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The Guardian - US
Sport
DJ Gallo

Clemson topple Alabama in national championship game – as it happened

Here’s a full report from Clemson’s white-knuckle victory over Alabama for their first national title since 1981.

Thanks for following along with the liveblog. The next college football season begins in just a little more than seven months. Try to get some studying done before that.

Reminder that his is Ben Boulware’s most recent tweet:

My guess is there will be a newer one later tonight.

Final: Clemson has won the national championship!

It’s over. The game started a little slow, but that 4th quarter was an all-timer. Watson and Clemson went down the field, Bama went right back down and Clemson responded for what was essentially a walk-off national championship TD.

Congratulations to Clemson. Who is up to Clemson-Bama III a year from now?

Clemson 35-31 Bama, 0:01 4th quarter

Alabama will have to run the kickoff back to win. Get ready for some laterals.

Touchdown Clemson!

Watson hits Renfrow in the flat for a TD with one (1) second remaining.

Bama 31-28 Clemson, 0:06 4th quarter

Clemson will get the ball at the 2-yard line after Mike Williams drew pass interference in the end zone. Yikes. What a tough call here for Dabo.

Bama 31-28 Clemson, 0:14 4th quarter

Leggett makes a great catch (finally) to set Clemson up at the 10-yard line with time to take a shot into the end zone and win a national title.

Bama 31-28 Clemson, 1:30 4th quarter

Mike Williams makes an acrobatic grab down the near sideline to get Clemson down to the Bama 39.

Bama 31-28 Clemson, 2:01 4th quarter

Clemson will open at the 32 after a strong return by C.J. Fuller. Here we go.

Touchdown Alabama!

Wow. A trick play - a receiver pass - got Bama into Clemson territory and then Hurts ran it in on the next play to give Bama the lead again. After doing nothing all half, the Tide suddenly explode when it matters.

Clemson 28-24 Bama, 3:20 4th quarter

On 3rd and 16, Bama goes for 15 on a pass and then plunges ahead for three yards to the 46 on the 41. Gutsy. But smart.

Clemson 28-24 Bama, 3:50 4th quarter

Alabama has only three 1st downs in the second half and the freshman Hurts is facing his first 4th quarter deficit of his career.

Hurts throws the ball away on 1st down and then Bama loses about seven yards on a short pass that goes nowhere on 2nd down.

Touchdown Clemson!

Clemson 28-24 Bama, 4:38 4th quarter

Gallman runs it in and Clemson has their first lead of the game. Commence the shots of Bama fans in the stands looking very confused and sad.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 4:50 4th quarter

Watson runs it down to the 1-yard line along the far sideline, including nearly leaping into the end zone Superman-style.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 5:20 4th quarter

Clemson gets out to the midfield on a nice catch by Leggett and then advances to the 30 one play later on a great catch by Williams. Then Alabama follows that with a personal foul. Clemson down to the 16-yard line. Uh-oh, Bama.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 6:33 4th quarter

Bama punts it right back. Their offense seems to be demanding that the defense make a play to win the game.

Clemson starts at their own 12.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 7:36 4th quarter

On third down, Watson throws a little high to Leggett, who can’t reel it in. Clemson punts it away from their own 32.

Classic Bama here would be to go on a 7-minute TD drive and essentially end the game.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 8:21 4th quarter

On 3rd-and-7, Watson completes to Renfrow for a first down ... barely ... thanks to a very generous spot.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 8:40 4th quarter

Watson opens Clemson’s drive by picking up three yards running to advance the ball to the 25.

Oh ... just want to mention that a field goal could set up an overtime game for the national title. CHAOS!

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 9:18 4th quarter

Alabama is punting again. This will be J.K. Scott’s 9th punt of the night. If Alabama is going to hang on to win, it might have to be their defense that does it because the offense has done almost nothing in the second half outside of Howard scoring on a busted coverage.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 10:10 4th quarter

Hurts scrambles for three yards on first down to get Bama out to the 43. Scarbrough is still out for the Tide.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 11:05 4th quarter

Huge series by Bama forcing the Tigers to go three-and-out with some aggressive blitzing. Clemson will punt from the 21 as we near 10 minutes left in the whole college football season.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 12:14 4th quarter

Hurts and the Tide stall on their drive and punt it away. A touchback will give Clemson the ball with a chance to take the lead for the first time since the game was 0-0 in the first quarter.

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 13:50 4th quarter

Scarbrough is getting worked on for an injury, so Alabama has put in Damien Harris -- one of their seemingly unlimited amount of unstoppable running backs -- and he goes for 13 yards out toe the 43 on a carry.

Touchdown, Clemson!

Bama 24-21 Clemson, 14:00 4th quarter

Watson hits Mike Williams in the right side of the end zone while every Alabama player and coach complains about a pick play. We’ve got a three-point game.

End of the 3rd quarter: Bama 24-14

Solid quarter by Clemson, but their deficit grew from 7 points to 10. But they’re set up deep in Bama territory now with a chance to get it back to a single score.

Bama 24-14 Clemson, 0:19 3rd quarter

Clemson is now picking up chunks of yards through the air and have the ball down to the Bama 9-yard line. This game took a bit to get going, but the two best teams in the nation are starting to put on a show.

Bama 24-14 Clemson, 1:40 3rd quarter

Clemson starts their drive by trying a deep ball down the near sideline to Williams and the Tide commit a pretty egregious pass interference. Clemson gets a new set of downs out at the 43.

Touchdown, Alabama!

Alabama 24-14 Clemson, 1:53 3rd quarter

Tight end O.J. Howard scores on a 68-yard TD pass on a blow coverage. Hurts’ went from 49 yards passing to 117 on one play.

Updated

And a better view of the hit on Watson, including how quickly Alabama closed on him:

Here’s Watson getting drilled on his 3rd down run:

Bama 17-14 Clemson, 2:54 3rd quarter

Watson ran on 3rd and 10 and looked like he’d pick up the 1st down, but Bama closed quick and drilled him a yard short. Clemson punts it away and the Tide take over at their 16.

Bama 17-14 Clemson, 5:10 3rd quarter

Clemson is moving the ball again with a first down out to the 30. Time of possession is now at 22 minutes for Clemson to 17 for Bama. You have to wonder if the Tide defense will get tired. Alabama is usually the team with the big clock advantage.

Bama 17-14 Clemson, 6:03 3rd quarter

Dieter drops a pass that would have picked up a 1st down and Bama is punting it right back to Clemson.

Bama 17-14 Clemson, 7:03 3rd quarter

Alabama takes over after the kickoff at their own 32.

We’re a quarter of the way through the second half and Jalen Hurts is still at 49 yards passing. You know Lane Kiffin is pulling for Clemson to win.

Touchdown Clemson!

Bama 17-14 Clemson, 7:10 3rd quarter

Watson hits Hunter Renfrow running across the middle and he takes it the rest of the way for a 24-yard touchdown reception. Clemson is back to within a single score.

Updated

Bama 17-7 Clemson, 8:20 3rd quarter

Bama goes three-and-out and will punt it away from the 12. Alabama punts it to the 41 ... putting the ball right back where Clemson had it. Perhaps Swinney is psychic and knew Bama’s punter would shank one.

Bama 17-7 Clemson, 9:14 3rd quarter

Bama has the ball at their own 5-yard line after Watson pooch-punted it. Odd call by Swinney. Plenty of time left in the game, but not going for it on your opponent’s 41 when you just need a yard and have a star QB? Why not try to win a national championship game?

Updated

Bama 17-7 Clemson, 9:23 3rd quarter

Clemson throws to Hunter Renfro for a short gain on 3rd-and-1 to get a 1st down at the Bama 40. But they’re reviewing it to see if the ball hit the ground first. Even if they overturn it, you have to think Clemson would go for it on 4th-and-1 ... and hopefully they’ll have a better play this time than the pitch they tried on 4th-and-1 in the first half.

UPDATE: The catch was overturned. And they’re going for it on 4th down again.

Updated

Bama 17-7 Clemson, 10:56 3rd quarter

After looking downfield, Watson pulls it down and runs for another first down to the Clemson 48. This is the drive Clemson needed, even if it just flips field position.

Bama 17-7 Clemson,11:34 3rd quarter

Watson carries it on Clemson’s first play of the drive for 5 yards to get the ball out to the 26, then Cain catches a back-shoulder pass out at the 35 for a 1st down.

Watson’s struggles tonight could be in part due to a giant person trying to tear his head off in the first half.

Field goal, Alabama!

Bama 17-7 Clemson, 12:25 3rd quarter

Clemson gave up a short gain on a Hurts pass on 3rd down, but it was short of the 1st down and Bama has to settle for a field goal. It’s pretty remarkable that the Tigers have only surrendered 17 points so far considering the terrible field position their offense has repeatedly put them in.

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 13:11 3rd quarter

Clemson’s D is stepping up again. Bama is facing 3rd and 12 from the 18. Huge play in the game.

Clemson fumbles!

Well, so much for those Clemson points. Gallman fumbles and Bama has the ball on the Clemson 16 with a good chance to go back up by two scores again.

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 14:10 3rd quarter

Clemson picks up a first down to the 38 on a nice crossing pass to Renfro. Any points at all on this drive would be huge for Clemson’s confidence that they can come back.

Second half underway!

Clemson returns the kick to the 27. Let’s see if Watson remembered how good he is at the half.

Again I must clarify: not all of the ESPN networks are worth watching tonight.

Roll Tide.

Alabama has won 23 consecutive games when leading at halftime and is 107-6 under Saban when up at the half. That’s pretty daunting.

In shocking news, a quarterback thinks his alma mater should throw more ...

Some halftime stats ...

Clemson ... TEAM ... Bama

203 ... TOTAL YARDS ... 183

153 ... PASSING YARDS ... 40

50 ... RUSHING YARDS ... 143

16:15 ... TIME OF POSSESSION ... 13:45

That long Clemson scoring drive flipped most of these stats around, because they hadn’t moved the ball at all before then.

Halftime: Bama 14-7 Clemson

The last five minutes was some pretty ugly football, but at least we have a game. It looked close to over early in the second quarter when Alabama went up 14-0. Clemson will open with the ball in the second half with a chance to tie the game up.

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 0:19 2nd quarter

Clemson punts it away after not being able to move down the field. Alabama has one timeout and the ball on their own 34. Bama might take one shot.

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 0:44 2nd quarter

One third down from inside the 10, Watson powers out a great pass to the left sideline to pick up a first down at the 27. Still a long way to go to get into scoring range with no timeouts.

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 1:04 2nd quarter

Annnnnnnnd Bama is punting it right back to Clemson after going three-and-out. The booming punt sails to the 2-yard line (where Clemson’s returner foolishly fair catches it). Bama punter Gehrig Dieter has to get some game MVP consideration so far.

Updated

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 2:28 2nd quarter

Clemson picked up some yardage, but had their drive end on 3rd and long when Watson got sacked back at the 38. Clemson takes over at their own 37 with plenty of time on the clock to score.

Updated

Cool clip from Watson’s TD run:

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 5:09 2nd quarter

Clemson stops the drive on 3rd down when linebacker Ben Boulware perfectly reads a run around the left side. Bama’s punt lands in the end zone and Clemson will take over with 5 minutes left in the half.

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 5:22 2nd quarter

After a nice return to the 37, Alabama quickly picks up a 1st down and is already to the Clemson 45. Alabama does not accept changes in momentum.

Updated

Touchdown Clemson!

Bama 14-7 Clemson, 6:09 2nd quarter

Watson takes it himself around the left side, capping a 7-play, 87-yard drive that took just 1 minutes, 33 seconds. As bad as Clemson’s offense looked until now, they made it look that easy on that drive.

Updated

Bama 14-0 Clemson, 6:47 2nd quarter

Watson hits Jordan Leggett for 26 yards down to the 12. Okay! This is the Clemson offense we were promised.

Updated

Bama 14-0 Clemson, 7:06 2nd quarter

Clemson’s Deon Cain takes a short pass a long way all the way to Alabama 38 for 44 yards. It’s easily Clemson’s best offensive play of the night.

Bama 14-0 Clemson, 7:42 2nd quarter

Clemson’s D continues to keep them in the game, ending another Bama drive at the 47 with the third batted-down Hurts pass of the night.

Clemson supposedly has an explosive offense. It’s probably about time they do some exploding. Their D can’t keep Alabama in striking distance all night.

Updated

As I said, you want to watch the ESPN feed with the coaches’ roundtable. The other ones are ... not quite as useful.

Bama 14-0 Clemson, 9:29 2nd quarter

Clemson goes three-and-out we’re starting to get in the danger zone of this becoming a blowout. Come on, Clemson ... just for the sake of entertaining us.

Touchdown! Bo Scarbrough. Again.

Bama 14-0 Clemson, 10:42 2nd quarter

Scarbrough goes 37 yards and looked like a NFL player running through a high school team. Power and speed.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 12:00 2nd quarter

The Tide quickly get to midfield on a long run by receiver ArDarius Stewart. Sarkisian definitely seems to know the plays well into the Bama playbook.

Updated

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 12:17 2nd quarter

Watson airmails a 3rd down pass and Clemson is punting again. Watson is now 6-for-9 for 28 yards and looks, well ... not very good. Maybe the draft projections that have him going to the Jets make sense after all.

Alabama will begin their drive at their own 26.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 13:45 2nd quarter

Two plays for another first down. Clemson is out to the 26 on a drive that has so far gone 25 1/2 yards.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 14:45 2nd quarter

Facing 3rd-and-1 from their own 9, Clemson opens the quarter with Gallman going up the middle for a 1st down. Clemson needed that just for the field position battle.

Updated

End of the 1st quarter: Bama 7-0 Clemson

Alabama’s defense has allowed only 46 yards -- 23 rushing and 23 passing -- through the first quarter. As I said at the beginning of the liveblog, this “rematch” game features two very different teams from a year ago, and we’re far off the pace from a sequel to last year’s 45-40 game.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 1:16 1st quarter

Huge series by the Clemson D. They push Alabama back seven yards and Bama punts it away on 3rd-and-17. But Bama being Bama, even their punter is good and he pins the Tigers on the half-yardline .

Turnover! Alabama gets the ball after a Watson can't handle a bad snap.

Bama 7-0 Alabama, 1:50 1st quarter

Clemson looked like they had some momentum after the punt tip, but they quickly turn the ball over and Alabama as the ball at the Clemson 40.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 2:41 1st quarter

Hurts’ 3rd down attempt gets batted down at the line and Alabama is forced to punt it away ... and it’s partially blocked! Clemson will take over at near midfield.

ESPN failed to show Nick Saban’s face after that drive was done in by a penalty and followed by a blocked punt. You’re failing us, ESPN.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 3:08 1st quarter

Alabama gets called for a hold after Hurts runs up the middle for a 1st down on 3rd down. The Tide now face 3rd-and-13.

Oh, and there’s College Ed Hochuli calling the game tonight:

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 4:35 1st quarter

Facing 3rd-and-10 after back-to-back incompletions, Joshua Jacobs rumbles up the middle for a new set of downs. Another first down, now out to the 41.

It already feels like Alabama has begun their churning dominance.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 4:58 1st quarter

Alabama picks up a 1st down on three consecutive plays to Scarbrough -- a run, a pass and a run -- and Alabama has a first down on their own 28. Alabama will have brusing, dominant backs long after we all are dead.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 6:26 1st quarter

Clemson’s drives peters out and they punt it away to Alabama. Fair catch at the 15. Alabama’s offense is back on the field with the lead.

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 8:00 1st quarter

Clemson picks up a big 1st down on 3rd-and-2 on a slant to Mike Williams. They’re out to their own 46.

Updated

Bama 7-0 Clemson, 9:15 1st quarter

Great return by Clemson to near midfield after the Tigers faked a reverse, but it will come way back due to a personal foul. Clemson will start their drive at their own 29 instead.

Alabama 7-0 Clemson, 9:23 1st quarter

To recap that Bama drive: 3 plays, 59 yards in 58 seconds. Steve Sarkisian seems to be doing okay so far as the playcaller.

Touchdown! Bo Scarbrough goes 25 yards on 1st-and-15 to give Alabama a 7-0 lead

That turned quickly. Alabama just went 59 yards in about a minute to take the lead.

Updated

Alabama 0-0 Clemson, 10:12 1st quarter

Hurts calms rolls out to the right and then takes off for 20 yards down to Clemson’s 40 untouched.

Alabama 0-0 Clemson, 10:21 1st quarter

Clemson took a timeout to think it over and then went with a pitch outside to Gallman who got drilled several yards short of the first down. Alabama takes over with good field position.

Alabama 0-0 Clemson, 10:45 1st quarter

Clemson has 4th-and-1 at Bama’s 41 and they’re going for it. Dabo’s first big decision of the night.

Alabama 0-0 Clemson, 12:25 1st quarter

After stopping Clemson on back-to-back plays to set up third-and-long, Alabama gifts Clemson a first down with a personal foul for taking a shot at Deshaun Watson. Clemson has a first down at midfield.

Alabama 0-0 Clemson, 12:50 1st quarter

Wayne Gallman takes Clemson’s first snap out to the 34 for a 1st down, but Watson gets sacked on their second play.

Alabama 0-0 Clemson 0, 13:52 1st quarter

Alabama goes three-and-out on their first series and will punt on 4th-and-8. Clemson has to be happy with that. Nick Saban can’t be happy about that. (And everything else.)

Alabama 0-0 Clemson, 14:51 1st quarter

Hurts’ first pass is batted down at the line. That ... Hurts. (I promise that will never happen again.)

Kickoff!

Clemson kicks to Alabama and the Tide run it out to the 25. The 18 year-old freshman Jalen Hurts will now show us if he has any jitters.

Peyton Manning is coming onto the field for the coin toss along with Steve Spurrier. There is no football postseason without Peyton Manning.

By the way, all-time Spurrier quote about Manning’s Tennessee-era program:

You can’t spell Citrus Bowl without U-T.

Updated

Alabama is now running onto the field in their home uniforms, followed by Clemson in white jerseys with orange pants. It’s close.

This is the most recent tweet from Clemson senior linebacker Ben Boulware:

Maybe he should be president.

Let’s hear it for amateur sports!

The Crimson Tide’s football program reported $103.9 million in revenue for 2016 and posted a $47 million profit.

That figures to about $500,000 in profit for a single year for each Alabama player. I had no idea four years of an Alabama education costs $2 million. Wow! Bernie Sanders is right about needing to make college cheaper.

NASCAR is very popular in the South.

A huge storyline tonight is Steve Sarkisian taking over for Lane Kiffin as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Saban is not only the best college football coach in the country, but he’s also the premier career counselor for disgraced former USC head coaches.

We’re getting close to kickoff. With that in mind, let’s never forget the greatest start to a title game in college football history:

It’s easy to say that college recruiting is overrated and an inexact science. The latter is definitely true and the former has merit once you get through the top few teams.

But Alabama is trying to become the first team to win five national titles in eight seasons and here are the rankings of their last four recruiting classes:

No. 1

No. 2

No. 1

No. 4

Four and five-star recruits don’t always pan out. But when you have 15 other ones to pick from in every class, a few misses don’t matter.

Derrick Henry is back to watch his alma mater play in the title game and it appears he has been exploring new fashions in Tennessee.

If you happen to have access to all of the ESPN networks tonight, their title game multi-cast is one of the best things they do. The feed that airs the coaches’ roundtable is fascinating and reveals in about 30 seconds that even the most diehard fans know approximately 1/10,000th about the sport as professional coaches do.

The biggest example of how these two teams are different from a year ago is at quarterback. Clemson is starting junior Deshaun Watson. He’s played 37 collegiate games in his career, including last year’s national title game. Alabama has freshman Jalen Hurts. If the Tigers pull the upset, it will likely be because Watson outplays Hurts by a large margin.

Welcome to the liveblog for the 2016-2017 college football national championship between Alabama and Clemson -- a rematch of last year’s title game.

It’s only a “rematch” as far as a collegiate sports allow, though. About 25-percent of a team’s roster turns over from year to year, meaning the Alabama and Clemson teams that take the field tonight will be very different from what we saw a year ago. That game ended as a 45-40 Alabama win, so while the rosters are different, we’ll all take another game that’s that exciting.

Please feel free to participate in the liveblog by tweeting to @DJGalloEtc or e-mailing me at dj.gallo.casual@theguardian.com.

D.J. will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Brandon Lilly’s lookahead to tonight’s hotly anticipated rematch.

There seems to be an unending line of clichés that can be used to describe this year’s college football national championship game, featuring a rematch between the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (14-0) and the No2 Clemson Tigers (13-1), the finalists from last season. But having these two teams vying for the championship again, with apologies to fans of semi-final losers Washington and Ohio State, was exactly what most college football fans have been clamoring for since the end of last season’s classic 45-40 shootout won by the Crimson Tide in Glendale, Arizona.

The win gave Alabama coach Nick Saban his fourth national title with the Tide and fifth overall (he led Louisiana State to the promised land in 2003), and a win on Monday night would tie him with the legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most national titles won by any coach at the Division I level. For Clemson, a win would give the Tigers their first national crown since 1981 and only the second in school history. Over the last two seasons, Alabama has a record of 28-1: Clemson is 27-2. This time the scene is Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, a day’s drive from both schools, and a raucous crowd is expected to see if this is the night where the Tigers and Clemson coach and Alabama grad Dabo Swinney finally announce their arrival as an elite college football program, or if Emperor Saban finally puts down for Clemson’s pitiful rebellion for good.

Updated

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