Jan. 12--Early in the fourth quarter of a deadlocked Southern dust-up Monday night, Alabama's stoic boss man lost his mind.
He ordered his team to attempt to kick the football to itself.
The game was tied, a college football championship was at stake, and Alabama's curled-lip curmudgeon decided this was the perfect time to play a trick.
An onside kick? Really? Really.
The Alabama popup was perfect, the Clemson kids were perfectly fooled, the ball was recovered by Alabama, the momentum was lost by Clemson, and Alabama stunningly blew open a tie into a 45-40 victory in the College Football Playoff championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Cue the twangy bass. Get those big wheels turning. Change that chorus, if only for a night.
Sweet Home Nick Saban.
Before describing how the Crimson Tide ultimately washed over an inspirationally game group of Clemson Tigers -- who fought the inevitable down to the last dozen seconds -- can we just get this game's most compelling takeaway first?
Nick Saban is now the best coach in college football history.
He shows no emotion, he tolerates little fun, he seemingly invented the sideline snarl. Yet he has arguably celebrated more big wins than anyone ever, with five national titles, second only to Alabama predecessor Bear Bryant, who won six in an era without true championship games.
Saban is so Teflon that, even after being dumped with Gatorade by his giant linemen Monday night, he looked bone dry. Yet he has controlled his program with such passion, he has now won four undisputed titles in his last seven years at Alabama, a streak that will probably never be matched.
Saban is always so tight that during a postgame interview Monday two of his players massaged his shoulder as if attempting to loosen him up even after a championship. But he was the first coach to win championships at separate schools, and he is on a roll of eight consecutive 10-win seasons at his current school. Pete Carroll owned college football at USC, and even he had only seven consecutive 10-win seasons.
"He's the best I've ever seen, and he's proven that time and time again," said Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. "Special coach, special person, he does everything the right way."
In leading his NFL preparatory school to 12 straight wins after an early-season loss to Mississippi, Saban finished this season in a flourish early in the fourth quarter after the Crimson Tide had tied the game on a field goal at 24-all.
There were barely 10 minutes left in the game. Clemson had been unstoppable at times on offense en route to 550 total yards, and couldn't wait to get the ball back.
And then came the kick, a blooper by Alabama kicker Adam Griffith that soared outside of Clemson's tightly packed return line and was caught unimpeded by Marlon Humphrey at midfield.
The players on the Alabama sideline erupted in gleeful hopping and arm-waving. The players on the Clemson sideline quietly stared out at the field as if they had just witnessed a wreck.
Dabo Swinney, the Clemson coach, was wringing his cap in hand and screaming while, in what was surely the most amazing part of the play, Saban just stood there and smiled.
Later, Saban said, "They did what they had to do to win ... and I'm smiling."
Meanwhile, Swinney shook his head and said, "That was a huge, huge play in the game. I felt we had all the momentum. We were confident where we were. It was a huge play."
Saban admitted afterward that he felt his defense was tiring and he needed to do something to keep it on the sideline. He knew an onside kick was a swing for the fences, but he felt he didn't have a choice.
