The national championship game in 2016 between Alabama and Clemson was tied when UA coach Nick Saban called an onside kick. It worked. Former Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey recovered it, and the Crimson Tide scored on that drive and ultimately won the game.
“It was crazy,” junior offensive lineman Jonah Williams said Tuesday. “Me and all the early enrollees were in Bryant (Hall) watching it on TV, and we were just freaking out when it happened because that was such a momentum swing in the game. That’s the type of thing this game takes. When you’re playing a great team, sometimes you have to take risks.”
People may think Saban isn’t much of a gambler, but he’ll do what’s needed as long it’s “a smart, calculated risk,” like Williams put it.
“Well,” Saban said on Monday’s CFP teleconference, “I think when you’re playing against a very good team and you can anticipate that it’s going to be a really tight game that you’re always looking for somewhere or someplace in the game where you can create an advantage for yourself and try to put your players in the best position to have a chance to be success.”
