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ALABAMA WINS A THRILLER IN OVERTIME! Here are the top plays and big moments everybody will be talking about

Alabama and Georgia face off in the College Football Playoff championship. These are the biggest plays and moments.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are the college football national champions for the fifth time in nine years, and they did it with a thrilling win over Georgia in overtime on Monday night.

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Bama trailed 13-0 at halftime as it struggled to move the ball and Georgia repeatedly converted on third down. But in the second half, Alabama coach Nick Saban made the gutsy decision to switch to a true freshman quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who had not seen meaningful action this season.

Tagovailoa sparked the Crimson Tide, leading them to four scores in the second half and a shot to win the championship at the end of regulation with the score tied 20-20. But a missed field goal by Alabama sent the game to overtime.

In OT, Georgia kicked a field goal and then sacked Tagovailoa for a massive loss on first down. But on the next play, Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith on a 41-yard touchdown, and Alabama is the national champion for the 15 or 17th time, depending on whether you believe Bama or the NCAA. It was also Saban's sixth championship — more than every other active FBS coach combined.

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Below we tracked the biggest plays and top moments.

It was a rainy night in Atlanta. For the most part it was a good thing the game was indoors. But there was a report prior to the game of a leak coming from the roof directly above the field.

Source:

Fans were forced to wait outside as one gate was locked down waiting for the arrival of President Donald Trump. When his motorcade finally arrived, the fans booed.

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For the first time, the first-down markers had cameras embedded in them to give a better view on plays at the first-down line.

In addition, the pylons had microphones to pick up sounds in addition to their cameras.

UCF wasn't invited to the College Football Playoff, but its now-former head coach Scott Frost was on hand. Terrell Owens was also in the house, rooting on Alabama.

President Donald Trump was on the field for the national anthem.

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And we're off!

Bama had the first big play of the game on the opening drive. Tony Brown got beat deep but recovered on the underthrown pass for the interception.

Bama couldn't convert the turnover into points, however, as it missed a field goal — and it wasn't even close.

Not surprisingly, the game was low-scoring to start. The game was scoreless at the end of the first period, but Georgia was driving deep in Bama territory.

The drive eventually stalled, with Georgia settling for a field goal on the 15th play of the drive that gave it a 3-0 lead.

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Georgia picked up a huge third-down conversion in the second quarter on this catch by Javon Wims. He managed to get his hand down in bounds before landing out of bounds.

But again, Bama's defense bent but didn't break as Georgia's drive stalled. The Bulldogs once again called on their bespectacled kicker, and it was 6-0 midway through the second quarter.

The story of the first half was Georgia converting on long third downs, especially with running plays. The Bulldogds were 6-for-11 in the first half, including this run by Sony Michel in the final minute that kept the drive alive.

That led to the first touchdown of the game, on a trick play. Quarterback Jake Fromm went in motion and Mecole Hardman took the direct snap and ran it in. It was 13-0 Bulldogs at the half.

Tua Tagovailoa started the second half for Alabama. The true freshman from Hawaii threw only 53 passes during the season, and none with Alabama leading by fewer than 10 points.

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Georgia seemed to get a huge play early in the second half when it blocked a Bama punt. But it was ruled that the Bulldogs had jumped offside. It was close. It probably should have been a false start on Alabama, which would have negated the block also.

On Tagovailoa's second drive he produced Bama's most exciting offensive play of the night to that point. This scramble kept the drive alive.

Four plays later, Tagovailoa had Bama on the board with a touchdown pass. It's 13-7. Not bad for a kid who was in high school a year ago and had not previously played in a college game that was not considered late-game, mop-up duty.

Georgia quickly responded with an 80-yard lob to Mecole Hardman.

But was he out of bounds? The touchdown stood on replay, but even the TV crew thought it looked as if he stepped out.

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The two teams traded late-third quarter interceptions, including this one by Fromm that was deflected off a lineman's helmet before the 306-pound Raekwon Davis picked off the pass.

Bama got a field goal that made it 20-10. But on the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Mekhi Brown picked up an unsportsmanlike penalty when he appeared to throw a punch at a Georgia player. On the sideline he then appeared to go after a coach.

In a scary scene on the sideline, freshman defensive back Kyriq McDonald collapsed on the sideline. It was unclear what happened, but he was tended to by emergency medical services and taken off on a stretcher. He did appear to be conscious.

Amazingly, Brown (48) was allowed to stay in the game. After Alabama cut the lead to seven with a field goal, he made a huge hit on the ensuing kickoff.

Bama tied it up! With less than four minutes to go, it was 20-20 as Georgia's offense suddenly went cold and the Crimson Tide seemed reinvigorated.

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The Bulldogs' offense was struggling. Their last five drives in regulation ended in one interception and four punts.

Alabama had a shot to win it at the end of regulation, but the kicker missed it! On to overtime.

Nick Saban seemed not pleased.

Alabama wins! After Georgia kicked a field goal on its first overtime drive, Bama responded with a 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith following a first-down sack.

Nick Saban lifts the trophy again.

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Now see where Alabama ranks among the most dominant college football programs.

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