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The Clemson Tigers roared to victory Monday night in a dramatic and nail-biting title game, upsetting the Alabama Crimson Tide in the final seconds of the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Clemson's 35 to 31 victory over Alabama came at the end of what was essentially a rematch of last year's championship game. In 2016, Alabama emerged victorious 45-40.
This year, Alabama pulled ahead early, scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, then again in the second. The Tigers trailed but stayed in the game with touchdowns in both the second and third quarters.
Bo Scarbrough runs for a touchdown.
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Toward the end of the third quarter, Alabama's star rusher Bo Scarbrough — who had previously scored a touchdown — was injured, limping off the field and ending his night. But even without Scarbrough, the Crimson Tide kept rolling when O.J. Howard caught a long pass and sprinted into the end zone moments later, bringing his teams score to 24.
But in response reminiscent of Clemson's feline mascot, the team sprang back with their own touchdown — Mike Williams caught a short pass to the end zone — and brought the Tiger's score to 21, making the game anyone's call as it went into its final quarter.
Mike Williams reacts after making a touchdown Monday night.
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Both teams slugged it out through the fourth quarter. With fewer than five minutes left in the game, Clemson scored again taking the lead by four points.
Alabama responded with it's own touchdown and seized the lead back. With just second left, Clemson clawed toward the end zone, scored another touch down and took the and took the trophy.
It was a good game.
The stakes had been high going into Monday's game. Most fans expected Alabama to swamp Clemson, and going into the game team was the AP's top ranked team — an honor rival Clemson had going into last year's game. Observers speculated that a victory would make Alabama "the best team to ever play college football," and would "burnish its dynastic résumé."
The pressure was also on for Alabama head coach Nick Saban — looking rack up his sixth national title (fifth at Alabama) and tie his legendary predecessor Bear Bryant — as well as for offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who just joined the team in the fall.
Sarkisian was fired from his job as head coach at USC in 2015 after making headlines for incidents involving alcohol use. He was later hired as an analyst at Alabama, but Monday night's game was his first as offensive coordinator.
Clemson's Tigers, meanwhile, were looking for an upset and their first national title since 1981. Their ace in the hole was quarter back Deshaun Watson, a two-time Heinemann finalist who the New York Times called "the most important player on the field."
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