With Alabama claiming their fourth national title under Nick Saban, meme makers were left to make fun of Derrick Henry, both his size and his hair; Pete Carroll watching how to get it done on the one yard line, and plenty of sad Jordan faces on Clemson players and coaches.
It was a good game, filled with lead changes and twists, until that onside kick by Alabama that they recovered, which changed the momentum of the game, exactly what Nick Saban intended to do, later explaining he felt his team needed something after being unable to stop Deshaun Watson through the first half.
Clemson kept giving up big plays to Derrick Henry or that 95-yard kickoff return, and while they made things close and didn’t let the game run away from them, Henry punching through on that goal line drive finished the game, with a late touchdown with 12 seconds on the clock not saving them from defeat.
Clemson didn’t lose until the final game, and finish empty handed, not really caring (now) about the ACC championship. Alabama lost early on, and crept back up the polls while beating everyone in their way, not really finding anything too difficult. Clemson did their best, but even they weren’t enough for the most dominant program of this era.
