CFP National Championship 2019: Stats, Box Score for Alabama vs. Clemson
Clemson produced one of the most dominant championship performances in college football history Monday night as the Tigers trounced Alabama 44-16.
The victory handed Dabo Swinney's program its second national championship in three years, and it gained the upper hand in its ongoing rivalry with the Crimson Tide.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was one of the many stars of the title game for the Tigers, as he threw a trio of touchdown passes to his talented collection of young wide receivers.
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Defensively, the Tigers thrived from the second quarter on against Alabama's dynamic offense, led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Lawrence's output in the pocket and Clemson's ability to stop Alabama, especially on third and fourth down, led to some eye-popping stats once the game finished.
The full box score from Clemson's win over Alabama can be found here.
Standout Stats
Justyn Ross, Clemson: 6 receptions, 153 yards, TD
Freshman wide receiver Justyn Ross, who is an Alabama native, developed into Lawrence's top target during the College Football Playoff.
Ross hauled in six of the passes completed by Lawrence Monday, with the most important catch being the 74-yard third-quarter touchdown that put the Tigers up by 21 points.
The remarkable performance out of Ross came after he produced 148 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Cotton Bowl against Notre Dame.
Before the playoff, Ross had a single triple-digit receiving performance, which came in Week 3 against Georgia Southern.
Due to his increase in production against Notre Dame and Alabama, Ross ended up with exactly 1,000 receiving yards in his first collegiate season.
The scary part about Ross is he's just getting started, and his connection with Lawrence will only grow in the coming years.
If Lawrence and Ross reach their full potential, they could rival the offensive connection of any offensive duo in the country.
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama: 22-34, 295 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Tagovailoa's stat line from Monday night looks much different than the ones he put up in the first 14 games.
The Alabama sophomore was usually accurate in the pocket for the Crimson Tide, but he had 12 incomplete passes against a Clemson defense that was constantly in his face.
Monday also marked just the second time in Tagovailoa's career in which he threw more than one interception in a game.
The only time that occurred before Monday's loss was in the SEC Championship win over Georgia that he exited with an injury.
While the loss is expected to sting for a while, it should give Tagovailoa some extra motivation to get better in the offseason as he begins to set his sights on the NFL.
Clemson Defense: 7 tackles for loss, 3 stops on 4th down, 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables dialed up the right amount of pressure to throw off the Alabama offense throughout the game.
Led by the tenacious defensive line, the Tigers made game-changing stops when it mattered most, especially on fourth down.
Clelin Ferrell, who had 1.5 tackles for loss, made one of the best individual plays by dragging down Tagovailoa as he escaped to the left on a fourth-down play inside the red zone in the third quarter.
Ferrell, Isaiah Simmons, Trayvon Mullen, Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant, Nyles Pinckney and Xavier Thomas all chipped in with tackles for loss against Alabama's talented offense.
In addition to stopping the Crimson Tide in the backfield and intercepting Tagovailoa twice, Clemson's defense was efficient on third and fourth down.
The Tigers held Alabama to a 4-for-13 conversion rate on third down and 3-for-6 on fourth down to stop their momentum on certain drives.
The masterful performance was the last act in college for most of the defensive stars, as Ferrell, Wilkins, Bryant and Mullen are all expected to be headed to the NFL.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
