O.J. Howard explodes in national title game, and it was a long time coming

At every stop on his coaching journey, Nick Saban has always favored big, rangy, versatile tight ends as part of his offense, no matter who was coordinating it. His old boss from the Cleveland Browns, Bill Belichick, values the position as well, and always has. All-Pro Rob Gronkowski may be the best, but he’s just the latest in a long line of top producers.

Since 2013, Alabama fans have been anticipating the moment tight end O.J. Howard became the Next Big Thing for Alabama. A 6-foot-6, 242-pounder from Prattville, Ala., Howard’s production as a pass-catcher typically came in flashes — like, say, against LSU as a freshman:

So the potential was there. For the most part, though, Howard was mostly anonymous, at least to the casual fan. He finished with only 17 catches and no touchdowns in 2014, mostly because Lane Kiffin’s pass offense was dedicated to getting Amari Cooper the football first, second and third.

In 2015, Howard caught a pass in every game except two (vs. Georgia in the pouring rain in Athens, and against Florida in the SEC Championship Game), but he had not scored a touchdown since 2013 as the season ended.

It wasn’t fair to say Howard was a “bust.” He’s not a great blocker, but his coaches have insisted he has improved monumentally in that area. And given his size and ability, he was always going to be a pro prospect as a tight end, miniscule production aside.

Then the postseason started. Howard hauled in three passes in the 38-0 semifinal blowout of Michigan State, including a 41-yarder. He was part of the mix, and more was expected of him in the title game.

And he delivered.

The junior hauled in five passes for an incredible 208 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama beat Clemson because of its special teams explosion … and because of O.J. Howard, who was suddenly wide open all night long.

The three plays that made the difference Monday night were victories for both offensive scheme and Howard’s athletic ability.

The first, on the first possession of the second half, was something of a gadget play. Jake Coker play-faked to Derrick Henry, then pump-faked a screen pass to ArDarius Stewart. Howard faked a block on the defender in front of him, then took off, and the safety on that side, T.J. Green, ignored him as he streaked down the sideline.

https://youtu.be/4Jkord-MOVg

The second TD, coming two plays after Adam Griffith’s perfectly executed onside kick in a 24-24 tie, was the result of  Green once again forgetting about Howard to cover a short receiver.

Earlier in the game, Calvin Ridley had caught a shallow crossing pass and made a first down against a Tiger zone while Howard “cleared out” with a deep route. This time, Green bit up on the shallow cross, and Howard was once again free.

Howard’s final big play wasn’t a touchdown, but was probably the play that ended the game’s competitive phase. With his offense needing to drain 4:40 off the clock in a 38-33 game, Howard caught a short flip from Coker — the play was another “series” play, in that Howard essentially faked a cutoff block he typically throws on a Henry run, then snuck out into the flat. From there, his speed took over, and carried him 63 yards to the Clemson 14.

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Six plays later — and with 1:07 left in the game — Henry poked the ball across the plane of the goal line, and Bama had its 16th national title in hand.

Explanations for Howard’s explosion in Glendale were varied. “We were resting him,” Lane Kiffin deadpanned after the game.

Nick Saban went one step further, saying his squad didn’t use Howard enough during the regular season.

“O.J., quite honestly, should have been more involved all year long. Sometimes he was open and we didn’t get him the ball, but I think the last two games have been breakout games for him in terms of what he’s capable of and what he can do. I would say it’s bad coaching on my part that he didn’t have the opportunity to do that all year long, because he is really a good athlete, and he’s improved tremendously as a player this year.”

The other major takeaway, of course, is Alabama’s absurd depth on offense, which manifests itself in a way that a five-star player who’s basically been forgotten for the past two seasons suddenly appears out of (apparent) thin air.

He had his night though, on the grandest of stages.

And that, we’ll never forget. Neither will Howard.

Will Heath

Will Heath is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football.