GLENDALE, Ariz. - In a scintillating matchup of contrasting styles, the Alabama Crimson Tide (14-1) showed incredible resourcefulness and resilience to earns 16th football national championship on Monday night in the Arizona desert. The national title is the fourth in the last seven seasons (since 2009) for the Crimson Tide, and gives Tide head coach Nick Saban five national crowns in his career, including four with the Tide.
Tight end O.J. Howard caught five passes for a career-high 208 yards, quarterback Jake Coker passed for a career-best 335 yards, running back Derrick Henry rushed for 158 yards and Kenyan Drake returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to lift the Tide to a 45-40 victory over the top-ranked Clemson Tigers (14-1) before a crowd of 75,756 (capacity: 71,000) in the College Football Playoff Championship Game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.