After 35 years of waiting, the Clemson Tigers have reclaimed the title as national champions in the College Football Playoff national championship game against Alabama, winning 35-31.  The game was tight, with Clemson managing to score the winning goal in the last second.  Given that the Crimson Tide had been undefeated until that final game, the Tigers’ win came as somewhat of a shock.

Clemson trailed Alabama by seven points in the first half, and by the end of the third quarter, it seemed certain that Alabama would win the championship for the fifth time in eight years.  With the start of the fourth quarter, the Clemson Tigers refused to give in, and the team made up quite a bit of ground with a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson to Mike Williams.  With four minutes left in the game, Clemson managed to take the lead for the first time with an impressive catch by Williams, who handed the ball off to running back Gallman to complete the touch down.  Alabama then managed to pull off a lateral trick play which nearly guaranteed their victory until, in the final seconds of the game, Watson threw the ball to Renfrow in the end zone, allowing Clemson to steal the win with only a second to spare.

According to The New York Times, Clemson coach William “Dabo” Swinney “embraced Alabama’s coach, Nick Saban,” moments after the fourth quarter had ended.  It will surely prove to be a memorable game, as it was even cited by ESPN as being one of the “one of the most thrilling, back-and-forth title games in recent memory.”  With Clemson fans ecstatic and Alabama’s slightly flummoxed, it proved interesting to watch, especially given the unexpected win by a team which was, in a manner of speaking, the underdog.