WATCH: Clemson CB AJ Terrell Intercepts Tua Tagovailoa for TD on Alabama's Opening Drive

The interception—which came on Alabama's first drive of the game—was only Tagovailoa's fifth of the season.

Dov Kleiman/Twitter

Clemson conerback AJ Terrell gave his team an early lead when he intercepted Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for a touchdown on the Crimson Tide's first drive of the national title game. 

Terrell took the 44-yard run into the end zone for the Tigers. The drive was capped off with an extra point to give Clemson a 7–0 lead to start their quest for a national title with 13:20 left in the first quarter.

Alabama Tua Tagovailoa starts the game with a pick-six against Clemson.https://t.co/FKVz16lkTI

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 8, 2019

The throw was Tagovailoa's fifth interception of the season. Tagovailoa rebounded strong on Alabama's next drive, throwing a 62-yard touchdown to tie the score. 

The pick-six marked Terrell’s fourth time intercepting a quarterback in his career. The sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., recorded 45 tackles and two interceptions going into Monday night's national championship game.