The Clemson Tigers are now college football’s National Champions. On Monday, January 9th, Clemson beat Alabama in a thrilling 35-31 victory during the National Championship. Clemson finally ended Alabama’s 26-game winning streak, which dated back to 2015, and earned their first National title since 1981. For many fans, this proved to be a surprising victory, as Clemson was widely accepted as the underdog. Not only was Alabama on a long winning streak, but they also beat Clemson in a 45-40 victory during last year’s National Championship. This was the first time in the modern era where there was a rematch for the national title, and Clemson took this chance to avenge last year’s loss. The score was very close throughout the entire game, making Clemson’s victory all the more exhilarating. With only one second left on the clock, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a two-yard touchdown pass to receiver Hunter Renfrow, giving the Tigers the win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Many people were left wondering how Clemson could have possibly beaten the greatly favored Crimson Tide. The biggest reason for this was that Clemson simply tired Alabama out. Clemson’s fast-paced offense, combined with Alabama’s inability to run out the clock, may have caused the Tide to run out of energy. This is especially illustrated by the scoring; throughout the first three quarters, Alabama only allowed Clemson to score a total of 14 points. In the fourth quarter, however, Clemson scored a whopping 21 points against Alabama, including two touchdowns during the last five minutes of the game. It was evident that Clemson’s up-tempo attack was taking a significant toll on Alabama’s defense as the game carried on. Clemson ran a total of total of 99 plays, while Alabama ran only 66. By running 50% more plays than Alabama, Clemson was able to work the ball more and tire out the Alabama defense. The Tide began to miss tackles and give Clemson’s quarterback noticeably more passing lanes than earlier in the game. It’s undeniable that Alabama’s lack of endurance played a major role in their loss. Clemson pushed themselves all-night long, and it paid off with the victory of their first National Championship in 35 years.