Alabama beats Clemson to win National Championship: Highlights, score, stats, more
Derrick Henry, O.J. Howard and Alabama special teams were enough to get past Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The last game of the college football season was the best game of the college football season as Alabama handed Clemson their first loss of the year to win the National Championship behind three scores from Derrick Henry and 208 yards and two touchdowns from little-used tight end O.J. Howard to get a 45-40 win.
This is the 16th national title for Alabama and the fourth for Nick Saban at Alabama (fifth overall) in what was an instant classic of two heavyweight teams going at it for 60 minutes.
Derrick Henry got the scoring started with a 50-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter after both teams traded punts to open the game. Henry extended his SEC record with his 26th touchdown of the year and marked the 20th game in a row he scored a touchdown.
Clemson answered with a great effort from freshman walk-on receiver Hunter Renfrow who beat Minkah Fitzpatrick to tie the game on his 31-yard touchdown. It was good coverage from Fitzpatrick but Renfrow just made a great individual effort to get open and haul in the equalizer.
After a 44-yard field goal went wide right from Alabama kicker Adam Griffith it was Watson connecting for a second time with Renfrow on an 11-yard touchdown to give Clemson a 14-7 lead to end the first quarter.
Clemson had a chance to take control of the game in the second quarter after the defense forced a three-and-out from Alabama but Watson was intercepted by Eddie Jackson at the CLEM 42. Seven plays later it was Henry leaping across the goal line for his second score of the night to tie the game at 14.
The defenses settled in the rest of the quarter with both teams punting on their next two possessions but Clemson had a chance to take the lead at the end of the first half.
Following an 11-yard pass to Zac Brooks to give the Tigers a first down, the officials didn’t stop the clock to move the chains after the first down and Clemson was forced to use their final timeout. Instead of being able to run one more play to go to the end zone or try for a shorter field goal, Clemson had to settle for a 44-yard try from Greg Huegel that was blocked by D.J. Pettway.
Clemson had the ball to begin the second half but after a three-and-out forced a punt, Alabama took their first lead since it was 7-0 in the first with a 53-yard touchdown reception from tight end O.J. Howard, his first of the season.
Clemson cut the deficit to 21-17 after a 37-yard field goal from Huegel, one play after Artavis Scott was unable to bring in the pass from Watson when Alabama freshman Ronnie Harrison knocked the ball loose. Clemson took a 24-21 lead when Watson accounted for 59 yards on the 60-yard drive but it was Wayne Gallman getting the score from one yard out. He had to head to the locker room after getting banged up, but his score gave the Tigers a fourth-quarter lead and Clemson has the longest active streak in the FBS with 51 straight wins when leading after three quarters.
In a game with several momentum swings, the biggest happened after Alabama tied the game on a 33-yard field goal from Griffith with 10:34 left to play. That’s when Alabama executed a perfect onside kick that was recovered by Marlon Humphrey at midfield. Two plays later, Howard streaked through the middle of the field for a 51-yard touchdown after another blown assignment from Clemson resulted in a touchdown to give Alabama 10 points in 49 seconds and a 31-24 lead.
Clemson tried to rebound on the ensuing possession but stalled at the Alabama 14 and had to settle for another field goal to cut the lead to 31-24. On ensuing kickoff Kenyan Drake fielded the kick at the at the 5 and returned it 95 yards for the score that could have crippled the wind out of Clemson and give Alabama a 38-27 lead.
Watson hit Artavis Scott for a 15-yard touchdown but the two-point conversion was unsuccessful as the Tigers trailed 38-33 but Alabama showed zero signs of letting this slip away and let Clemson win it late when Howard had his third monster play of the game with a 63-yard gain on second down to get to the Clemson 14.
Moments later, on Henry’s 36th carry of the game, the Heisman winner scored his third touchdown of the game with 1:07 left to make it a 45-33 game. He only had 30 yards on 16 carries in the second half, but the one yard he needed to put the game out of reach was enough for Alabama who scored 24 points in the fourth quarter.
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Henry finished with 158 yards and three touchdowns for the game and has 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns to cap the greatest season an SEC running back has ever had. Coker threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns, but it was Watson who as the best player on the field tonight, albeit in a losing effort. Watson finished with 405 passing yards and four touchdowns and led Clemson with 73 rushing yards.