Clemson football: 3 most memorable plays in the National Championship

Clemson football secured their second National Championship in school history with a nail biting 35-31 victory over Alabama on Monday night. There were a multitude of moments that had fans on the edge of their seats as Clemson clawed their way back into this one, however, these three plays will standout to fans for generations to come.

Jalen Hurts’  late touchdown run

Alabama’s true freshman quarterback did a good job of taking care of the football throughout the night, however, he had not made any impact plays with his legs up until this point in the game.

This run surely felt like a punch in the gut to Clemson fans as the Tigers had just scored in a touchdown to take their first lead of the game. The Tide offense lead by Jalen Hurts drove down the field and went back up 31-28 with 2:07 left in the football game.

Hats off to offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian for calling the double pass on the previous play to get Alabama into scoring position. That being said, this touchdown was completely on Jalen Hurts. The young signal caller saw the safety sitting in the middle of the field, as well as Clemson’s middle linebackers dropping into coverage and took off. The rest, as they say, is history.

Mike Williams game saving catch

Clemson started this drive off on their own 12 yard line, down three points to Alabama. The Tigers got some momentum going early on in the drive with long receptions from Wayne Gallman and Jordan Leggett.

Then, it’s first down on Alabama’s 43 yard line, with 5:32 left on the clock. Deshaun Watson lets the ball go and my heart stopped, with the trajectory that he put on the ball I was sure it was going to be intercepted. I’m thinking “why would you throw that kind of ball at this moment in the game?” and then in a moment that I will never forget, Mike Williams climbs the ladder to come down with a circus catch.

It was as if Williams was suspended in the air for an eternity. Had he not made an effort to go up and get that football, Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey would have surely intercepted that pass. That specific throw speaks volumes about the trust that Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams have in each other. That would not be the last acrobatic catch that Mike Williams made in this football game.

Hunter Renfrow’s game winning touchdown catch

Both Alabama and Clemson are two of the best programs in the country from a recruiting standpoint. That Alabama defense last night was jam packed with four and five-star recruits. There were a few Clemson players that had strong performances last night, but, none were able to out-do Hunter Renfrow.

At about 5’11, 180 pounds Renfrow is the least physically intimidating player on the field for this Clemson football team most of the time. Don’t let that fool you, Renfrow can play some football. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in toughness and precision. Ask Tony Brown what he thinks of Hunter Renfrow and I guarantee he will call him anything but small.

Renfrow snagged 10 receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns against Alabama. None more important that this touchdown. This Clemson football team was 6 seconds away from being crowned National Champions and all they needed was one score. Deshaun Watson rolls to his right and time slowed down as you could see Renfrow slip uncovered towards the pylon. Deshaun fired it to him and that was it. Clemson football had sealed their second National Championship in school history. What a finish.

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