Clemson executed an onside kick with one second left in Monday night’s national championship game. The Tigers, who kicked it after scoring a game-winning touchdown to avoid letting Alabama run the kick back, recovered it, leaving just a kneel down left for the Tigers to seal their big victory.
Clemson’s onside kick vs. Bama was risky, but brilliant
That play had more drama than we realized. A (literal) last-second miracle was still on the table for the Tide, as three other teams proved with onside touchdowns this season.
On the one hand, it was smart not to kick it deep, as Bama could’ve run it back for a touchdown or pulled off a lateral-filled miracle. (Also, the kick was revenge for Alabama’s surprise onside kick last year, something the Tigers corrected for in this game.)
Clemson also seems to have surprised Bama, with the Tide players lined up far away from the line and being caught off-guard by the onside. They were apparently expecting a squib kick to the middle of the field. You can see how only two players were anywhere close to the ball once it crossed the 45 and became live, and they were both out-positioned by a circle forming around Clemson’s kicker.
On the other, it was a slightly risky move to kick it short, and not just because (as we saw on this one) it’s possible to recover an onside kick without any time coming off the clock. It Bama had been able to fall right on the ball, that last second might not’ve run off, leaving time for a Hail Mary.
Bama could’ve even scored on the onside kick itself; we’ve got the receipts to prove it.
None of them changed a game-winner, but all three had implications in Las Vegas.
Cal had just scored with under a minute left to cut the Bears deficit to just three points. Not only did Cal not recover its onside kick, Arizona State’s DJ Calhoun returned the ball for a touchdown.
In Week 6, Georgia was up 21-14 on South Carolina with less than two minutes to go, and the Gamecocks attempted an onside kick. Georgia recovered it, and Terry Godwin returned it for a touchdown.
And Missouri trailed Florida, 33-14, before Florida ran one back.
So, shout-out to Clemson for not having an onside kick not backfire, like we saw happen to three other teams this season.
It’s possible that this was a read by the kicking unit, after seeing how far back Bama was lined up. If that’s the case, that’d mean both teams stung each other with crucial onside kicks in consecutive years by observing kick return formations.
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