January 9, 2017 Postseason Neutral site Belt changed hands

Clemson takes the belt, 35–31, at a neutral site over Alabama.

Home · Defending Holder

AlabamaAP No. 1 31

Away · New Holder

ClemsonAP No. 3 35

AP poll, week 15: Clemson No. 3 at Alabama No. 1 · No. 1 that week: Florida. The belt vs. the polls →

Belt context

Where this game sits in the lineage

Clemson took the belt here, ending Alabama’s run of 79 days and 6 defenses (reign #297) and starting reign #298. It lasted 277 days and 6 defenses, until Syracuse took it on October 13, 2017.

For Clemson this was its 12th shot at the belt; it had held the belt 4 times before — and it took it back here.

This is the only time Alabama and Clemson have met with the belt on the line.

AI-Written

Recap

Clemson's offense controlled the tempo and field position throughout the National Championship Game, accumulating 511 total yards despite two turnovers, while Alabama's defense struggled to generate consistent pressure. Alabama's ground game had early success with Bo Scarbrough punching in touchdowns, but the Crimson Tide managed only 376 yards and converted just 2 of 15 third downs. Clemson's passing attack proved decisive, with Deshaun Watson connecting on key throws to Deon Cain for 43 yards and Jordan Leggett for 26 yards in the second quarter to set up scoring opportunities. The Tigers' ability to sustain drives with 34:44 of time of possession ultimately wore down Alabama's defense, and Clemson's superior execution in the championship moment secured the lineal belt with a 35-31 victory.

Bo Scarbrough's early touchdown runs (25 and 37 yards) kept Alabama competitive but the offense couldn't sustain drives
Deshaun Watson's 43-yard completion to Deon Cain in Q2 and 26-yard pass to Jordan Leggett set up Clemson's crucial scoring drives
Alabama's third-down struggles (2-15) prevented sustained offensive rhythm and gave Clemson's offense repeated scoring opportunities
Clemson's clock management and time of possession advantage (34:44 to 25:16) wore down Alabama's defense in the final periods

Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.

Full Box Score

Team stats

CFBD box score

AlabamaClemson

Total yards376511

Rushing yards22191

Passing yards155420

First downs1631

3rd down conv.2/157/18

Turnovers02

Penalties–yards9–823–35

Time of possession25:1634:44

Full team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.

Play By Play

Key plays

CFBD play-by-play

When	Team	Yards	Play
Q1 11:53	Alabama	+49 yd	JK Scott punt for 49 yds , Dante Pettis returns for a loss of 1 yard to the Wash 36
Q1 10:30	Washington	+20 yd	Jake Browning pass complete to Myles Gaskin for 20 yds to the Alab 27 for a 1ST down
Q1 8:01	Washington	+16 yd	Jake Browning pass complete to Dante Pettis for 16 yds for a TD, (Cameron Van Winkle KICK)
Q1 8:01	Washington	+20 yd	Tristan Vizcaino kickoff for 63 yds , ArDarius Stewart return for 20 yds to the Alab 22
Q1 5:01	Alabama	+18 yd	Bo Scarbrough run for 18 yds for a TD, (Adam Griffith KICK)
Q1 2:22	Washington	+6 yd	Jake Browning pass complete to John Ross for 6 yds John Ross fumbled, forced by Anthony Averett, recovered by Alab Jonathan Allen , return for 10 yds to the Wash 40
Q2 14:55	Alabama	+41 yd	Adam Griffith 41 yd FG GOOD
Q2 1:13	Washington	-26 yd	Jake Browning pass intercepted for a TD Ryan Anderson return for 26 yds for a TD, (Adam Griffith KICK)
Q3 15:00	Washington	+25 yd	Tristan Vizcaino kickoff for 65 yds , ArDarius Stewart return for 25 yds to the Alab 25
Q3 14:50	Alabama	+33 yd	Jalen Hurts run for 33 yds to the Wash 42 for a 1ST down
Q3 7:30	Alabama	-2 yd	Jalen Hurts run for a loss of 2 yards to the Alab 38 Jalen Hurts fumbled, forced by Elijah Qualls, recovered by Alab Jonah Williams
Q3 5:00	Washington	-7 yd	TEAM run for a loss of 7 yards to the Wash 6 TEAM fumbled, recovered by Wash Jake Browning
Q3 4:31	Washington	+42 yd	Tristan Vizcaino punt for 42 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the Wash 48 ALABAMA Penalty, Running Into Kicker ( Yards) declined
Q4 11:56	Alabama	+68 yd	Bo Scarbrough run for 68 yds for a TD, (Adam Griffith KICK)
Q4 0:24	Washington	-28 yd	Jake Browning pass intercepted Minkah Fitzpatrick return for 28 yds to the Alab 28
Q1 12:20	Clemson	+20 yd	Deshaun Watson pass complete to Jordan Leggett for 5 yds to the Clem 35 for a 1ST down ALABAMA Penalty, Personal Foul (Reuben Foster) to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Q1 9:23	Alabama	+25 yd	Bo Scarbrough 25 Yd Run (Adam Griffith Kick)
Q1 10:21	Alabama	+20 yd	Jalen Hurts run for 20 yds to the Clem 39 for a 1ST down
Q1 9:23	Alabama	+34 yd	Adam Griffith kickoff for 55 yds , Artavis Scott return for 34 yds to the CLEMSON 44 CLEMSON Penalty, Personal Foul (Grant Radakovich) to the Clem 29
Q1 2:30	Alabama	+25 yd	JK Scott punt blocked by Tanner Muse, downed at CLEMSON 37
Q1 1:50	Clemson	+2 yd	Deshaun Watson run for a loss of 5 yards to the Clem 37 Deshaun Watson fumbled, recovered by Alab Ryan Anderson , return for 2 yds to the Clem 35
Q2 10:42	Alabama	+37 yd	Bo Scarbrough 37 Yd Run (Adam Griffith Kick)
Q2 12:06	Alabama	+25 yd	ArDarius Stewart run for 25 yds to the Clem 49 for a 1ST down
Q2 7:17	Clemson	+43 yd	Deshaun Watson pass complete to Deon Cain for 43 yds to the Alab 39 for a 1ST down
Q2 6:54	Clemson	+26 yd	Deshaun Watson pass complete to Jordan Leggett for 26 yds to the Alab 13 for a 1ST down
Q2 6:09	Clemson	+8 yd	Deshaun Watson 8 Yd Run (Greg Huegel Kick)
Q2 4:17	Clemson	+20 yd	Deshaun Watson pass complete to Mike Williams for 20 yds to the Clem 45 for a 1ST down
Q3 13:54	Clemson	+12 yd	Wayne Gallman run for a loss of 4 yards to the Clem 34 Wayne Gallman fumbled, forced by Ryan Anderson, recovered by Alab Ryan Anderson at the Clem 28, return for 12 yds to the Clem 16
Q3 15:00	Alabama	+25 yd	Adam Griffith kickoff for 63 yds , C.J. Fuller return for 25 yds to the Clem 27
Q3 12:25	Alabama	+27 yd	Adam Griffith 27 Yd Field Goal
Q3 7:10	Clemson	+24 yd	Hunter Renfrow 24 Yd pass from Deshaun Watson (Greg Huegel Kick)
Q3 7:10	Clemson	+30 yd	Greg Huegel kickoff for 63 yds , ArDarius Stewart return for 30 yds to the Alab 32
Q3 1:53	Alabama	+68 yd	O.J. Howard 68 Yd pass from Jalen Hurts (Adam Griffith Kick)
Q4 14:00	Clemson	+4 yd	Mike Williams 4 Yd pass from Deshaun Watson (Greg Huegel Kick)
Q3 1:53	Alabama	+24 yd	Adam Griffith kickoff for 61 yds , Artavis Scott return for 24 yds to the Clem 28
Q4 4:38	Clemson	+1 yd	Wayne Gallman 1 Yd Run (Greg Huegel Kick)
Q4 5:32	Clemson	+41 yd	Deshaun Watson pass complete to Mike Williams for 26 yds to the ALABAMA 31 for a 1ST down ALABAMA Penalty, Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Da'Ron Payne) to the Alab 16 for a 1ST down
Q4 2:41	Alabama	+24 yd	ArDarius Stewart pass complete to O.J. Howard for 24 yds to the Clem 30 for a 1ST down
Q4 2:07	Alabama	+30 yd	Jalen Hurts 30 Yd Run (Adam Griffith Kick)
Q4 2:07	Alabama	+20 yd	Adam Griffith kickoff for 53 yds , C.J. Fuller return for 20 yds to the Clem 32
Q4 1:56	Clemson	+24 yd	Deshaun Watson pass complete to Mike Williams for 24 yds to the Alab 39 for a 1ST down
Q4 0:01	Clemson	+2 yd	Hunter Renfrow 2 Yd pass from Deshaun Watson (Greg Huegel Kick)

Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).

Box Score

Player stats

CFBD player stats

Passing

Alabama

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Jalen Hurts	13/31	131	4.2	1	0	24.2
ArDarius Stewart	1/1	24	24.0	0	0	100.0

Clemson

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Deshaun Watson	36/56	420	7.5	3	0	63.3
Team	0/1	0	0.0	0	0	0.0

Rushing

Alabama

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Bo Scarbrough	16	93	5.8	2	37
Jalen Hurts	10	63	6.3	1	30
ArDarius Stewart	1	25	25.0	0	25
Damien Harris	5	24	4.8	0	13
Josh Jacobs	2	16	8.0	0	13

Clemson

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Wayne Gallman	18	46	2.6	1	12
Deshaun Watson	21	43	2.0	1	15
C.J. Fuller	1	3	3.0	0	3
Artavis Scott	1	0	0.0	0	0
Team	1	-1	-1.0	0	0

Receiving

Alabama

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
O.J. Howard	4	106	26.5	1	68
Calvin Ridley	5	36	7.2	0	15
ArDarius Stewart	2	12	6.0	0	15
Bo Scarbrough	2	7	3.5	0	7
Damien Harris	1	-6	-6.0	0	0

Clemson

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Jordan Leggett	7	95	13.6	0	26
Mike Williams	8	94	11.8	1	26
Deon Cain	5	94	18.8	0	43
Hunter Renfrow	10	92	9.2	2	24
Wayne Gallman	3	39	13.0	0	13
Artavis Scott	3	6	2.0	0	9

Show more stats (6 more categories)

Defense

Alabama

Player	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD
Reuben Foster	12	6	1	1	0
Rashaan Evans	11	6	0.5	0.5	1
Ronnie Harrison	10	5	0	0	0
Ryan Anderson	7	5	1	2	0
Jonathan Allen	7	4	1	1	0
Tony Brown	7	4	0	0	0
Da'Ron Payne	5	3	0.5	0.5	0
Anthony Averett	5	2	0	0	0
Dalvin Tomlinson	4	3	0	1	0
Minkah Fitzpatrick	4	3	0	0	0
Marlon Humphrey	3	1	0	0	0
Keith Holcombe	2	2	0	0	0
Tim Williams	2	1	0	0	0
Deionte Thompson	2	1	0	0	0
Mack Wilson	1	1	0	0	0
Joshua Frazier	1	0	0	0	0
Da'Shawn Hand	1	0	0	0	0
Anfernee Jennings	1	0	0	0	0

Clemson

Player	TOT	SOLO	TFL	PD
Jadar Johnson	7	4	0.5	0
Carlos Watkins	6	6	1	0
Ben Boulware	6	4	2	1
Kendall Joseph	6	4	1.5	0
Cordrea Tankersley	5	3	0	1
Dorian O'Daniel	4	4	0	0
Dexter Lawrence	4	4	0	0
Van Smith	3	2	0	0
Jay Guillermo	1	1	0	0
Ryan Carter	1	1	0	0
Marcus Edmond	1	1	0	0
Hunter Renfrow	1	1	0	0
Judah Davis	1	1	0	0
Austin Bryant	1	1	1	1
Clelin Ferrell	1	1	1	0
Mark Fields	1	1	0	0
Tanner Muse	1	1	0	0
Scott Pagano	1	0	0	0
Kyle Cote	1	0	0	0
Greg Huegel	1	0	0	0
Tre Lamar	1	0	0	0
Christian Wilkins	0	0	0	2

Fumbles

Alabama

Player	FUM	LOST	REC
Ryan Anderson	0	0	2
Gehrig Dieter	1	0	0

Clemson

Player	FUM	LOST	REC
Wayne Gallman	1	1	0
Deshaun Watson	1	1	0

Kick Returns

Alabama

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
ArDarius Stewart	2	42	21.0	30	0
Hale Hentges	1	15	15.0	15	0

Clemson

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Artavis Scott	3	77	25.7	34	0
C.J. Fuller	3	53	17.7	25	0

Kicking

Alabama

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Adam Griffith	1/1	100.0	27	4/4	7

Clemson

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Greg Huegel	0/0	0.0	0	5/5	5

Punt Returns

Alabama

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Gehrig Dieter	1	9	9.0	9	0

Clemson

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Artavis Scott	1	3	3.0	3	0

Punting

Alabama

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
JK Scott	10	458	45.8	0	0	57

Clemson

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Andy Teasdall	8	307	38.4	0	0	47
Deshaun Watson	1	38	38.0	0	0	38

Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.

Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 400876570) · This game in the downloadable dataset

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