Nick Saban on CFP Championship Loss to Clemson: 'I Didn't Do a Very Good Job'

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban shouldered some of the blame for his team's 44-16 defeat to the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night.

"I have a feeling I didn't do a very good job for our team...never got comfortable with what we needed to do on defense," Saban said after the game, per USA Today's Dan Wolken. "Our secondary vs their receivers. It was bothering me going into the game and as it unfolded, those matchups were a big difference."

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns, while fellow freshman Justyn Ross caught six passes for 153 yards and a score.

Those two are undoubtedly a big reason for the Tigers' win, and in Saban's defense, there's only so much a coaching staff can do to counteract a passing game with so many playmakers and an elite quarterback.

More troublesome for Alabama fans will be how ill-prepared the Tide looked against a Clemson front seven that was without Dexter Lawrence. The Tigers consistently pressured Tua Tagovailoa in the pocket and dominated the point of attack in short-yardage situations.

Then there was Alabama's fake field goal on 4th-and-6 on its opening possession of the second half. Mac Jones lost two yards to turn the ball over, and Ross caught a 74-yard touchdown pass for Clemson three plays later.

In general, it was a night to forget for anybody associated with Alabama.