Clemson’s Albert Huggins celebrates after the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Alabama
What began as a shootout quickly turned into a rout in Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship as Clemson turned a 16-14 early second-quarter deficit into a 44-16 victory over defending champion Alabama to win the program’s third crown.
The two teams were meeting in the College Football Playoff for the fourth consecutive season. The Crimson Tide dropped the Tigers in last year’s semifinals before beating Georgia in the title game.
Monday, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s squad beat Nick Saban and Alabama (14-1) for the second time in three meetings in the CFP title game. Saban was trying for his seventh national title after winning one at LSU and five at Alabama.
Prior to Monday, Alabama has never lost a game by more than 14 points since coach Saban arrived in 2007.
Tigers freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns passes to Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross to help undefeated Clemson become the first team in the AP poll era starting in 1936 to win 15 games in a season.
Ivy League rivals Yale (1894) and Penn (1897) were the last teams to win 15 games in a season.
‘We came in with the mindset that we were going to play on the balls of our feet and we were going to attack. And we did. We attacked the whole night,’ Swinney told reporters afterwards.
A.J. Terrell had an interception return for a touchdown for Clemson on Alabama’s opening drive. Heisman Trophy runner-up Tua Tagovailoa threw another interception before ultimately being benched in favor of former starter Jalen Hurts. (Tagovailoa replaced Hurts in last season’s title game to guide Alabama to a comeback win over Georgia)
Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence celebrates after throwing for 347 yards and three touchdowns
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney celebrates with the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy on the podium after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide
Kendall Joseph #34 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates his teams 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship
Clemson receiver Justyn Ross was the star of the second half after hauling in two spectacular one-handed grabs in addition to his 74-yard touchdown catch
Clemson’s Justyn Ross makes a one-handed catch in front of Alabama’s Josh Jobe
Clemson freshman Trevor Lawrence tossed for 197 yards and a touchdown in the first half
Two seasons ago it was Deshaun Watson dethroning the Tide with a last-second touchdown pass.
Clemson’s new star quarterback didn’t need the late-game heroics. The long-haired Lawrence cut though Alabama’s defense with the help of another fabulous freshman. Justyn Ross made a juggling grab, a one-handed snare and broke a 74-yard touchdown about midway through the third quarter that made it 37-16 and had Swinney high-stepping down the sidelines.
Ross, who scored two touchdowns in the semifinal rout of Notre Dame, had six catches – including his two one-handed grabs – for 153 yards against his home-state team.
Swinney, a former walk-on at Alabama, takes a different approach than Saban, running a more fun-loving program than Alabama’s all-business organization. But the results have been every bit as good.
And on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium, in a championship game played more than 2,000 miles away from Clemson’s South Carolina campus, the Tigers were way too much for an Alabama team that had spent the season mauling its opposition by an average of 31 points per game.
Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa threw two crucial interceptions in the first half, the first returned 44 yards for a touchdown by A.J. Terrell to put Clemson up 7-0. The Tide came in scoring 48 points per game, but was shut out over the final 44 minutes by an opportunistic Clemson defense that stiffened in key spots.
Tagovailoa, the sophomore who came off the bench to win the championship game last year for the Tide, went 22 for 34 for 295 yards and two touchdowns.
After throwing a pair of first-half picks, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa nearly lost a fumble, but the officials ruled him down by contact
Ivy League rivals Yale (1894) and Penn (1897) were the last teams to finish a season with 15 victories before Clemson pulled off the feat on Monday night
It began almost immediately as Terrell stepped in front of Tagovailoa’s throw and ran untouched into the end zone to put Alabama on its heels, down 7-0. It wouldn’t be the last big play surrendered by the Crimson Tide.
Lawrence hit Tee Higgins with a 62-yard pass on third-and-14 deep in Tiger territory and Travis Etienne followed with a 17-yard TD run through Alabama vaunted defense. Tagovailoa’s second interception in the first half, this one by Trayvon Mullen, led to another Clemson score and a 28-16 lead.
In the second half, the 6-foot-4 freshman Ross and the Tigers defense took over.
Ross, an Alabama native who spurned his home state school for Clemson, made several outstanding and timely grabs. He broke free for a 74-yard TD catch and run that put the Tigers ahead 37-16. On a third-and-12, Ross grabbed the ball with just his right hand for a 37-yard gain with the Tide desperate to regain possession.
Alabama was going nowhere against Clemson when it mattered most. Backup defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney stuffed Alabama holder Mac Jones on a fake field goal try that ended far short of its goal.
Clemson linebacker Tre Lamar and safety Tanner Muse stopped Tagovailoa a yard short on fourth-and-3 on Clemson’s 14. And with Alabama hoping for any sort of momentum swing, All-American defensive end Clelin Ferrell stopped Tagovailoa for a 7-yard loss on fourth down near the goal line.
By then, the Crimson Tide had little left to give.
Lawrence, a freshman, was supposed to be rattled by Alabama’s fearsome defensive front. Instead, he threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns, looking as calm and cool has he has since winning the job in late September. He was named the offensive player of the game.
‘It’s been an awesome journey. It’s really unbelievable,’ Lawrence said.
Ross finished with six catches for 153 yards and his game-changing touchdown.
‘We’re 15-0, we beat the best team ever, nobody’s taking that away from us,’ Clemson All-America defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said.
Alabama fans react as their team trails during the fourth quarter against the Clemson Tigers
Etienne ran for two scores and also caught a 5-yard TD pass from Trevor Lawrence following Tua Tagovailoa’s second interception of the game.
The Tigers opened the scoring with a 44-yard interception return for a TD by A.J. Terrell on Alabama’s opening play.
Tagovailoa recovered to throw two TD passes to put the Crimson Tide up 16-14 before the Tigers scored the final 17 points of the half to hand Alabama its biggest deficit of the season.
After coming off the bench to lead Alabama to a national title victory over Georgia a year ago, Tagovailoa’s second pass on Monday missed its target as Terrell left his assignment to jump the route and finished with a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The two teams have met in the the College Football Playoff for four consecutive years, but Terrell’s touchdown marked the first time Clemson scored first in any of those meetings.
Tigers fans were already celebrating their expected victory early in the fourth quarter when the Clemson defense forced a turnover with a goal-line stand while leading 44-16
Justyn Ross of the Clemson Tigers scores a third quarter seventy four-yard touchdown catch
Tigers cornerback A.J. Terrell intercepted a pass from Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the Crimson Tide’s opening drive in Monday’s title game and returned it for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. After coming off the bench to lead Alabama to a national title victory over Georgia a year ago, Tagovailoa’s second pass on Monday missed its target as Terrell left his assignment to jump the route and finish with a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in the first half of Monday’s College Football National Championship
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney reacts after Trayvon Mullen (1) intercepted a pass during the first half the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Alabama
Despite the mistake, Tagovailoa did not get down after throwing the pick six.
Instead he got even, responding on the ensuing drive with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Crimson Tide wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to tie the game at 7-7.
Clemson struck right back with its own four-play, 75-yard scoring drive that resulted in Travis Etienne’s 17-yard touchdown run.
The key play on the drive was made by Lawrence, who hit wide receiver Tee Higgins with his own 62-yard pass.
Alabama responded with its own 75-yard drive that resulted in Tagovailoa’s one-yard touchdown pass to Hale Hentges to cut Clemson’s lead to 14-3. Alabama kicker Joseph Bulovas missed the ensuing point after, but would later add a field goal to give the Tide a brief 16-14 lead.
But Clemson quickly recaptured the lead on the ensuing drive, marching 65 yards before Etienne scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run.
Alabama seemed destined to continue the offensive showcase in the second quarter, but Tagovailoa overthrew his receiver in Clemson territory and the pass was picked off by the Tigers’ Trayvon Mullen.
Later in the half, Etienne caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence. The point after pushed Clemson’s lead to 28-16.
The Tigers would go on to add a field goal from kicker Greg Huegel before the teams went in to the locker rooms at halftime.
Lawrence threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Ross three plays after Clemson stopped Alabama on a fake field goal attempt to give the Tigers a 37-16 lead in the third quarter of the national championship game.
Ross got loose for the big play after cornerback Saivion Smith went down with an injury to put the Tigers in control.
Tee Higgins #5 of the Clemson Tigers makes a third quarter touchdown catch against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley watches warm up on the sideline before the NCAA college football playoff championship game between Alabama and Clemson. A former governor of South Carolina, Haley graduated from Clemson with a degree in accounting
It was a dramatic turnaround after Mark Fields broke up a third-down pass that led to Alabama sending out the field goal unit on the opening drive of the second half. Saban called for a fake but holder Mac Jones was stopped for a 2-yard loss on a fourth-and-6 run up the middle.
Lawrence threw his third touchdown pass of the game to give Clemson a 44-16 lead going into the fourth quarter of the national championship game.
This is the fourth straight year these teams have met in the playoff with Alabama winning the title game at the end of the 2015 season, Clemson winning the championship the following year and the Crimson Tide winning a semifinal matchup at the Sugar Bowl last season. The winner will become the first school in the AP poll era to finish a season 15-0.
Tide vs. Tigers might be getting old for some fans, but the latest chapter is a feature not a bug in the five-year-old playoff to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.
‘I think the objective is to get the two best teams,’ Swinney said prior to the game. ‘If that’s not best for college football, then why did we even do it?’
Tide running back Najee Harris (22) is tackled short of the goal line against the Clemson Tigers