Clock Error Costs Clemson Precious Seconds, Plays at End of Half vs. Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers played an entertaining first half in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, but it ended on a sour note as a clock blunder cost the Tigers.

On 2nd-and-8 from the Alabama 37-yard line in the final minute, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson connected with running back Zac Brooks for a gain of 11 yards. The Tigers, with the clock supposedly stopped after the first down, raced to the line to try to conserve their final timeout.

For whatever reason, however, the clock did not stop.

Precious seconds ticked away as Clemson tried to get to the line, and Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney called the team's final timeout. The officials put a few seconds back on the clock, but with no timeouts remaining, Clemson attempted a field goal with nine seconds left in the half.

Swinney was understandably upset with the situation, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy:

The Crimson Tide's D.J. Pettway tipped Greg Huegel's 44-yard field-goal attempt, and it came up short. Had the clock stopped when it was supposed to, the Tigers would have had a chance to move closer for a field-goal attempt or perhaps take a shot at the end zone. Instead, Alabama and Clemson went into halftime tied at 14.    

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