GLENDALE, Ariz.— Alabama coach Nick Saban is rapidly becoming the reincarnation of the late Bear Bryant.

Saban won his fourth national championship in seven years here last night as the Crimson Tide (14-1) outscored top-ranked Clemson, 45-40, at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The only other coach to accomplish that was Frank Leahy of Notre Dame from 1943 through 1949.

This was Saban’s fifth national championship overall. He won his first in 2003 at LSU and has added four more in Tuscaloosa, winning in 2009, 2011, 2012 and this season. His use of personnel and exceptional game day strategy has him entering the conversation when the discussion turns to the best coach in modern day college football history..

Clemson sophomore All America quarterback Deshaun Watson was magical, completing 30 of 47 passes for 405 yards– the most ever in a national championship game– and four touchdowns and sheading Bama’s defense for 478 yards total offense. The Tigers (14-1) piled up 550 yards total offense against the Tide’s seemingly impenetrable defense and ravaged Alabama’s offensive line, surging through for five sacks.

But Saban still found a way to win this instant classic, which had the same type of dramatic momentum swings as the 2005 great Rose Bowl classic between Texas and USC, by squeezing the most out of a pair of unlikely heroes– fifth-year senior quarterback Jay Coker and seldom used tight end OJ Howard– and taking advantage of Clemson’s notorious weaknesses on special teams.

“We didn’t always play pretty in this game,” he said. “It probably wasn’t one of our best games when it just comes to flat execution. But when it comes to competing and making plays when we needed to make them, it was probably as good as it gets.”

Coker, a first year starter who had been labeled nothing more than a game manager at the beginning of the season, had his second consecutive spectacular passing performance, stealing some of the spotlight from Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry by passing for 335 yards and a pair of 53- and 51-yard touchdowns to Howard, who scored his first receiving touchdowns of the season. Coker’s second TD pass to Howard came off a blown coverage and broke a 24-24 tie with 9:45 to play in the fourth quarter. It came two plays after Saban had the courage to call for an onside kick and his players executed it perfectly. Adam Griffith popped the ball down the right sideline, wide of Clemson safety Jayron Kearse and cornerback back Marlon Humphrey caught it in midstride at midfield. “We weren’t playing well on defense. It was a tie game. We needed to do something to change the momentum of the game,” he confessed. “I had confidence in the players. I trusted them, that they would go out and execute it and do it. I mean, if we didn’t get it, they’d have got the ball on the 45- or 50-yard line, so it’s not really like it would have been the end of the world. But it was worth the risk I felt.”

Coker also completed a 63-yard pass to Howard to set up the Tide’s final touchdown, a one yard touchdown run by Henry that give the Tide a 45-33 lead with 3:38 to play.

Henry, who is expected to declare for the NFL draft. finished with 158 yards on 36 carries and scored three touchdowns. Alabama (14-1) broke a 31-27 game open when Kenyan Drake returned a kickoff 95-yards for a touchdown, racing down the sidelines to give the Tide a 38-27 lead with 7:31 to play.

“O.J., quite honestly, should’ve been more involved all year long,” Saban said. “It’s bad coaching on my part that he didn’t have the opportunity to do that all year long.”

The 6-6, 242 pound Howard has often been a forgotten man in the game plan. But he had a career game against Clemson, finishing with five catches for 208 yards and averaged a healthy 41.6 yards per reception after having just 210 receiving yards in nine SEC games.

Howard was selected as the Offensive Player of the game.

‘You know, it makes me think about coming back and playing and making plays nest season for coach,” Howard said. “It” will get me more involved in the offense. As far as that goes, you can’t get frustrated when you’re not getting the ball. I know how that works, you get frustrated you start messing up plays and then you’re getting other guys hurt. If you’re missing a block, you definitely not going to get the ball if you’re pouting about it. You just got to be a good team player and play hard every down, so that’s what I continued to do.”.

While the Tide has been a regular visitor to the national championship, this was Clemson’s first appearance in the title game in 34 years. “I guarantee we will be back,” Tigers’ coach Dabo Swinney said. “It’s been a long time since we sat on top of mountain. We’re not there yet, but will get there.”

Having Watson– who is arguably the most exciting player in the country– back will help. Clemson should be pre-season No. 1 next summer and Watson, along with Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey– should be the two pre-season frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy next year.

But this night belonged to Alabama, which won 12 straight games after an early season loss to Ole Miss.

Saban has come a long way since his first game as a college coach at Michigan State in 1995 when the Spartans lost to a great Tom Osborne Nebraska team, 56-7. “I had just come from the NFL as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns and I’m thinking I may never win a game as a college coach. After the game, Tom Osborne came up to me and said, “You’re not as bad as you think.” I learned a lesson that day. You always think about the next game.”

At Alabama, they are thinking about the next championship.