Nick Saban almost never smiles on the sideline. But on January 11, 2016, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the stoic leader of the Alabama Crimson Tide did something even more shocking than a grin. He took a massive gamble. With the score tied 24-24 in the fourth quarter against a relentless Clemson team, Saban called for an onside kick. It worked. Adam Griffith’s pop-up kick landed softly in the arms of Marlon Humphrey, and the momentum shifted forever.
The 2016 CFP National Championship wasn't just another game. It was a collision of two different philosophies. On one side, you had the Alabama machine—built on "The Process," suffocating defense, and a newfound willingness to embrace the spread offense. On the other, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers, led by a generational talent in Deshaun Watson, who looked absolutely unfazed by the most feared defense in the country.
People forget how close Clemson came to winning this one. Honestly, if you look at the stat sheet without looking at the final score, you’d swear the Tigers won. Watson put up 405 passing yards and four touchdowns. He ran for another 73. He made All-American defenders look like they were standing in wet cement. But Alabama had an X-factor that night that nobody—literally nobody—saw coming: O.J. Howard.
The Night O.J. Howard Became a Legend
Before the 2016 CFP National Championship, O.J. Howard was the guy Alabama fans kept waiting for. He had the size of a defensive end and the speed of a wideout, yet he hadn't caught a touchdown pass in over two years. It was weird. Then, on the biggest stage, Lane Kiffin (Alabama’s offensive coordinator at the time) finally unleashed him.
Howard finished the night with five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. 208 yards! For a tight end! Clemson’s secondary seemed to just lose him in the secondary over and over again. It wasn't just that he was fast; it was that Alabama’s play-calling perfectly exploited Clemson’s aggressive pursuit.
The first long touchdown was a blown assignment. The second one was a perfectly timed leak out of the formation. While the world was focused on Heisman winner Derrick Henry—who still had a monster game with 158 yards and three scores—Howard was the one who actually broke the back of the Clemson defense.
Why the Onside Kick Still Haunts Clemson Fans
Let’s talk about that kick again. It was gutsy. It was "un-Saban-like."
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Alabama’s defense was gassed. They couldn't stop Watson. Saban knew that if he gave the ball back to Clemson in a tie game, his tired defenders might not get another stop. So he didn't give it back. By recovering that onside kick, Alabama didn't just get the ball; they stole a possession in a game where possessions were worth their weight in gold.
It was a cold-blooded move. It showed that even the greatest coach of all time knew he couldn't rely on his defense to win every game anymore. The sport was changing. Offense was king.
Deshaun Watson and the "Moral Victory" That Wasn't
There’s no such thing as a moral victory in a national title game, but Watson’s performance in the 2016 CFP National Championship is widely considered one of the best individual efforts in the history of the sport. He was 30-of-47 against a secondary filled with future NFL starters like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Eddie Jackson.
The Tigers actually outgained Alabama 550 to 473. They had more first downs. They had a better third-down conversion rate.
Basically, Clemson proved they belonged. They proved that the ACC wasn't just a "basketball league." This game set the stage for the rematch a year later, but in the moment, it was a heartbreaking lesson in "hidden yards."
Alabama’s special teams weren't just about the onside kick. Kenyan Drake’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was the actual dagger. You can't give up a special teams touchdown and an onside kick recovery to Alabama and expect to win. You just can't.
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The Defensive Battle That Wasn't
We expected a slugfest. We got a fireworks show.
Alabama’s defensive front, featuring guys like A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, was supposed to be an impenetrable wall. They were huge. They were mean. But Watson used their size against them, navigating the pocket and escaping just as the walls closed in.
It forced a shift in how Nick Saban recruited. After this game, Bama started looking for smaller, faster, more "sideline-to-sideline" linebackers. They realized that the "big bruiser" era was dying. If you want to beat the modern spread, you have to be able to chase guys like Watson for four quarters without falling over.
The Long-Term Impact on the College Football Playoff
Looking back, the 2016 CFP National Championship was the birth of the modern CFB era. It was the first time we truly saw the "Two-Superpower" dynamic. For the next several years, it felt like Alabama and Clemson were on a collision course every single season.
- It validated the Playoff system by giving us a game that lived up to the hype.
- It turned Dabo Swinney into a household name.
- It solidified Lane Kiffin’s reputation as an offensive genius who could adapt to any talent.
- It reminded everyone that Nick Saban is a gambler at heart.
The final score was 45-40. It was high-octane, exhausting, and brilliant.
Actionable Takeaways for Football Historians and Fans
If you want to truly understand why college football looks the way it does today, you have to go back and watch the second half of this game.
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Watch the "Scrape" Exchanges: Notice how Clemson used Watson’s running ability to freeze Alabama’s elite linebackers. This is now standard operating procedure for every dual-threat QB in the country.
Study the Special Teams Yardage: Alabama won because of "hidden yards." They didn't have to drive 80 yards every time because their special teams gave them short fields or direct points. In big games, the "third phase" is usually where the trophy is won.
Analyze the Tight End Seams: O.J. Howard’s performance is a blueprint for how to use a versatile TE against a heavy-blitzing defense. If the linebackers are crashing the line to stop the run (Derrick Henry), the seam is always open.
If you’re a coach or a serious student of the game, go back to the film. Look at the defensive alignments Alabama used in the first quarter versus the fourth. They were guessing by the end. Watson had them in circles. But in the end, Alabama had the depth and the guts to make the one play that mattered.
The 2016 title game remains a masterclass in high-stakes coaching and elite-level execution. It’s the game that taught us that even the best defense in the world needs a little bit of luck—and a perfectly executed onside kick—to stay on top.