National Championship, Alabama vs Clemson: Highlights, score and recap
By John Buhler
The No. 3 Clemson Tigers defeat the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 to win the 2017 College Football National Championship Game.
Alabama would go three and out on its first offensive possession. Clemson would take over and decide to go for it on fourth-and-one seven plays into their first drive on the Alabama side of the 50-yard line. Running back Wayne Gallman would be stuffed for a turnover on downs.
The Crimson Tide would take over and get two big runs from its backfield. Quarterback Jalen Hurts would get 20 that series’ first play to get into Clemson territory. Alabama would strike first with a rumbling 25-yard touchdown run by running back Bo Scarbrough to make it 7-0 Alabama after the Adam Griffith PAT.
Clemson and Alabama would then exchange a pair of punts. The Tigers’ Tanner Muse was able to get a paw on the Crimson Tide’s J.K. Scott’s punt to give Clemson great field position on their ensuing possession. Well, it only took three plays for Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson to receive a bad snap and fumble over the football.
Alabama was in prime position to get points starting over on that drive. On the first play, left tackle Cam Robinson would get flagged for a false start. That effectively ruined that drive and Alabama would go three and out. Scott’s next punt would go infinitely better, as Clemson had to start from their own one-yard line to close out the first quarter.
Clemson would have its longest drive of the day up to that point, getting to its own 26-yard line before punting the ball away after an eight-play series. Like on its first touchdown of the game, Alabama would get a big play from a skill position player out of the backfield that set up another Scarbrough touchdown.
Wide receiver ArDarius Stewart would get 25 yards on the ground that would eventually set up a 37-yard touchdown run from Scarbrough four plays later. The Griffith PAT would make it 14-0 Alabama inside of 11 minutes in the second quarter.
Clemson would go three-and-out after getting nine yards on a Hunter Renfrow reception on first down. Alabama would have to punt after Hurts’ pass attempt on third down was blocked at the line of scrimmage.
That play by the Clemson defense would spark the Tigers’ best offensive drive of the first half. Watson made a couple of big time throws to ultimately set up an eight-yard scamper to find pay dirt. The Greg Huegel PAT would make it 14-7 Alabama. The next four series would end in punts. Alabama would take a knee to send the game into halftime up 14-7.
Ball security issues would rear their ugly head for Clemson on their first drive of the second half. On the fourth play of that series, Gallman would be stripped of the football. Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson would recover his second Clemson fumble of the day. That turnover would eventually set up a 27-yard Griffith field goal to make it 17-7 Alabama early in the third quarter.
After two drives ending in punts, including a Watson pooch punt for Clemson, the Tigers would get terrific field position by a ghastly 30-yard punt from Alabama’s J.K. Scott. Starting from the Alabama 42-yard line, Watson would cap off an abbreviated four-play drive with a sweet touchdown pass to Renfrow for 24-yards. The Huegel PAT made it 17-14 Alabama.
The Crimson Tide and Tigers would exchange punts. Then, we finally got a big play from the Alabama passing game. It was like Lane Kiffin never left Tuscaloosa for Boca Raton. New Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian drew up a play for Hurts to hit his big target O.J. Howard. Clemson’s public enemy No. 1 from last national championship would strike again on a 68-yard score to make it 24-14 after the made PAT.
It was alright though, as Clemson would respond with a touchdown of its on the very next drive. The Tigers would drive 72 yard down the field on the Alabama defense on nine plays to make it 24-21 on a Watson fade pass to a wide open Mike Williams at the back right pylon. A pair of Alabama defensive backs would stumble in trying to cover the talented Clemson wideout. Tight end Jordan Leggett might have gotten away with a pick on Minkah Fitzpatrick, but it was of effective design for the Clemson offense to bring the game within three.
After five straight drives ending in punts, Clemson would take over possession with 6:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Tigers would march down the 88 yards to take the late fourth quarter lead. Gallman would punch in it to make it 28-24 Clemson after the Huegel made PAT. That drive was set up by two big plays: an unbelievable 26-yard leaping catch from Watson to Williams and a 15-yard run by Watson that got it to the Alabama one-yard line.
The Crimson Tide would take over with 4:38 left in the ball game. On a third and 16, Hurts would fling it off-balance to Stewart for 15. Electing to go for it on fourth and one, Alabama would convert on a five-yard Damien Harris run.
That run by Harris would catch Clemson completely off guard. Sarkisian called for a wide receiver pass from Stewart on the next play. He rifled the ball to Howard for a 24-yard completion. Hurts would then scramble for a 30-yard go-ahead touchdown. The Griffith made PAT made it 31-28 Alabama.
Clemson would take over with 2:07 left on the clock, time for one last drive for Watson to make something magical happen. The man who thrived in winning time executed the greatest drive in Clemson football history. Watson would need 2:06 to hit Renfrow for the game-winning two-yard touchdown pass. The Huegel PAT made it 35-31 Clemson with one second left on the clock.
Huegel would onside kick it to win the 2016 National Championship with the recovery. With one second left, Watson took a knee to end the game. This was Clemson’s second national championship in school history and first since the 1981 NCAA season.
Three Stars
- Deshaun Watson: Watson had the greatest day of his life. He completed 36 of 56 passes for 420 yards, three touchdown passes, and no interceptions. As a runner, he had 21 carries for 43 yards and one rushing touchdown.
- Mike Williams: Williams came up huge in Clemson’s 21-point fourth quarter. The Clemson star wideout had eight catches for 94 yards and one touchdown reception.
- Bo Scarbrough: Scarbrough pounded Clemson early on the ground before exiting with an injury. He had 16 carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Scarbrough had two catches for seven yards.
Highlights
Next Season
Alabama has a massive non-conference game to open the 2017 NCAA season. The Crimson Tide will play the ACC’s Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Sep. 2 from brand-new Mercedes Benz-Stadium in Atlanta.
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Clemson will begin its 2017 NCAA season at home against the MAC’s Kent State Golden Flashes. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium in Clemson will be on Saturday, Sep. 2. The ACC schedule hasn’t yet dropped, but Clemson will play Auburn (Sep. 9), the Citadel (Nov. 18), and at arch rival South Carolina (Nov. 25) in the non-conference.