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January 9, 2019
Clemson’s Trayvon
Mullen celebrates
after the NCAA college
football playoff
championship game
against Alabama,
Monday in Santa Clara,
Calif. Clemson beat
Alabama 44-16. (AP
photo)
Clemson Finishes with Perfection
First 15-0
champion in
over 100 years
He’s got a case.
With stunning ease — and a
freshman quarterback — Clem-
son toppled college football’s
greatest dynasty again to become
the first perfect playoff champi-
(AP) — Coach Dabo Swinney on.
Trevor Lawrence passed for
kissed the championship trophy
and proclaimed this Clemson 347 yards and three touchdowns
and the second-ranked Tigers beat
team the greatest of all time.
No. 1 Alabama 44-16 on Mon-
day night in the College Football
Playoff national championship
game in Santa Clara, Calif.
In the fourth consecutive play-
off meeting between the Tigers
and Tide, Clemson evened the
series and beat ’Bama for the na-
tional championship for the sec-
ond time in three years.
Clemson is the first college
football team to finish 15-0 since
the 1800s, and the first team since
the playoff started five seasons
ago to get through a season un-
scathed.
“I mean, our guys had the eye
of the tiger, but I’m so proud, and
then for our seniors to be able to
go out 15-0 and truly be the best
ever — there was a lot of talk
about best ever all year long,”
Swinney said, talking about Al-
abama. “We were never in that
conversation. But tonight, there’s
no doubt. First 15-0 team, to beat
Notre Dame and to beat Alabama
to do it, this team won 13 games
by 20 points or more and led by
an unbelievable group of seniors,
amazing group. I’m just thankful
to be a part of it.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban
and the Tide (14-1) were looking
for a sixth national championship
in 10 years, trying to add to an
already unprecedented run in the
sport. Instead, Clemson crushed
Alabama, becoming the first op-
ponent to beat the Tide by more
than 14 points since Saban be-
came coach in 2007.
Swinney’s Tigers sealed their
status as a superpower, no longer
just 1A to Alabama’s 1.
“We’re 15-0, we beat the
best team ever, nobody’s taking
that away from us,” Clemson
All-American defensive tackle
Christian Wilkins said.