The Alabama Crimson Tide won the College Football Playoff National Championship over the Clemson Tigers 45-40 on Monday night in Arizona.
Alabama came out of the first quarter down 14-7 and tied things up leading into halftime, but Clemson would not give up and the Tigers led the game going into the fourth quarter. The fourth was a wild quarter with 40 total points scored, but Alabama pulled out the win with 24 points in the quarter. Jake Coker made the plays he needed to make and OJ Howard broke out with his first two receiving touchdowns of the season.
Heisman winner Derrick Henry rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns in the game, while Howard put up five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Deshaun Watson did all he could for Clemson, passing for over 400 yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to win the game.
This is the fourth national title for Alabama in the last seven years and the fifth overall for Nick Saban. Saban won a title with LSU and has now won four championships with Alabama during his time in Tuscaloosa. Clemson did not give up even when they were down at the end, scoring a touchdown to cut the lead to five, but the team could not get an onside kick to try and get a chance to win the game.
