College football's team of the century just picked up more hardware for the trophy case. Alabama earned its fourth national championship since 2009 by defeating Clemson 45-40 on Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium. With the victory, the Crimson Tide finished off a season with just one blemish, a 43-37 early-season loss to Ole Miss. How did Nick Saban's squad do it against the Tigers? With big plays that led to big shifts in Win Probability. Let's take a look at the numbers.
Bama's offense comes alive
The Crimson Tide built their season around a stingy defense and the stout running of Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. Though Henry did deliver some long runs from scrimmage during the season, Alabama's offense, led by Jake Coker, was never considered a big-play threat. But that changed Monday night, when the team made several big-yardage plays from scrimmage.
ALABAMA PLAYS, 20+ YDS
Five biggest shifts in Win Probability
According to the play-by-play Win Probability, as determined by ESPN Stats & Information, these are the five plays that caused the biggest increase in Alabama's chances of winning:
Quarterback Jake Coker throws a 51-yard touchdown pass to O.J. Howard to put Alabama ahead for good, 31-24.
ArDarius Stewart snags a 38-yard pass from Coker along the sideline to keep the drive alive, with the game tied 24-24.
Coker's 63-yard bomb, once again to Howard, delivers a key first down with Alabama leading 38-33.
A big play by Howard (sensing a trend here?), in which Coker connects with him for a 53-yard score. Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin celebrates before Howard reaches the end zone.
Kenyan Drake returns a kickoff for 95 yards to pay dirt, putting the Crimson Tide up 38-27.
Honorable mention
In a game filled with big plays and momentum shifts, particularly in the second half, one other play just misses the cut of the top five biggest Win Probability shifts: Alabama's successful onside kick in the fourth quarter (good for a 14.2% increase). With 10:34 remaining in the game and the score tied 24-24, kicker Adam Griffith placed the ball perfectly and caught Clemson by surprise as Alabama's Marlon Humphrey recovered it at the 50-yard line. On a night of surprising moments, it was just one of many that went the Crimson Tide's way.