Alabama and Clemson traded punches in one breathtaking opening quarter of the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night, but the Tigers took control of the game in the second quarter and proceeded to destroy the Crimson Tide for the rest of the game.

Clemson handed Alabama its worst loss of the Nick Saban era on the biggest stage of all, outscoring the Crimson Tide 30-3 over the last 45 minutes and shutting out the vaunted Alabama offense in the second half.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin broke down the game Tuesday during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, and said that Saban’s decision to shut down the offense going into the half was telling.

Dan Patrick: “When did you know Alabama was in trouble?” Lane Kiffin: “At the end of the first half, when they sat on the ball there. And it was an aggressive gameplan by coach Saban. He went for it in his own territory, which is unusual for him. And then when that sat on the ball with whatever it was, 30 seconds left and all their timeouts, I was kind of a little worried it was going the other way.”

Clemson scored 17 points on its final three possessions of the first half, including a 36-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining. Alabama took over at its own 25-yard line following a touchback and had timeouts to work with, but after an incompletion by QB Tua Tagovailoa on 1st-and-10, Alabama opted for a running play to eat up the clock.

Tagovailoa had a poor game by his standards, passing for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions – including a pick-six – but Kiffin defended Alabama’s coaches, and noted that it’s always easier to reevaluate the gameplan in hindsight.

“You can’t fault the offensive coaches. I mean, [Alabama’s] got some great receivers, great quarterback that had done some unbelievable things, set all the records. But sitting there watching it – which, it’s always easier to watch than it is when you’re in the moment calling those plays. You don’t see it as well, especially if you happen to be on the sidelines. So watching it, yes, that was the feeling [that Alabama should have run the ball more]. They were not stopping the run, and that three-headed monster of the three running backs, they were always fresh. All three guys are NFL running backs, and Josh Jacobs was unstoppable in short yardage. It’s easy to second guess and all that, ‘in the redzone, why didn’t you go wildcat because they hadn’t stopped wildcat all day with Josh?’ But that’s why your guys’ job is easy.”