Deshaun Watson’s two-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second remaining gave Clemson a wild 35-31 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Watson completed 36 of 56 passes for 420 yards and three scores in his last college game, as the Tigers (14-1) claimed their first national title since 1981.
Renfrow caught two scoring passes for Clemson, which rallied from a 14-0 deficit and snapped Alabama’s 26-game winning streak.
Bo Scarbrough ran for two touchdowns for Alabama (14-1), which failed in its quest to be the first 15-win major college team since Penn in 1897. Scarbrough left the game with a leg injury in the second half.
READ MORE: Alabama beats Clemson 45-40 to win college football national championship
Alabama beat Clemson 45-40 last season in the title game. This sequel was as thrilling as the original.
Clemson put up 511 yards on Alabama’s defence, held the ball for nearly 35 minutes and scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Clemson then recovered an onside kick, and fittingly that gave Watson a chance to kneel down for the game’s final play – then streamed onto the field in celebration.