Re: Hill Watch...7 days!!!(ONE WEEK!)

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7 years ago: 2016: Clemson climbs the Mountain!

Aug 28, 2023, 8:22 AM

The ACC Champion for 2016 would once again be the (7-1, 14-1) Clemson Tigers, their 2nd title in a row. The Tigers defeated No. 19 (6-2, 10-4) Virginia Tech 42-35 in the ACC Championship game. VT would go on to to defeat SEC foe Arkansas 35-24 in the Belk Bowl, to finish the year with a No. 16 ranking.

Clemson would once again make the College Football Playoffs. The Tigers returned practically the entire offense, and a whole lot of new and returning talent on defense. This team had a goal in mind, and it was not just winning the ACC, or just getting TO a National Championship game. But, for any of that to happen, they had to first concentrate on winning the regular season. This they did, even with an incredible near miss against NC State, and an inexplicable 43-42 loss to Pitt along the way. The four Playoff participants were named, and Clemson was in at No. 3. Alabama was No. 1, Ohio State No. 2, and Washington No. 4.

Urban Meyer had not forgotten three years prior, when Clemson had taken out his Buckeyes in the Orange Bowl. But, that was just a bowl, this was serious National Championship business, and he expected a better outcome this time around. He had reason to be confident, this Ohio State team had already beaten 4 Top 14 teams, including No. 3 Michigan in 3OT to end the regular season. Once again, as in past years, even though Clemson was the higher seed, Ohio State was the 3 point betting favorite.

For Ohio State's sake, I wish I could say this was an interesting game...NOT. It wasn't, as once OSU missed a couple of 47 yard field goal tries early, the Clemson defense just completely shut them down. All of the rest of their possessions, in order: Punt, punt, punt, punt, 1 play, end of 1st half. In the 2nd half, fumble, punt, interception, interception, turnover on downs, 1 play, end of game. The final score of 31-0 felt even more dominating than that.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, Alabama was trying to do what Clemson had failed to do the previous year, become the first team to be a 15-0 National Champion. They had swept the regular season, dispatched of No. 15 Florida 54-16 in the SEC Championship game, and entered the Playoffs as a strong No. 1 seed. They easily handled Washington in the Peach Bowl Semifinal, to set up Clemson-Alabama Part II. Could this game possibly live up to the original? No one seemed to think so.
Bama went into the game as a near touchdown favorite, again.

Derrick Henry was gone to the NFL, but Bama always seemed to find a clone of a big back, and they had one again, in Bo Scarbrough. And, they still had OJ Howard at tight end, and a cool Sophomore QB in Jalen Hurts. There would always be several future NFL players running all over the field on any Alabama roster, and this one was no different. As time went on, their 2017 roster eventually produced 47 NFL players. This is what Clemson was contending with in this game. But, the Tigers were not about to pack up and go home. They knew how close they had been with this same team the previous year, and were itching for the rematch to get underway.

The Tide got the ball first, and the Clemson defense forced a 3 and out. Clemson then mounted a drive, but turned the ball over on downs when Wayne Gallman was stoned for no gain on 4th and 1 at the Bama 41. Five plays later, Bo Scarbrough broke loose on a 25 yard TD run, and Bama led 7-0. Then the teams traded a punt, a punt, a fumble, and two more punts, before Bama went on a 5 play, 75 yard TD drive, with Scarbrough again rumbling the last 37 yards. With the PAT, Bama led 14-0, and things were looking rough for the Clemson Tigers, especially when the offense immediately went 3 and out to follow the Bama touchdown.

But, the Clemson defense forced a Bama punt, and finally Watson got the Tiger offense in gear, 7 plays covering 87 yards, with Watson taking the last 8 on his own, to get Clemson on the board, now trailing 14-7. Neither offense could mount anything further in the first half, and the Tide led 14-7 at the break.

The 2nd half got off to a horrible start for Clemson, as on the 4th play from scrimmage, Wayne Gallman fumbled, and Bama returned it all the way to the Clemson 16 yard line. Bama had had a defensive touchdown in several games this year, and the only thing that prevented another one was Hunter Renfrow roll block tackling the Bama defender who was on the way to the end zone. And, this would turn out to be one of the most important sequences of the game, as the Clemson defense rose up and forced Bama to settle for a field goal, to lead 17-7. It could have been much worse.

The next Clemson possession stalled at the Bama 43 yard line. The Tigers appeared set up to go for it on 4th and 1, but instead, Deshaun Watson punted the ball perfectly, as Clemson downed it on the Alabama 5 yard line to finally flip the field. The Clemson defense got a 3 and out, and Clemson took over at the Bama 42. 4 plays later, Watson hit that man, Hunter Renfrow, for a 24 yard strike, and the Huegel PAT cut the Bama lead to 17-14. But, following an exchange of punts, Bama's offense would strike again, as inexplicably, OJ Howard got behind the Clemson defense AGAIN, for a 68 yard touchdown. The PAT pushed the lead back out to 24-14.

But, a very important happening earlier in that drive was that Bo Scarbrough had been injured, and was done for the night. It would later be determined he had broken a bone in his leg. He had been a key piece of Bama's rushing game all night, so this was a huge development. Clemson took the ball 72 yards to paydirt on the ensuing possession, with the payoff being a perfectly executed pick play which sprung Mike Williams wide open in the right side of the end zone for the 4 yard TD. The PAT got Clemson back within three again, at 24-21. The fact that it was perfectly executed, and no pick was called, would prove crucial to a decision made later in the game.

At this time in the game, both defenses asserted themselves, leading to five straight punts. Finally, on the sixth possession of the sequence, Clemson got a beautiful 6 play, 88 yard drive for a Wayne Gallman score from one yard out, to lead the game for the first time, 28-24, with 4:38 to go in the game. That was too much time, and Alabama would answer with a 6 play, 68 yard drive of their own, with most of the yards coming on the last play, a Jalen Hurts flushed from the pocket scramble for 30 yards and the score, to put Alabama right back on top, 31-28, with 2:07 remaining.

It turned out, that was almost exactly how long Deshaun Watson needed. He had torched the Nick Saban defense for 405 yards the previous year. By the end of this drive, he would better that, ending the game with 420 passing yards. But, I have watched this drive literally a hundred times, I bet, and every single time, I find my self saying “Hurry UP, you're going to run out of TIME!”

Mike Williams did yeoman's work on this drive, high pointing a ball for a crucial 24 yard gain to keep the chains moving. Then, Jordan Leggett did his best Hunter Renfrow Spider Man impression to snag a ball out of the air for THE crucial reception of the drive, down at the Bama 9, as Clemson then called a critical timeout to preserve the 14 seconds that were left. Now the Tigers were in the driver's seat, needing only a chip shot field goal for overtime, but having time for a couple of shots to the end zone to win it in regulation.

It actually turned out to be three shots. An incompletion to Leggett in the right part of the end zone. A pass interference as Mike Williams was mugged in the left side of the end zone with only 6 seconds left. Coach Jeff Scott got in Coach Swinney's ear to suggest a play named “Orange Crush”. It was a nearly identical play to the earlier pick play that Mike Williams had caught for a touchdown. But this one was to be set up to go to the opposite side from where Mike Williams was, as everyone in the stadium and a couple of Martian colonies figured we would go to him and let him high point a ball to win the game.

That man again, Hunter Renfrow, was set to be the intended receiver this time around. Watson was already moving in that direction as the snap hit his hands, and the Bama defender pretty much tackled Artavis Scott, the “pick” man, creating such a traffic jam that Renfrow burst wide open in the flat. A Bama defender tried to take him out after the catch, but it was too late. No. 13 casually flipped the ball to the official, and then the top came off Raymond James Stadium. The PAT made it 35-31, and an onside kick meant that Clemson even got to kneel down at the end in victory formation, just, as was later revealed, had been predicted by Coach Swinney. The sequel had surpassed the original, and as the Champs Sports Illustrated cover said, “How great was THAT! Clemson climbs the Mountain!” I have that magazine in a drawer right next to my recliner, so that I can look at it whenever I want. What a season. All 2016 results below:

at Auburn No. 2 W 19–13
Troy No. 2 W 30–24
South Carolina State No. 5 W 59–0
at Georgia Tech No. 5 W 26–7
No. 3 Louisville No. 5 W 42–36
at Boston College No. 3 W 56–10
NC State No. 3 W 24–17 OT
at No. 12 Florida State No. 3 W 37–34
Syracuse No. 3 W 54–0
Pittsburgh No. 3 L 42–43
at Wake Forest No. 5 W 35–13
South Carolina No. 4 W 56–7

No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech
ACC Championship Game
W 42–35

December 31
No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl–CFP Semifinal)
W 31–0

January 9, 2017
No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 1 Alabama
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
CFP National Championship
W 35–31

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Hill Watch...7 days!!!(ONE WEEK!)