The Clemson Tigers took down the Alabama Crimson Tide with a last-second touchdown pass to win the 2017 college football national championship.
DeShaun Watson hit Hunter Renfrow for a two-yard touchdown with one second left to give Clemson a 35-31 victory.
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Alabama (14-1) went into the game as the nation's No. 1 team, while Clemson (14-1) was seeking its first title since the 1981 season.
The Tigers avenged their loss to the Crimson Tide in the 2016 national championship game. Last season's College Football Playoff national championship game was a thriller: Alabama, at the time ranked No. 2, won its fourth title in seven years by defeating then-top-ranked Clemson 45-40.
Watson and Clemson dethroned the champs and became the first team to beat Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty in a national title game.
The win gave the Tigers their first national championship since 1981.
The lead changed hands four times in the fourth quarter, but Watson got the ball last. Likely playing in his final college game, the junior quarterback threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns.
Coach Dabo Swinney had built an elite program at Clemson that was missing only one thing, and now the Tigers can check that box, too.
The Tigers took a 28-24 lead with 4:38 left in the fourth quarter when Wayne Gallman surged in from a yard out.
The Tide's offense, which had gone dormant for most of the second half, came to life with the help of a sweet call from newly promoted offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Receiver ArDarius Stewart took a backward pass from Jalen Hurts and fired a strike to O.J. Howard for 24 yards.
On the next play, Hurts broke free from a collapsing pocket and weaved his way through defenders for a 30-yard touchdown run to make it 31-28 with 2:07 left.
More than enough time for Watson, who hooked up with Mike Williams and Jordan Leggett for great catches and big gains to get to first-and-goal.
A pass interference on Alabama made it first-and-goal at the 2 with six seconds left. Time for one more play to avoid a tying kick and potential overtime. Renfrow slipped away from the defense at the goal line and was alone for an easy toss. It was the walk-on receiver's second TD catch of the night, adding to the two he had last season against Alabama.
When it ended Clemson's 315-pound defensive lineman Christian Wilkins did a cartwheel and Ben Boulware, one of the toughest linebackers in the country, was in tears.
The Tigers had snapped Alabama's 26-game winning streak and beaten a No. 1 team for the first time ever.
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