clemson’s schedule appears “more manageable” than it was this season, though the Tigers will be tested with a road game against Florida State.
