2016 Fiesta Bowl
In the second game of the College Football Playoffs, the No. 2 Clemson Tigers will face the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.
For the first time since the College Football Playoffs began, the Fiesta Bowl will be used as one of the games for them. Ohio State is very familiar with the Fiesta Bowl, playing in an FBS-best 8th time in the game. Clemson however, will have their inaugural Fiesta Bowl berth. In their all-time head-to-head series, Clemson is 2-0-0 against Ohio State with their last win being in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
Fiesta Bowl
When: December 31st, 2016; 7 EST
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium; Phoenix, Arizona
TV: ESPN
Clemson Tigers
Clemson is coming into this game as underdogs despite being ranked higher than Ohio State. Their only blemish on the season came in a 43-42 loss to Pittsburgh at home with two games left in the regular season. The Tigers rebounded well with two more wins and an ACC Conference Championship. Clemson has gotten as far as they have by having a strong offense that can overpower most defenses. Clemson has scored 35 points or more in nine of their 13 contests this season. The Tigers will need to continue this strong offense if they want to beat Ohio State.
The Clemson offense has averaged 505.7 yards per game, which ranks them 13th in the FBS. Their offense is led by Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson. Watson has been a Heisman hopeful for two seasons now, and fell just short both years. This season, Watson took a different approach than last season and focused on displaying his throwing ability more. He ended the season with 3,914 passing yards with 37 touchdowns and 15 interceptions with 529 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. He spreads the ball around well, with two receivers over 70 receptions, three over 600 yards, and three with seven or more touchdowns.
While Watson has been the most notable player on Clemson, junior running back Wayne Gallman will also have a major role in this game. Gallman ended the season with 1,002 yards and 15 touchdowns. Ten of these touchdowns came in the last six games on only 86 carries. The only game of these six that Gallman did not have 17 or more carries was against Syracuse when Clemson blew them out 54-0. Gallman is facing a tough Ohio State defense but the Buckeyes have given up all five of their rushing touchdowns in the last seven games.
Ohio State
Ohio State has been a part of most of the controversy involved since the beginning of the playoffs three seasons ago. This season, Ohio State made the playoffs despite not winning the Conference Championship and losing to Penn State, the B1G Champions. The Buckeyes certainly have a Playoff worthy resume however. Ohio State has wins over No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Oklahoma, and No. 8 Wisconsin. While not ranked in the Playoff poll, Ohio State also has a 62-3 blowout over Nebraska, who is ranked in both the AP and Coaches Polls.
Despite losing 16 starters, Ohio State still managed to find success offensively. Junior Curtis Samuel has been the most consistent player on the Buckeyes offense by far this season. He has been a factor in both the rushing and receiving offense for Ohio State. Samuel has tallied 1,526 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. While these statistics may not seem high for college, Samuel was splitting rushing carries with freshman Mike Weber. Samuel currently has a streak of six consecutive games with touchdowns and has scored in all but two contests this season. He will need to continue this success to help Ohio State keep up with the fast-paced Clemson offense.
While the Ohio State offense has been inconsistent as a whole all season, the defense has not. The Buckeyes have given up over 25 points all season and that was to Michigan in double overtime. Statistically, Ohio State ranks 14th in rushing yards allowed, 6th in passing yards allowed, 3rd in turnover differential, and the list goes on and on. With two All-American on defense and three other All-B1G players. The Buckeyes will need to utilize this talent if they want to move on to the National Championship.
Prediction
Like the last match-up between these two, this will be a close game. Ohio State will need their defense to step up again to stop Clemson’s high-powered offense. For Clemson to win, they will need to hope that Gallman can continue his recent success against an Ohio State defense that has had trouble in the red zone lately. The key match-ups to watch will be Malik Hooker vs Mike Williams and Curtis Samuel vs Ben Boulware. Early spreads of the game have Ohio State favored by roughly four points.
Ohio State 31, Clemson 28
Main Photo
