Written by Brian Hall at No Coast Bias
I keep going back to that final drive, man. Clemson, down two scores, trying frantically to save its perfect season at the hands of one of the single most dominant football programs of any era. Deshaun Watson scrambling and throwing like everything he had already done wasn’t enough to cement himself as a league above almost everyone else on that field; that it wouldn’t mean a damn thing if he walked away without the win. You can decide for yourself if you want to put winning the game over one of the most dominant performances in a bowl game in recent memory, and that includes that pick he got baited into throwing. Dabo looking increasingly at a loss on the sideline; removing his hat, running his hands through his hair, trying to will some sort of comeback out of the chokehold Nick Saban and his team had put the Tigers in. Even as they scored with 12 seconds left on the clock, needing a successful onside kick, a chance to score, and a virtual act of God to score again and steal a win away from a man who’s never lost a national title game, I won’t lie and say I thought it was over. Because I didn’t. It just didn’t feel over.
That’s been a result of this whole season though. If you’re a Nebraska fan, like me, you learned that in week one. But if you were someone else and needed to see it on the national stage, well, you didn’t have to wait that long either. Ole Miss knocked off the Crimson Tide in a wild night game in Tuscaloosa that involved five Alabama turnovers and Chad Kelly heaving passes to no one in particular, and yet having them bounce into the hands of a Rebel receiver in stride off the hands of at least one Alabama defensive back. Michigan was a successful punt away from beating Michigan State and exorcising one of their most frustrating demons from the recent decent into mediocrity, and thus, chaos ensued, and Michigan State somehow won that game. Florida State needed a 56-yard field goal (from one of the nations best and most consistent kickers) to seal a win over lowly Georgia Tech, a feat upon failing would’ve meant overtime at worst…until Tech blocked and returned the field goal more than 70 yards for the game winning score. It made you watch games until the end. If there was even a chance that the losing team could reverse their fortune, you had to watch until the end. It was just the way this season was.
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