Tag: 2019 Fiesta Bowl

WATCH: Ohio State’s plane arrives in Phoenix for Fiesta Bowl

Watch as Ohio State football’s plane arrives at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport in the Fiesta Bowl.

You know it’s real when the cleats hit the ground. All the lead up to the Fiesta Bowl comes to fruition when you step off the plane and walk into the desert air.

That’s exactly what Ohio State did around 2:30 PM Mountain Time today when its plane touched down at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Sunday.

You can watch the plane arrive and hit the pavement under what looks like some cloudy skies in Phoenix, thanks to the official Twitter feed of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. There were plenty of reporters there to witness the event and subsequent press conference.

Click on the below and watch OSU’s plane arrive in the desert.

But wait, that’s not all. There are real live coaches and players on that plane. Here’s the team’s coaches, players and select family members disembarking.

Ohio State and Clemson are all set to face off in Glendale on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 8 PM Eastern.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day Fiesta Bowl arrival press conference

The Ohio State football team has arrived in Phoenix to begin prep for the Fiesta Bowl. Head coach Ryan Day spoke to the media upon arrival.

The Ohio State football team has arrived in Phoenix to begin preparations for the Fiesta Bowl Saturday against Clemson. Well, more or less. Some players have to fly from home and will be arriving later today. But head coach Ryan Day has definitely stepped off the plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.

After the team disembarked, coach Day and players Davon Hamilton and Josh Myers held a brief press conference to field questions from media member on hand to cover the arrival.

We don’t have the video, but we do have the complete transcript of all of Day’s comments. He discussed his team’s preparation, the health of everyone, what it means to be in the Fiesta Bowl, and more.

NEXT … Complete Ryan Day Fiesta Bowl arrival transcript

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Fox College Football Crew predicts Ohio State vs. Clemson in Fiesta Bowl

Former Ohio State head coach and his FOX College Football crew including each picked the winner of Clemson and OSU in the Fiesta Bowl.

We’re now less than a week away from the Fiesta Bowl that’ll showcase No. 2 Ohio State against No. 3 Clemson. And of course, as we get closer, you’re going to run into more and more predictions. We’re not immune to it, and in fact — we’ve already put together ours.

But guess what crew also did? How about the one that’s seen more than half of the Ohio State games this year — the FOX College Football crew. Brady Quinn wasn’t a part of it, but Matt Leinart, Joel Klatt, and of course Urban Meyer gave their thoughts individually on who wins the titanic clash in the desert.

You can probably guess who Meyer went with, but click on the below and see what the three individuals said, and ultimately decided to go with to move on to New Orleans.

Ohio State vs. Clemson 2019 Fiesta Bowl Preview: Get to know the Tigers’ five best players

What players on Clemson could make life difficult on Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl CFP Semifinal? Here are the Tigers’ five best players.

We’re less than two weeks away from the College Football Semifinal matchup in the Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson. As a Buckeye fan, we know you’ve been up at night thinking about this matchup and what to be aware of. So, we’ll be bringing you things leading up to the game, and first up is a cliff notes version of the best five players on this Tigers’ squad.

It’s not Clemson is the great unknown opponent. You don’t win a couple of national titles over the last three years and go under the radar, but still, with the schedule and lack of coverage of the ACC Champion’s year, you may not be completely up to speed on who has been the biggest playmakers for Dabo Swinney’s club.

Here’s the Clemson Tigers five best players of 2019 so far, and ones that the Ohio State coaching staff will no doubt have to have an answer for.

Next … No. 5

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Ryan Day talks Clemson, Fiesta Bowl prep press conference

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media in Columbus to provide an update on preparations for the Fiesta Bowl. Watch and read here.

It’s not your normal game week around on the banks of the Olentangy. In fact, there’s not a game at all this weekend, but there is a big one coming up after all the Christmas shenanigans on the 28th. Because of that, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took some time out to talk with the media and provide and update on the Fiesta Bowl prep.

There’s also a little thing known as the Early Signing Day coming up on Wednesday, so there’s plenty to discuss.

In case you missed any of the comments he made on Monday, we’ve got the entire presser and the transcript of it thanks to the Ohio State Buckeyes website and Twitter account below.

Click and listen to Day give an update on his team’s preparation for the Fiesta Bowl, the departure and potential replacement of Jeff Hafley, Joe Burrow, and much, much more.

Next … Full Ryan Day transcript of Fiesta Bowl prep press conference

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The X Factor player for Ohio State Against Clemson is …

If Ohio State hopes to dethrone Clemson and get into the national championship game, it’ll need this player to come up big.

While it seems that everyone is picking Clemson to win the titanic struggle in the desert, maybe there is one specific player that can make all the difference in the world for Ohio State.

In the Big Ten Championship game, KJ Hill was crucial to the success of Ohio State with his ability to catch the underneath routes to balance the deep threat ability of Chris Olave. Everyone has raved about Olave since he emerged last year against That Team Up North, but KJ Hill is as reliable as it gets and is often overshadowed and underappreciated.

In the Wisconsin game, Hill had a game-high seven receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. His performance in the second half is what allowed Ohio State to open up the deep passing game to Olave.

The tandem of Olave and Hill is crucial to the success of Ohio State, but without the underneath routes, the safeties can stay high and limit the deep threat. Hill is second on the team in touchdowns, but he often gets the tough and dirty underneath yardage that isn’t nearly as glorious.

In order to reach the pinnacle of where this Ohio State team hopes to end up in 2019, it’ll need to rely on the experience of Hill to keep the defense guessing in the passing game. The fact that Hill is Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions says he’s up to the task.

Ohio State favored over Clemson according to ESPN’s FPI Matchup Predictor

Ohio State may be the underdog according odds makers, but per ESPN’s FPI Matchup Predictor, it’s favored to beat Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.

Well, not everyone believes Clemson will beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Just most everyone. Despite the avalanche of media analysts and websites predicting the Buckeyes’ inevitable defeat at the hands of the defending national champions, we found one metric that actually favors the Big Ten champions.

According to ESPN’s FPI matchup predictor, it’s not Clemson that has the best chance to win, but rather Ohio State. In fact, it gives the scarlet and gray a 54% chance at winning the Fiesta Bowl once all the confetti falls in the desert night on December 28.

So why does the FPI like Ohio State? Because once all the game metrics and play had time to roll into the big, bad machine that analyzes all the data, the Buckeyes broke records for some of the metrics used to determine just how good a team is. So, you’re seeing a carryover.

Of course, this is all just on paper, and we could go on and on about how flawed ESPN’s measurements are (it had Ohio State outside the top ten preseason), but it’s still a nod to how dominant this year’s OSU team has been.

Now it’s all about putting all those analytics to work when the rubber pellets meet the desert air.

Here’s everything Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said about Ohio State upon selection to the Fiesta Bowl

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day held a press-conference upon selection to the Fiesta Bowl. Here’s what the Clemson head man said about Ohio State.

Ohio State and Clemson will be facing off in the Fiesta Bowl as one of the two semifinal matchups of the College Football Playoff. Neither team is a stranger to all the playoff fun that was started just a few years ago. Ohio State won the inaugural event at the end of the 2014 season, and has been selected three out of the six years.

Clemson on the other hand, has won two national championships out of four tries, and is the reigning national champions from the 2018 season.

Needless to say, it’s two of the programs that have been on top of the college football world, and only one of them will be moving on after the titanic struggle in the desert night on December 28.

To whet your appetite, the two head coaches held a joint press conference earlier in the week to provide an initial preview of the event. Both Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Clemson head man Dabo Swinney had the utmost respect for each program and was very complimentary in their comments toward the other.

In case you missed all that was said, we have the complete transcript for you thanks to what the Fiesta Bowl put together after the press conference was over. The comments appear in their entirety in the following. Click through and enjoy.

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Next … Ryan Day and Dabo Swinney opening remarks

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Fiesta Bowl tickets for Ohio State vs Clemson are officially sold out

The Fiesta Bowl, one of two College Football Semifinals, will showcase Ohio State vs. Clemson. The matchup is officially sold out..

The Fiesta Bowl, one of two College Football Semifinals, will showcase Ohio State vs. Clemson. And now, the matchup is officially sold out, the Bowl’s Twitter account noted.

The game will be played on December 28, 2019, and kickoff is set for 8 pm EST. The 2 pm tweet came just a few days following the announcement of the matchup.

Two of the three remaining undefeated programs, this will certainly be the more notable of the two semifinal games.

For Ohio State, it’s about re-writing history. The last time these two teams met, Clemson destroyed Ohio State, beating the Buckeyes 31-0. The Buckeyes also lost to the Tigers in the 2014 Orange Bowl 40-35.

A 31-point beatdown is certainly still felt, and a senior like KJ Hill should have a little extra motivation heading into the late-December matchup.

Ohio State, one of the nation’s most prestigious football programs, has created a fanbase that travels well. That said, expect the game, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, to have a good amount of Ohio State and Clemson fans in attendance.