Alabama vs. Clemson: Top Plays, Highlights from 2016 CFP Championship
In a thrilling game, the Alabama Crimson Tide earned their fourth national championship in the last seven years by beating the Clemson Tigers 45-40 on Monday night in Glendale, Arizona. Clemson's Deshaun Watson had an amazing game in a losing effort (405 passing yards, four touchdowns and 73 yards rushing), but Alabama got it done with a total team effort.
ESPN SportsCenter was able to capture head coach Nick Saban surrendering a smile after his team's victory:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The Heisman Winner
Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry had a monster game statistically. He ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries. His one-yard plunge put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. He also had a 50-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter.
If this was his last college football game, he will leave Tuscaloosa in style.
The Quarterback
Jake Coker has received some criticism throughout his career at Alabama, and he's had to overcome a wealth of adversity. However, just as he was against the Michigan State Spartans in the Cotton Bowl, the senior was at his best when it mattered most.
He made several crucial throws over the course of the game. In total, he completed 16 of 25 passes for 335 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. After his third touchdown strike, Coker was a little amped, per ESPN CollegeFootball:
That 51-yard touchdown pass was to tight end O.J. Howard. The junior had five receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Most of the yardage came on completions courtesy of busted coverages by the Tigers secondary, but Howard's speed is impressive for a player at his position.
The aforementioned big score was one of the three biggest plays of the game, per ESPN CollegeFootball:
The Pooch
With the game tied at 24 after an Adam Griffith field goal, Saban elected to try a surprise onside kick. The gamble worked, as the Tide recovered and took over just outside Clemson territory.
With Clemson still reeling from the sneak attack, Coker hit Howard for the 51-yard strike. Howard had already caught a 53-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
The onside kick call took guts, but had it been unsuccessful, Saban and his staff would have been second-guessed. Because it worked, it'll go down as just another ingenious call by a college football coaching legend.
The Dive
After Watson rallied the Tigers to a field goal to answer Howard's touchdown, it was Kenyan Drake's turn to make his mark in the national championship. On the ensuing kickoff, Drake went 95 yards to make the score 38-27.
Drake had to extend and dive for the pylon to score, and the replay showed he stayed inbounds and broke the plain of the end zone. The amount of players who contributed to Bama's win are even more plentiful than the highlights presented indicate.
That's just proof that the Tide were indeed the best team in college football this season.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
