Alabama Defeats Clemson 45-40 to Win National Championship

Alabama coach Nick Sabin has pretty much cemented his legacy as one of, if not THE, best college football coach in history.

Alabama (14-1) captured its fourth national title under Saban, beating Clemson and its brilliant quarterback 45-40 on Monday night. But Clemson should not be hanging their heads this morning. Any time a team can hang 40 points on Alabama, that's really saying something.

The momentum of the game changed dramatically with the score tied and 10:34 remaining. That’s when the often-conservative Saban called for an onside kick, which the Tide executed perfectly against an unprepared Tiger defense. It was enough for the Alabama coach to crack a rare sideline smile.

Two plays later quarterback Jake Coker hit a wide-open O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown, Alabama’s third big-play score in the game. The big plays helped offset what was actually often a frustrating night offensively for Alabama, which struggled to deal with Clemson’s stout defensive front. Coker was sacked five times and, despite the big plays, Henry was often stuffed.

For much of the game it was the Deshaun Watson Show, the sophomore quarterback displaying a magical combination of running and throwing. The vaunted Alabama defense was incapable of containing him, whether it was on a designed run, a bullet pass or a scramble to avoid the rush.

It was one of the better championship games I've seen in awhile. I am eager to see what Clemson does next year. Did you watch the game? What did you think?