Tag: 2019 Fiesta Bowl

Ohio State vs. Clemson Fiesta Bowl top game of year according to ESPN

ESPN named its top 100 games of 2019, and Ohio State’s loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl took the top spot.

It was another fantastic college football season in 2019. We can look back and feel some regret for sure, but the reality is that there were a lot of really great games that made us fall in love with this game all over again, even if Ohio State didn’t quite finish the deal on the national stage.

ESPN has looked back to and named its top 100 college football games of the year, and you might suffer from some triggers when we tell you what game landed at No. 1. Yep, you guessed it. The worldwide leader in sports programming has named the Ohio State vs. Clemson matchup in the Fiesta Bowl as its top contest of 2019.

Here’s what Bill Connelly said about the game that will live on as a missed opportunity forever in Buckeye history.

It was the only game so good I decided to score it like a 12-round title fight.

It featured star moments from virtually every one of the game’s stars: Trevor Lawrence’s absurd 67-yard gallop. Justin Fields’ huge fourth-down, fourth-quarter touchdown pass. Travis Etienne’s touchdown explosions. J.K. Dobbins’ 68-yard run (followed soon after by a 64-yard run). Isaiah Simmons’ tiptoeing interception. A hurry and half-sack (later overturned) by Chase Young with Ohio State trying to seize control of the game in the second quarter.

It contained a lingering waft of controversy thanks to refs having to make two of the hardest types of calls (a less-than-100 percent-clear targeting call and a vital catch-or-no-catch ruling). That never hurts for making a lasting impression.

It gave us all the plot twists a great game should feature — a 16-0 start from Ohio State, a 21-0 run by Clemson, three second-half lead changes (with a fourth prevented only by a last-minute interception) — and on a national semifinal stage. The most talented players in the country, playing in one of the most important games, and putting on a lasting show. Can’t ask for much more than that from college football.

The game was definitely entertaining, and I’m sure all the rest of the country loved watching it. As for me and I’m sure a large contingent of Buckeye fans, it left me a little sick to my stomach.

Hopefully there’s jubilation to remember next time Ohio State is put in the same position. But yeah, you have to agree with Connelly on this one — it was a highly entertaining game with drama and intrigue. Especially as an unbiased observer.

 

Ryan Day vows to use Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson as motivation

Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day spoke to the Value City Arena crowd Thursday night and vowed to use the Clemson loss as motivation.

The Ohio State football team accomplished an awful lot this past season. It went undefeated during the regular season, won the Big Ten Championship, beat its arch-rivals for the seventh straight time. and appeared in the College Football Playoff. That’s a good year no matter how you slice it.

But it ultimately finished short on the goal of winning a national championship. Making the final four in any season is great, but when you get there, there’s still work to do. The Buckeyes laid it on Clemson early in the game and raced out to a 16-0 lead, but then some breaks and momentum plays went the wrong way.

At the end of it, Ohio State was left asking “what if” as celebration ensued on the Clemson sideline after a flukey interception in the end zone to seal it. The Buckeyes outgained, out possessed and outplayed the Tigers for a majority of the game, but the final score of 29-23 is all that mattered in the end.

If you think it was a turn the page type of affair, then you were sadly mistaken. Head coach Ryan Day and the football team was honored at halftime of the game against Minnesota on Thursday and Day made it clear how he felt about what happened in the desert night out in Arizona.

“That game out there in Arizona didn’t sit well with any of us,” said Day to the Value City Arena crowd. “I just want everybody to know in the room right here — that game did not sit well with us. And you have my word we’re not going to forget about that game. And our guys have already been working hard, working hard with coach Mick (Marotti), and we’re going to do everything we can to keep that game in the back of our minds so next year we come back even stronger.”

You can get a listen to his comments to the crowd below thanks to the Twitter feed of Colin Hass-Hill.

You tell ’em Day. Sometimes there’s nothing like failure to spur a team on to greater heights. Some of our best lessons in life are learned through defeat. Not only is Day preaching about remembering what happened in the Fiesta Bowl, but the staff has also installed a sign in the weight room with the final score emblazoned on it.

Hopefully it all works as motivation towards an even bigger year in 2020.

 

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State was most physical game he’s been a part of

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence spoke to the media two days after the Fiesta Bowl and gave Ohio State credit for a tough and physical game.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been in a big game or two, even at his young age. Just a sophomore, Lawrence has played the likes of Texas A&M, Florida State, Notre Dame, and of course Alabama. That’s not to mention rivalry games with South Carolina and a whole host of ACC teams over the past two seasons.

But Saturday against Ohio State was different according to Lawrence. While appearing with the media two days after the thrilling Fiesta Bowl Saturday, the Tigers’ quarterback said that playing the Buckeyes was the most physical game he’s been a part of to date.

“It’s a good feeling when you wake up and feel that way. A bunch of guys felt that way. Hats off to Ohio State, that game was so tough.”

That is especially notable when you think about all the athletes, physicality, and talent on Alabama’s team last year. Clemson took the Tide behind the woodshed for a national championship, but that doesn’t take away from the collection of bad intentions a Nick Saban led team has.

So, yeah — it was a bitter and disappointing loss Saturday night, but Ohio State players and fans should be proud that the team showed up and gave Clemson all it could handle and then some.

Fiesta Bowl most watched non-New Year’s Day Semifinal of CFP era

ESPN is reporting that the Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson was the most watched non-New Year’s Day CFP semifinal to date.

According to the ESPN PR department, the Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson was the most watched College Football Playoff semifinal not played on New Year’s Day.

That’s a mouth full, but you know what they mean. No, not that semifinal games should be played on January 1 (sounds too obvious doesn’t it), but that a lot of people were interested in what went down in the desert on Saturday night.

All told, ESPN reports that the game had 21.2 Million viewers. That’s the highest viewership of eight total semifinals played before New Year’s Day, and is a bump of 9 percent over last year’s most watched semifinal.

So, if you were literally tuned into the dramatics and flair happening inside of State Farm Stadium, you were clearly not alone.

Big Ten Supervisor of Officials says Ohio State fumble return for TD in Fiesta Bowl should have stood

The Big Ten Supervisor of Officials is the latest experts to assert that the Fiesta Bowl fumble return TD should not have been overturned.

Look, we’re not whining or crying about what transpired in the desert on Saturday night (okay, maybe a little), but we are finding more and more well-respected officiating experts come to the defense of what happened with Ohio State over the weekend.

There were a handful of controversial calls over the course of the Fiesta Bowl, but the one everyone continues to talk about more than others is the scoop and score TD when Jeff Okudah dislodged the ball from Clemson receiver Justyn Ross. Safety Jordan Fuller quickly picked it up and ran it in for a go-ahead touchdown and all of Buckeye Nation celebrated, even after watching the slow-motion replay.

But wait.

Somehow, someway, the SEC officiating crew overturned the call and took points off the board.

Since then, Clemson fans have complained about the outcry over the perceived overreach by the replay booth official, but it’s clear Ohio State had fans have a leg to stand on. The latest officiating expert to come out and say the call should have never been overturned is the Big Ten Supervisor of Officials Bill Carollo.

Carollo, when talking to CBS Sports couldn’t believe the call was overturned.

“I haven’t talked to anybody who thought it was an incomplete pass,” Carollo told CBS. “To reverse it, it has to be really obvious.”

Again it cannot be stressed enough that Ohio State could have won this thing by taking care of missed opportunities, but you can now add another well-respected officiating expert who has over 30 years of experience with officiating to the growing number of folks that are perplexed on what happened with this SEC crew.

Ohio State WR Chris Olave takes blame for last play in Fiesta Bowl

Ohio State WR Chris Olave took full responsibility for the interception to end the Fiesta Bowl. Buckeye nation still appreciates him.

There are heartbreaking losses, and then there are program-defining losses that will be forever remembered. The latter happened for Ohio State in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl Saturday night. I told some fellow media members after the game that I’ve never witness an OSU football game in which I just felt so surprised on the outcome based on the way things went.

I am still shocked Ohio State didn’t pull that out last night.

The Buckeyes came out the way they needed to, played very well on both sides of the ball for the most part throughout the entire game, and outgained and outplayed Clemson for most of the contest. But in the end, there were a few too many key mistakes, and surely a few too many calls that simply didn’t go the good guys’ way.

Give the Tigers credit, but I don’t for one minute believe head coach Dabo Swinney didn’t have one-second where he thought his team might lose, no matter what he says.

Still, even at the end of the game, Ohio State marched right down the field in rhythm — executing its two-minute offense to perfection and found itself in position to cap off a game-winning drive. But just like the rest of the game, another break didn’t go the right way.

Justin Fields had plenty of time to throw and slung a pass with conviction toward wide-receiver Chris Olave. Unlike just a couple of possessions early though, this time instead of a touchdown, the pass was intercepted.

The way it was picked off will stick into the DNA of the program forever. Fields threw to a post-pattern while Olave broke towards the corner, leaving Clemson DB Nolan Turner all alone to make the easy play.

Afterwards, Olave owned what he called his mistake.

“It was a one-on-one with me on the safety, and I was supposed to run the post,” Olave said following the Fiesta Bowl thriller. “But when I looked back I thought he scrambled — so I tried to work the second part of my route. He ended up throwing it, and that’s how the game ended.”

That’s a big-time own by a kid that has turned into one whale of a threat in the passing game. And remember this: Ohio State isn’t likely in the College Football Playoff without Olave’s game-changing playmaking this year.

Olave is one heck of a kid, and is mature beyond his years. He strikes you as appreciative and engaging in post-game locker room sessions, always ending each interview with “appreciate you.” He’ll bounce back.

Go get ’em next year Chris. Appreciate you.

 

Watch what Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said about Ohio State after the Fiesta Bowl

Clemson HC Dabo Swinney met with the media following his team’s thrilling victory in the Fiesta Bowl. Watch what he said about Ohio State.

Clemson did it again. Ohio State outgained and outplayed the Tigers for the majority of the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, but the defending champions got up off the mat, and made the plays they needed to at the end to snatch the victory away from Ohio State.

Head coach Dabo Swinney was a happy man after the game and took time to meet with the media in Phoenix after all the confetti fell. He praised the heart and resiliency of his team, but also had some very complimentary things to say about the Buckeyes.

In case you missed it, you can catch his complete comments in the YouTube video below. Thanks to TigerNet for archiving Dabo discussing his team, the play of Trevor Lawrence and the play of Ohio State.

Ohio State AD Gene Smith was not happy with replay official in Fiesta Bowl

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith voiced his displeasure of the Fiesta Bowl replay booth to a couple high-profile media members.

Taking all things aside, there’s no denying the fact that the 2019 Fiesta Bowl was a highly entertaining one. Ohio State raced out to a 16-0 lead, then Clemson reeled things back in before a back-and-forth nip and tuck affair. In the end, the defending national champions made one more play than Ohio State, but it was must-watch television.

But about that controversy …

By now, you know about the targeting penalty that removed a key player from Ohio State’s secondary. You also know about the overturned fumble TD return that took a touchdown off the board for the Buckeyes. Both were questionable, and both were a result of a replay official’s judgement call and had a big hand in costing Ohio State the victory in the desert night Saturday.

Sure, the Buckeyes could have made less mistakes and taken more advantage of their opportunities, but there’s no denying the impact of the decisions made in the booth.

Apparently Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith wasn’t happy about what he called an “overreach” by the replay official in the booth. He talked to not one, but two high-profile members of the media to voice his displeasure shortly after the game.

First we saw this from FOX analyst Joel Klatt.

That’s a softer tone than what we saw from Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports.

Now, Smith may feel this way, as do several Ohio State fans and even neutral observers that watched the game. And yeah, he is right to some degree, but to voice displeasure in the media is not a good look and sounds a little like sour grapes.

Smith did at least end things with a positive note to the team.

My guess is that Smith probably wishes he handled it a little bit differently, but he’s not the only one that felt like the world was against Ohio State Saturday night.

 

Veteran NFL referee says overturned fumble was wrong call while the SEC crew defends itself

The Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson had a very controversial fumble TD overturn. Veteran NFL referee disagreed with SEC refs.

Ryan Day was asked numerous times about the game changing calls made in the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson on Saturday night. He handled it with class saying it was too close to the game to answer without emotion, but calling it “overwhelming”. Buckeye nation is right there with you Coach Day.

In sports, it’s never one play that determines a win or loss, but it always feels like it. Yes, Ohio State had chances and missed some key opportunities, but in a game of this magnitude, the story should never be about the referees. However, that’s exactly what the SEC officiating crew did.

There were several controversial calls in this game, but none more egregious than the overturned scoop and score midway through the third quarter. Veteran NFL referee, Terry McAulay shared the same sentiment.

This is a great angle. There is absolutely no way replay should have reversed. “Indisputable video evidence” is simply not there.

Meanwhile, Ken Williamson of the SEC crew tasked with officiating the game defended their decision in an interview after the game saying they felt the ball was coming loose in the receivers hands.

Williamson said the play was reviewed in the stadium as well as at the video review center the SEC uses in Birmingham, and said they determined when Ross moved, the ball was becoming loose in his hands and he did not complete the process of the catch.

Ralph D. Russo – AP News

I’m not sure what video this crew was watching, but the ball doesn’t appear to be coming loose in the three and a half steps the receiver takes until Jeff Okudah strips it out.

Officiating is part of the game and sometimes that means blown calls. But the story of such a massive game shouldn’t be about the men in stripes and unfortunately that’s what we got with an overturned call that wasn’t “indisputable”.

 

Ohio State loses to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl: 5 things we learned

Ohio State battled through adversity but came up a little short in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl. Here’s five things we learned in heartbreaking fashion.

It was right there for the taking. Ohio State jumped out to an early lead and punched Clemson in the mouth. Then a few things went the wrong way, like controversial calls, second-chances and big plays from Clemson. Just like that, the ball game was on, and it stayed tight right through the end.

The Buckeyes got one last chance to wrestle redemption from despair at the end of the game, but a break down in communication resulted in an interception in the end zone that sealed the deal.

A fantastic season is now over, and it feels so premature for this team. As is customary, here’s five things we learned after the heartbreak in the desert.

The best team doesn’t always win

I’ll probably get hate mail from sweet tea and grits country on this one, but the better team didn’t win tonight. Give all the credit in the world to Clemson for making one more play than Ohio State did, but if you watched the game I did, the Buckeyes were more talented and probably should be the one playing in New Orleans instead of Clemson.

OSU got more yardage, more rushing yards, more passing yards, more first downs and won the time of possession yet still somehow lost this game. It seemed like every big call and every break went the way of the Tigers, and then when they needed to make something happen to win this thing, they did.

I’ll go to the grave though believing this is one that should have been in the win column.

Next … J.K. Dobbins is a warrior

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