By Phillip Murray
College football fans were treated to an exciting, thrilling, roller coaster ride of a national championship game from start to finish. For the second year for the new college football playoffs, the formula proved yet again successful. There was no doubt that the two best teams in college football played on Monday night. The first half was a hard-fought shootout for both teams, just in different ways.
Alabama came out the gate swinging with a breakaway 50 yard TD run by Derek Henry to score first. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson responded by putting on an electric performance both passing and on the ground, by extending plays and moving the chains with his feet. Alabama had no answer for Watson for the first half. Watson threw two TD passes to Hunter Renfrow to give Clemson the 14-7 lead. The Tide responded in the second quarter with a 1 yard TD run by Derek Henry.
Clemson had a chance to end the half to go up 17-14 but a blocked field goal by Alabama help keep the score tied. The 3rd quarter continued the first half trend of a back and forth game. This was unfamiliar territory that Alabama was in. A team that usually dominates a National championship game, the Tide were being challenged by the Clemson Tigers on every front.
In the fourth quarter, Alabama turned the tide to help win the game. Following a 33 yard field goal by Adam Griffith, Coach Nick Saban did something completely out of character by calling an onside kick. What would go down as one of the best plays in college football history, Alabama successfully recovered the onside kick. 2 plays later, Jake Coker threw a 51 yard TD pass to TE O.J Howard to give the Tide the lead 31-24 and never fell behind from there. Clemson continued struggled to get into the end zone and had to again resort to another field goal. Special teams for the Crimson Tide proved be the story of the game as Kenyon Drake ran a 95 yard kickoff return for TD to give Alabama the lead 38-27 with 7:30 remaining in the game. Deshaun Watson did everything a quarterback could to get his Tigers back into the game with 2 touchdown passes. But with a failed 2 point conversion and another 1 yard TD run by Derek Henry the game was over.
Alabama won its fourth National Championship in 7 years giving the school its 11th National Championship(most in college football), and Nick Saban his 5th National Championship. With his 5th National Championship combined from two different schools, Nick Saban goes down as arguably the greatest college football coach of all time, although he is still one National Championship away from former Alabama Head Coach Bear Bryant. Leading Alabama was Heisman winner Derrick Henry with 36 carries for 158 yards and 3 TDs. Derrick Henry ending the season with 386 carries breaks Herschel Walker’s 1981 single season record. Alabama Quarterback Jake Coker deserves a lot of credit as well. Coker threw for 335 yards and 2 TDs. O.J Howard had 208 yards(most ever) and 2 TDs.
A player who deserves his own honorable mention is none other than Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson was no question the player of the game being the best player on the field. Watson threw for 405 yards, had 4 TD passes and also ran for 73 yards beating Vince Young’s National Championship record. The Clemson sophomore showed great poise and put the country on notice he will be the favorite for the Heisman next season and will also be one of the leading quarterbacks going into the NFL Draft next year. With the season now over Clemson finishes with a 14-1 record, but Dabo Sweeney vowed at the post game press conference that Clemson would be back to compete for another National Championship. A game for the ages.
