Back to the NCAA Newsfeed

Clemson Shocks Alabama With 1 Second Left to Win National Championship

Clemson upset Alabama and won the college football national championship, 35-31 in Tampa early Tuesday morning.

Clemson was led by its star quarterback, Deshaun Watson, who threw for 420 yards despite facing a defense heralded as one of the best ever.

Watson’s Achilles’ heel during the regular season was the interception, but he threw none in this game.

Alabama for its part kept the ball mostly on the ground. Its freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts was 13-31 for only 131 yards.

It was the second big title game in a row for Watson who threw for 405 yards in a loss in this game to Alabama last year.