Alabama vs. Clemson: Game Grades, Analysis for Tide
Alabama could not complete college football's first 15-0 season as they fell to Clemson 35-31 in Tampa, Florida, on Monday night.
The Crimson Tide allowed a touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to Hunter Renfrow with one second to go in the game and could not secure back-to-back national titles.
It was the first CFP National Championship game loss in head coach Nick Saban's career, and it was the first time in 10 seasons that one of his Alabama teams had blown a double-digit, fourth-quarter lead.
Alabama finished the season at 14-1 and as champions of the SEC and the Peach Bowl.
Pass Offense
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It wasn't a great night for the Crimson Tide passing game, but the formula had worked against Florida and Washington.
Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts completed just 13 of his 31 pass attempts and finished with 131 passing yards.
However, Alabama finished without a turnover, and tight end O.J. Howard scored on a 68-yard pass from Hurts to give the Tide a 24-14 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Calvin Ridley led the team in both targets and receptions, but the sophomore receiver could only manage 36 yards on his five catches.
Howard had 106 yards and the touchdown while catching four of his six targets. No other player finished with more than two receptions on the night.
Grade: C+
Rush Offense
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The rushing game was almost the hero for the Crimson Tide on Monday night, but another big injury and a quick score ended up being their downfall.
Alabama was led on the ground by Bo Scarbrough again. The sophomore running back finished with 93 yards and two touchdowns on his 16 carries, but unfortunately for the Tide, he went out with an injury in the third quarter, and the rushing attack never seemed to recover.
Hurts looked to be the hero of the night when he scrambled for a 30-yard touchdown run to give Alabama a 31-28 lead with 2:09 to go in the game. It proved to be too quick, though, and the Crimson Tide's offense never got another shot.
The quarterback finished with 63 rushing yards on 10 carries. As a team, Alabama averaged 6.5 yards per carry.
Grade: A
Pass Defense
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Alabama's secondary was holding its own against the nation's best quarterback, but Clemson's fourth-quarter rally was led by the passing attack.
Deshaun Watson finished with 420 passing yards and three touchdowns, while connecting with six different Tiger receivers.
The junior quarterback's favorite target was Hunter Renfrow, who finished with 92 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions. The Clemson slot receiver has scored four total touchdowns across the last two national championship games.
Alabama's secondary did not record a single pass breakup, according to the College Football Playoff's official stats.
Clemson finished the game with 10 completions for 10 or more yards, including four in the final quarter and two on the game's final drive.
Grade: C
Rush Defense
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Clemson was playing from behind for most of the game, but that did not stop the Tigers from having a decent night on the ground.
Alabama went into Monday night allowing just 62 rushing yards per game to its opponents. However, the Tide allowed Clemson to run for 91 yards and two big touchdowns on the night.
Watson scored once with his legs in the second quarter to open the scoring for Clemson, and Wayne Gallman gave the Tigers their first lead of the game on a one-yard plunge in the fourth quarter.
The Tide's defense still held strong for most of the night, allowing just 2.2 yards per carry. Ryan Anderson and Dalvin Tomlinson each recorded tackles for a loss against the rushing attack.
Anderson also had two fumble recoveries on the night and made a strong case for the game's defensive MVP if Alabama had won the game.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
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Junior punter JK Scott was the highlight of the night for a while on Monday. He finished the game with 10 punts that averaged 45.8 yards per kick, including five of 50 yards or more and five punts that finished inside the 20-yard line.
Adam Griffith connected on his only field-goal attempt of the night, giving the Crimson Tide a 17-7 lead in the first half. However, it might have been the small mistakes on special teams that troubled Alabama most.
Alabama allowed a blocked punt for the first time all season but the ball still traveled 25 yards, although Clemson did not get any points off the mistake.
The Crimson Tide's biggest mistake came at the end of the game, when they allowed Clemson to recover a surprise onside kick. Two Alabama players seemed in position to get the ball, but they allowed it to go more than 10 yards, which gave the Tigers a chance to recover and clinch the national title.
Grade: C+
Coaching
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Monday night was supposed to be the night that Nick Saban equaled the all-time record for most national championships for a college football head coach. It did not go his way, but that does not mean the coaching was to blame in Tampa.
Even after the departure of offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, we were told the offensive game plan would look similar to what it has been all season. Alabama tried to keep a balanced offense, throwing the ball 32 times compared to running the ball 34 times.
Despite the running game being so successful, the Crimson Tide's coaching staff tried to keep Clemson's defense on their toes.
More often than not, execution was to blame instead of the play calls. Dropped passes and missed throws forced the Tide's offense off the field quickly, which led to a tired defense. Clemson finished the night with 33 more offensive plays than Alabama.
Grade: B
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