2016 Fiesta Bowl College Football Semifinal Preview Ohio State vs. Clemson

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Twitter: @charlie_cds3

 

Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) vs Clemson Tigers (12-1)

Fiesta Bowl Overview

The 2016 season is the third year of the four-team College Football Playoff system that has taken over for the BCS format formerly used. The four teams that clinched spots this season includes No. 1 seed Alabama, No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 4 Washington. Alabama and Washington will play in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta (GA) while the other semifinal pits Ohio State against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale (AZ).

Clemson started the season by winning their first nine games to reach the No. 2 ranking in the country. Their only loss came on Nov. 12 against Pittsburgh, a 43-42 home defeat. After the loss, the Tigers won their final two regular season games which included a 56-7 thrashing of their in-state rival South Carolina on Nov. 26 and the ACC Championship Game against Virginia Tech. In a wild back and forth game, Clemson topped the Hokies 42-35 to solidify their spot in the College Football playoffs.

Ohio State opened the season on a six-game winning streak which included wins at Oklahoma (45-24) on Sept. 17 and at Wisconsin (30-23 OT) on Oct. 15. The Buckeyes would suffer their lone defeat of the year at Penn State, a 24-21 defeat the following Saturday on Oct. 22. The loss came as a wake-up call for Ohio State as they found out they were no longer invincible. Over the next three weeks, the Buckeyes outscored their opponents 148 to 26 which included back-to-back wins over Nebraska and Maryland. In their final two regular season games, Ohio State squeaked past their rivals Michigan State 17-16 on Nov. 19 and Michigan 30-27 in double overtime on Nov. 26 to punch their ticket to the college football playoff.

Clemson Tigers

Clemson scored a whopping 40.2 points per game this season by using a more pass-heavy offensive scheme. The Tigers gained on average 332.6 yards in the air and 172.8 yards on the ground during their phenomenal season. The leader of this great offense is 6’3”, 215 pound, dual-threat quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson, a junior, has completed 329-of-487 passes for 3,914 yards and 37 touchdowns and has ran the ball 130 times for 526 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Watson’s favorite target is redshirt-junior wide receiver Mike Williams. Williams has caught 84 passes for 1,171 receiving yards with 10 touchdown receptions. Clemson’s leading rusher is redshirt-junior running back Wayne Gallman who has 196 carries for 1,002 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Another player to watch is junior Artavis Scott who is second on the team with 71 receptions for 592 receiving yards and has five receiving touchdowns.

The Tigers give up 18.4 points a game. However they have a better than average rush defense which only allows 125.8 yards a game. Their pass defense is the weaker link allowing almost 200 yards a game. The Tigers are opportunistic having snagged 18 interceptions this year. Senior linebacker Ben Boulware is the leading tackler on the team with 114 total tackles including nine for a loss and four sacks.

Freshman defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and redshirt-senior defensive tackle Carlos Watkins are the stars of the defensive line. Lawrence has 74 total tackles including 9.5 for a loss and seven sacks while Watkins has 70 total tackles including 10.5 for a loss and 8.5 sacks. Safeties Van Smith and Jadar Johnson are the playmakers in the Tiger secondary. Smith is third on the team with 102 total tackles including five for a loss and one interception. Johnson has 50 total tackles including 1.5 for a loss and leads the team with five interceptions.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State has used their balanced offensive attack to score an incredible 42.7 points a game. The Buckeyes average 258.3 rushing yards and 221.2 passing yards per game. Junior dual-threat J.T. Barrett is the leader of this aggressive offensive unit. Barrett has completed 214-of-346 passes for 2,428 yards and 24 touchdowns and has rushed the ball 194 times for 847 yards with nine touchdowns on the ground.

Barrett’s favorite target is junior all-around athlete Curtis Samuel who has caught a team-high 65 passes for 822 yards and is tied for the team lead with seven receiving touchdowns. Samuel is also third on the team with 91 rushes for 704 yards and has eight rushing touchdowns. Ohio State’s leading rusher is redshirt-freshman Mike Weber who has 177 carries for 1,072 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

The Buckeyes have given up only 14.2 points a game this season. Their strength on defense is their run-stopping ability as they only allow an average of 117.8 yards on the ground per game. Their pass defense is almost as good as they limit their opponents to 164.5 yards in the air and have grabbed 19 interceptions so far this season. Junior linebacker Raekwon McMillan is the team’s leading tackler with 87 total tackles including five for a loss, two forced fumbles and one sack. Junior defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis is the anchor of the front seven as he has 27 total tackles including 10 for a loss and leads the team with 7.5 sacks. Sophomore defensive back Malik Hooker is the playmaker in the secondary as he has racked up 67 total tackles including five for a loss and leads the Buckeyes with six interceptions.

Game Information

Date: December 31

Time: 7 p.m. (EST)

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, Arizona

Network: ESPN

Line: Ohio State -3

Keys to Victory

If Clemson wants to win this game the Tigers must limit their turnovers. Watson has thrown 15 interceptions this year and Clemson has lost the ball 9-of-18 times they have fumbled the ball. If the Tigers turn the ball over they can be rest assured that Ohio State will take advantage. Another key for Clemson will be to stop the Buckeyes rushing attack. Ohio State has three players with over 700 yards on the ground but the Tigers only allow 125.8 rushing yards a game. This will be a unique battle to watch throughout the game.

If Ohio State wants to win and advance they must continue their trend of doing a great job of converting their third down situations. On the season, the Buckeyes have converted 90 out of 185 third downs which comes out to 49 percent. If they can do a good job of using all their weapons on offense they should continue to convert their third downs and control the clock.

Another key for the Buckeyes will be to stop Clemson’s passing attack. Opponents are only gaining 164.5 passing yards against them but Clemson is averaging almost double that per game. Opportunities will be there to make plays as Clemson has thrown 18 interceptions. If Ohio State can stop the air attack or at least slow it down they should be able to come out on top when the clock strikes zero in the fourth quarter.

Final Analysis

Both teams know they are just one victory from reaching another national championship game. Ohio State made it in the inaugural college football playoff title game in 2014 when they defeated Oregon, 45-20. Clemson made the national championship game last season but lost to Alabama 45-40 in a high scoring affair. The offenses of both squads are very powerful so it has the potential to turn in a shootout if neither defense forces any mistakes.

The team that wins will have the defense that steps up and makes the biggest plays.

This will be a close game but Ohio State gets the slight edge as their defense is slightly better and they have more playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Clemson 27