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Clemson Thrashes Alabama to Win 2019 National Championship
08
Jan
Jan
Clemson Thrashes Alabama to Win 2019 National Championship
Clemson’s freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence arrived here as a wild card dealt into a familiar championship hand. Alabama, carrying the glow of its array of championship trophies, hoped the 19-year-old Lawrence might be rattled under pressure, from both the Crimson Tide’s pass rushers and the weight of the moment.
But Lawrence, statuesque and uncommonly mature, left as a hero with barely a grass stain on his orange-and-white uniform.
Using big plays, capitalizing on Alabama turnovers and riding the poise of Lawrence, Clemson beat Alabama, 44-16, in the College Football Playoff championship game at Levi’s Stadium.
It was the fourth year in a row that Alabama and Clemson had met in college football’s four-team playoff, and the third time they faced off in the championship game.
Clemson (15-0) has now won two of those three games, adding to the national title it won at the end of the 2016 season. The Tigers, under Coach Dabo Swinney, seem to be the only program able to disrupt Alabama’s dynasty, and have started building their own along the way.
Alabama still has five national championships since 2009, but the last three seasons have included two championship-game losses to Clemson.
“There’s so many great coaches that are so deserving of a moment like this that never get the chance to experience it,” Swinney said in an on-field interview with ESPN after the game, “and to get to do it once and now to get to do it again — it’s a blessing.”
Alabama Coach Nick Saban was gracious in defeat, especially impressed with Lawrence and Clemson’s receivers, but turned his analysis inward.
“If you look at the stats of the game, the yards and all that are fairly equal,” he said. “But the score — because of turnovers, not finishing drives in the red zone, not getting off the field on third down, giving up explosive plays — the score doesn’t indicate anything like that.”
Lawrence and Clemson were successful on 10 of 15 third downs, gaining 255 yards on those conversions.
With so much talent and experience on both squads — much of it destined for the N.F.L. — the rosters were expected to largely cancel each other out. The outcome, not surprisingly, rested largely on the play of the two quarterbacks.
Lawrence was outstanding, completing 20 of 32 passes for 347 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, the Heisman Trophy runner-up and a postseason hero of yesteryear, had just four interceptions in 321 pass attempts this season entering Monday’s game. But by halftime, he had thrown two picks that proved pivotal.
His first, on the team’s third play, was returned for a touchdown by A.J. Terrell. The second started a Clemson touchdown drive that gave the Tigers a double-digit lead that they never relinquished.
Clemson held a 31-16 halftime lead, knowing full well that Alabama had overcome those kinds of deficits in past playoff games. But the Crimson Tide could not convert yards into points or force Lawrence into any game-changing mistakes.
Alabama put its defensive focus on slowing Clemson’s rushing attack, which often hammered opponents into submission this season while averaging 6.8 yards per rush, highest in the nation.
His first, on the team’s third play, was returned for a touchdown by A.J. Terrell. The second started a Clemson touchdown drive that gave the Tigers a double-digit lead that they never relinquished.
Clemson held a 31-16 halftime lead, knowing full well that Alabama had overcome those kinds of deficits in past playoff games. But the Crimson Tide could not convert yards into points or force Lawrence into any game-changing mistakes.
Alabama put its defensive focus on slowing Clemson’s rushing attack, which often hammered opponents into submission this season while averaging 6.8 yards per rush, highest in the nation.
Ross caught the ball and ran untouched for a 74-yard touchdown, capping a run of 23 unanswered Clemson points that lifted the Tigers to a 37-16 lead. Smith was taken away on a cart as the Clemson sideline hummed in anticipation of victory.
Historically, college football is a place of regular-season rivalries, not postseason ones. Teams do not play one another regularly in the postseason — too many schools, too many conferences, too many bowl affiliations. And these times seem an unlikely era for such a dynamic to emerge, now that there are 130 top-level programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
All that makes it the more remarkable that these two teams keep meeting in championship games, as if they are the Warriors and Cavaliers of the N.B.A.
The first, a 45-40 Alabama victory in January 2016, was exhilarating, the teams combining for 40 fourth-quarter points. An unexpected and successful onside kick and a 95-yard kickoff return were the big plays for Alabama’s comeback victory.
Clemson and quarterback Deshaun Watson avenged the result a year later, with Watson throwing a 2-yard touchdown to Hunter Renfrow with 1 second left to give the Tigers a 35-31 victory.
The teams met in the semifinal game last year, with No. 4 Alabama dominating No. 1 Clemson, 24-6. The Crimson Tide beat Georgia, in overtime, in the championship game. The hero there was Tagovailoa, then a freshman backup quarterback. He came into the game with Alabama trailing 13-0 at the beginning of the second half and threw three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.
Alabama arrived this year as a slight favorite, though few expected any sort of romp. Alabama was the first team since Yale in 1900 to beat every team by at least 20 points during the regular season, but Clemson has built itself into a deep shadow of Alabama’s program, following closely behind in college football’s spotlight.
This might be the moment that Clemson fully emerged from it.
The game opened as if the fast-forward button had gotten stuck. That was a twist from their previous championship meetings, which built slowly and ended with a flurry of points, like the finale of a fireworks display.
This time, they combined for three touchdowns in the first four and a half minutes, and four touchdowns in the first 9 minutes. Barely 3 minutes into the second quarter, the teams had combined for 37 points. The entire game felt like a highlight reel.
Clemson jumped out first, in the game’s second minute, when Terrell intercepted Tagovailoa’s short pass intended for Jerry Jeudy and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. It was just the fifth interception of the season for Tagovailoa, and Terrell carried it untouched toward a sea of pleasantly surprised, orange-clad Clemson fans behind the end zone.
Tagovailoa made up for his mistake in a hurry. His next pass, on the next drive, found Jeudy beyond the Clemson defense, a 62-yard touchdown connection that elevated the crimson-wearing fans in the opposing end zone.
On the next drive, Lawrence threw a perfect arc on a 62-yard gain to Tee Higgins, then Travis Etienne carried around the left end for a 17-yard touchdown run — his first of three on Monday. Clemson had a 14-7 lead with 10:35 left in the first quarter. Anyone daring to turn away, or even blinking too lethargically, risked the possibility of missing the next big play.
The pace eventually slowed, even if the scoreboard was just warming up. Alabama needed 10 plays to go 75 yards for the next touchdown. A missed extra point left Clemson ahead, 14-13.
Following a Clemson punt, the first of just five in the game, Alabama moved downfield in 11 plays, with a dizzying array of quick passes and misdirection runs. Clemson’s defense stiffened near the goal line, suddenly finding its balance, and held the Crimson Tide to a field goal.
It felt like a small victory for Clemson. It was a key to the national championship.
The moment of momentum shifted to Clemson’s offense, which marched downfield, ending with Etienne’s 1-yard touchdown run. The Tigers had a 21-16 lead, and when they converted Tagovailoa’s second interception into a touchdown drive, they had a double-digit cushion.
There is rarely a time to get comfortable against Alabama. But Clemson will have at least a year. The next championship game is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2020, in New Orleans.
Here’s how Clemson beat Alabama in the national championship game:
Clemson’s Defense Closes the Door
Alabama simply does not have what it takes to compete with Clemson today.
Tua Tagovailoa repeatedly threw aggressively downfield, and he connected with Jerry Jeudy for an impressive 48-yard completion, and the team found itself in the red zone, but they couldn’t do anything with it.
A series of runs left them with a 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line and a planned run for Tagovailoa was knocked back for a 7-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
After the quarterback hit the turf, Clemson players immediately began celebrating on the field, knowing they have likely clinched a championship despite the game still having 12 minutes left to play.
John Branch: With so much worry in the Bay Area over whether the game would sell out (it did, officials said), no one could have predicted what the stands at Levi’s Stadium would look like midway through the fourth quarter. Clemson fans, bedecked in orange, did not move, cheering and anticipating the trophy presentation. But Alabama fans flooded out, having seen enough. They left behind a bit of a camouflaged disguise, because the seats at Levi’s Stadium are crimson, too.
Clemson 44, Alabama 16: Tigers Can’t Be Stopped
Clemson’s offense is out of control.
After Trevor Lawrence hit Tee Higgins in the end zone for a 5-yard score, the Tigers are up 44-16 with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.
Clemson’s first few plays of the drive had been fairly conservative, but on 3rd-and-12, Lawrence opened things up, throwing deep over the shoulder of Justyn Ross for a 37-yard gain and a first down.
It briefly looked like Alabama had recovered a fumble later in the drive, but a review by the officials gave the ball back to Clemson with a 3rd-and-9 from Alabama’s 37-yard line. Lawrence took full advantage, picking up a first down with a nice 17-yard pass to Ross which the receiver pulled in with just his right hand before finding a way to get a foot down before falling out of bounds.
Travis Etienne pushed the ball all the way to Alabama’s 9-yard line with a run up the left sideline, but two subsequent runs went nowhere
Undeterred, Lawrence threw an absolute bullet into the end zone to Higgins, stretching his team’s lead.
Marc Tracy: They are playing “Sweet Home, Alabama” while a Crimson Tide video highlight package plays in the stadium right now. Not optimal timing!
Alabama Comes Up Short Again
Alabama’s offense was once again stopped in its tracks.
The Tide’s drive once again started a drive with a Najee Harris run, which went for 11 yards, but playing with a 21-point deficit the Tide knew they would have to pass and Tua Tagovailoa threw a nice ball up the middle for a 23-yard gain by DeVonta Smith.
Harris was knocked back for no gain on a run, and then Tagovailoa rolled out to find the running back Josh Jacobs for a 16-yard catch in traffic.
A 6-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle, and two incompletions (one of which appeared to have a missed pass interference call) set up a 4th-and-14 from Clemson’s 14-yard line, and Tagovailoa, under heavy pressure, tried to run for a first down but fell just short for a turnover on downs.
Clemson 37, Alabama 16: Clemson Pulling Away
Things are starting to get ugly for Alabama.
Clemson’s first two plays of the second half went for a combined 2 yards, but on 3rd-and-8, Trevor Lawrence found a wide-open Justyn Ross, who was able to cut around a defender before going off to the races for a 74-yard touchdown reception.
The touchdown has stretched Clemson’s lead to 37-16.
The thrilling touchdown by Ross was set up at the line scrimmage when Alabama’s Saivion Smith had tried to jam the wide receiver but immediately hit the turf with an injury. With Ross largely uncovered there was nothing Alabama could do to slow him down.
Smith had to be carted off the field, which delayed the extra-point attempt, which Greg Huegel missed.
Alabama Tries a Fake, but Fails
That was not the start to the second half that the Crimson Tide wanted.
After Alabama’s drive stalled out at Clemson’s 22-yard line, the defending champions lined up for a field-goal, but their ruse, in which they attempted to run for it on 4th-and-6, went nowhere, as the Tigers had the fake pegged from the start. Clemson swarmed Mac Jones and knocked him backward for a 2-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
Halftime: Turnovers the Difference So Far
Knowing his team would get the ball to start the second half, Nick Saban made no effort to drive the ball after Clemson’s field goal, going 6 yards on two plays and simply letting the clock run out on the first half, with Clemson leading, 31-16.
The stars of the first half for Clemson were the freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence (197 passing yards), running back Travis Etienne (29 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns) and Trayvon Mullen (interception, sack).
Tua Tagovailoa passed for 158 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama but he also threw a pair of interceptions, with Alabama trailing by 15 points despite having rushed for 108 yards in the half.
Clemson 31, Alabama 16: Tigers Get Some Insurance
Clemson had gotten the ball back quickly thanks to Alabama’s offensive possession being short-circuited on a 3rd-and-6 play at the Crimson Tide’s 45-yard line in which Clemson’s Trayvon Mullen, who had intercepted Tua Tagovailoa on the previous drive, raced in on a blitz and sacked Tagovailoa for an 11-yard loss.
That defensive play, in which Mullen punched the ball out of Tagovailoa’s hands — Alabama recovered — resulted in the Crimson Tide punting.
On the resulting possession, Clemson was nowhere near as sharp, with Lawrence throwing a pair of ugly incompletions at the end, but Huegel’s field goal stretched their lead to 15 points.
Clemson 28, Alabama 16: Etienne Scores Again
The Tigers took advantage of Tua Tagovailoa’s mistake, marching 47 yards on eight plays, with Travis Etienne scoring a 5-yard touchdown on a shovel pass from Trevor Lawrence, which along with the extra point has Clemson up 28-16.
Clemson started small, with a short run by Etienne, a few short passes from Lawrence to Hunter Renfrow and then a 3-yard pass from Lawrence to Tavien Feaster.
Lawrence then opened things up with a pass to a streaking Amari Rodgers, who managed a 26-yard catch-and-run that got Clemson all the way to Alabama’s 5-yard line.
A first-down run by Etienne went nowhere, but Lawrence executed a nice fake, looking like he was dropping back to pass before flipping the ball forward to Etienne who dove into the end zone.
Etienne is up to three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving).
Marc Tracy: If this score holds, Alabama will enter halftime with a 12-point deficit. In last year’s title game, they entered halftime with a 13-point deficit — prompting Nick Saban to switch quarterbacks. Could we possibly see that again?
Alabama Intercepts Trevor Lawrence
Alabama was rewarded for boldness on a 4th down run, but a deep pass by Tua Tagovailoa later in the drive proved too large of a risk, as the quarterback threw his second interception of the day.
Alabama’s offense had started things off with three runs by Josh Jacobs for a combined 9 yards, with the big running back just barely falling shy of picking up a first down. Despite being at their own 35-yard line, the Crimson Tide went for it on 4th-and-1 and Jacobs fought his way through the line for a 3-yard gain and a first down.
Jacobs ran two more times for a combined 19 yards, and the new set of downs may have emboldened Tagovailoa, who threw deep, but well beyond the reach of any of his receivers, with the ball settling easily into Trayvon Mullen’s hands for the interception.
Clemson 21, Alabama 16: Easy Drive Leads to Tigers’ Lead
Clemson needed just six plays to take the lead back, with Travis Etienne running the ball in from the 1-yard line.
Clemson started the drive by getting a quick 15 yards thanks to a pass-interference call against Alabama’s Saivion Smith.
A screen pass to Tavien Feaster looked like it might go for negative yardage, but Feaster made a few nice moves and then raced for a 26-yard gain.
Trevor Lawrence tried to scramble on first down and while he got 1 yard, he paid for it by being wrenched awkwardly to the ground by his shoulders and head.
Feaster ran the ball for 4 yards and then Lawrence recovered nicely from the big hit with a 14-yard connection with Tee Higgins.
With a 1st-and-goal from Alabama’s 5-yard line, Etienne got the Tigers to the 1 with a nice second-effort on a run in which he used a second effort to nearly power his way through a crowd and into the end zone.
Etienne’s next run was nowhere near as dramatic — he ran the ball in without being touched.
Alabama 16, Clemson 14: Tigers’ Goal-Line Stand Leads to FG
Just 42 seconds into the second quarter, Alabama took a 16-14 lead with a 25-yard field goal from Joseph Bulovas.
Alabama had started the drive on its own 48-yard line and immediately began picking up yardage in huge chunks.
Tua Tagovailoa connected with Jerry Jeudy for a 12-yard reception, Najee Harris raced up the middle for 13 yards and then Tagovailoa found Jeudy again, once again for 12 yards.
Damien Harris ran three times for 9 yards, and then on 4th-and-1 from Clemson’s 6-yard line, Alabama rolled the dice by having Joshua Jacobs come in at running back. Their top touchdown scorer on the ground plowed his way to the 2-yard line.
Williams then returned, running it up the middle, but was swallowed up at the 1-yard line.
A false-start penalty backed the Crimson Tide up to the 6-yard line, and while Tagovailoa got them back to the 3 with a short pass to Henry Ruggs, a shovel pass to Williams proved fruitless when Clemson sniffed it out immediately, with Austin Bryant wrapping Williams up for a loss.
That sent out Bulovas for the field goal attempt and his kick, which was low and to the right, did just make it through the uprights, helping make up for his failed extra-point.
Hurray for Defense!
A drive finally ended without any scoring.
Trevor Lawrence had his first pass of the drive broken up with a nice defensive play, and then Travis Etienne, on a run up the middle, was wrapped up by a pack led by Quinnen Williams for a 4-yard loss.
Another pass attempt to Hunter Renfrow fell incomplete and Clemson was forced to punt.
Clemson 14, Alabama 13: Tide Roll Right Back
Najee Harris put Alabama on the goal line and Tua Tagovailoa executed a nice play-action fake to set up a 1-yard touchdown pass to Hale Hentges.
Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, who have struggled with extra-points all season, Joseph Bulovas had his attempt hit the upright and fall back onto the field, which left Alabama trailing 14-13.
Alabama had started its drive with a 7-yard run by Josh Jacobs and then lost a yard on a screen pass to Irv Smith thanks to a terrific tackle by K’von Wallace.
Once again, Tagovailoa responded well to pressure, with his third down pass to DeVonta Smith connecting for 15 yards and a first down.
An 11-yard pass to DeVonta Smith gave Alabama another first down and that let Tagovailoa be aggressive, throwing deep to Irv Smith for a 21-yard gain.
Alabama gave the ball to Najee Harris, a sophomore who averaged 6.7 yards a carry this season, and let the speedster take them 20 yards on three runs, with the third one initially being ruled a touchdown before it was determined that he was down at the one-half-yard line.
Tagovailoa then faked a handoff and found Hentges wide-open in the end zone for the score.
Marc Tracy: Clemson’s Dabo Swinney ran way out onto the field yelling for a holding call on that 9-yard Alabama run that set up the touchdown, and then kept yelling at the sideline judge nearest him. He’s a passionate guy but we rarely see him that irate.
Clemson 14, Alabama 7: Etienne Helps Tigers Retake Lead
In a wild start to this game, Clemson answered Alabama’s score with a 75-yard drive that took just four plays and 1 minutes 30 seconds, with Travis Etienne punching the ball into the end zone from 17 yards out, running right through Alabama’s vaunted defense.
The Tigers now lead, 14-7.
Clemson started its second offensive drive with Trevor Lawrence’s third incompletion of the game. On second down he connected with Justin Ross, but had that completion wiped away by a tripping penalty on John Simpson, an offensive lineman.
An 8-yard pass to Trevion Thompson served as Lawrence’s first official completion of the day, but it was the follow-up that showed how special Lawrence can be. On 3rd-and-14, with a punt seeming likely, Lawrence found Tee Higgins for a 62-yard catch-and-run that put Alabama squarely on its heels.
On the next play Etienne, who finished seventh in Heisman voting, got his team the lead, rushing to his left and bowling his way into the end zone.
Clemson 7, Alabama 7: Tagovailoa Throws a Bomb to Tie Game
Tua Tagovailoa did not show any ill effects of his pick-six on the previous drive, connecting with Jerry Jeudy for a thrilling 62-yard touchdown pass with nearly 50 of it coming in the air on a perfect pass from the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
With the extra-point, the game is now tied 7-7, with only 1:15 of clock time elapsing between the two scores.
Damien Harris got the drive started with a 3-yard run and then picked up a first down with a 10-yard scamper.
With the run established, Tagovailoa dropped back and let one rip to his sophomore wide receiver who had 1,176 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
Clemson 7, Alabama 0: Clemson’s Defense Jumps
In a shocking turn of events, Alabama looked to be moving the ball early in its first drive but A.J. Terrell stepped in front of Tua Tagovailoa’s third pass of the game, intercepting and returning it 44 yards for a touchdown.
Before the interception, Tagovailoa had started the game 2 for 2 for 20 yards with a picture-perfect 12-yard pass to DeVonta Smith that had gotten the Crimson Tide a first down.
Slow Start for Clemson
Clemson got the ball first but the Tigers went absolutely nowhere, gaining 3 yards before settling for a punt. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson’s freshman quarterback, threw a pair of incompletions on the drive, with his attempt to Hunter Renfrow on 3rd-and-7 sailing well out of the wide receiver’s reach.
Alabama now takes over looking to get something started.
