Tag: Capital One Orange Bowl

Tennessee 31, Clemson 14 Capital One Orange Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

Tennessee 31, Clemson 14: Capital One Orange Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

Tennessee beat Clemson 31-14 to win the Capital One Orange Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?

Tennessee 31, Clemson 14 Capital One Orange Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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Capital One Orange Bowl What Happened

– Joe Milton connected with Bru McCoy for a 16-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, Jabari Small rumbled for a two-yard score, and the Vols had a 14-0 lead and no problems from there. Clemson was able to pull within seven in for fourth on a Cade Klubnik touchdown run, but Milton answered right back with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Ramel Keyton to put it away.

– Clemson owned the clock and controlled the tempo of the game, but it couldn’t close. BT Potter hit two field goals, but he missed three field goals and the Tigers failed to give him a shot late in the first half when the clock ran out with Klubnik being tackled deep in Vol territory.

– Milton threw three touchdown passes. He found Squirrel White late in the third quarter for a 14-yard score and a 21-6 lead and didn’t make any big mistakes. He completed 19-of-28 passes for 251 yards and three scores and he ran for five yards.

100 Best Bowl Players | Ranking How Good the Bowls Were

Capital One Orange Bowl Player of the Game

Aaron Beasley, LB Tennessee
Game-high 12 tackles – ten solo stops – with two sacks and four tackles for loss.

CFN Experts Picks CFP NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Capital One Orange Bowl Fun Stats

– Time of Possession: Clemson 36:23 – Tennessee 23:37

– Total Yards: Clemson 484 – Tennessee 375

– Clemson QB Cade Klubnik completed 30-of-54 passes for 320 yards and two picks, and ran 20 times for 51 yards and a score.

Capital One Orange Bowl What It All Means

Tennessee closed out the season in style – literally. The offense didn’t have star QB Hendon Hooker of his star receivers who made the season so great, and the attack still worked. Of course it’s about the parts that make the engine go, but a 31-14 win over the ACC champion showed that it’s as much about the Josh Heupel system and style of play.

With 11 wins the Vols had their best season since 2001. It was the first bowl win since 2019 – they lost the Music City to Purdue last year – to make it 5-1 in bowls since losing the 2010 Music City.

Yeah, Clemson won the ACC Championship, and yeah, Cade Klubnik looks special. But the program needs to work with the transfer portal and has to upgrade the overall talent just a wee bit to get back over the hump. It’s great as is, but it had more parts in place than Tennessee did in this, and it didn’t matter.

Even so, it was a phenomenal year. It was the 12th straight year with double-digit wins and the first season with 11 wins or more since 2019. No, this wasn’t fun, but under Dabo Swinney the Tigers are 8-4 in post-season games over the last 11 years.

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Clemson vs Tennessee Capital One Orange Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Clemson vs Tennessee game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Capital One Orange Bowl on Friday, December 30

Clemson vs Tennessee prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Capital One Orange Bowl, Friday, December 30

Clemson vs Tennessee Capital One Orange Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Clemson vs Tennessee How To Watch

Date: Friday, December 30
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Clemson (11-2), Tennessee (10-2)
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Clemson vs Tennessee Capital One Orange Bowl 5 Things To Know

Capital One Orange Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– This would’ve been so awesome if everyone was in place in a College Football Playoff game between these two. As is it should be extremely entertaining.

It’s not just the Tennessee had a breakthrough season under head coach Josh Heupel. It’s that it showed just how explosive and fun it’s going to be for a long, long time.

It beat Bama, blew out LSU, and wasn’t totally awful in the loss to Georgia. Losing to South Carolina was bad, losing star QB Hendon Hooker to a knee injury was worse, but getting to the Orange Bowl is still a magnificent way to finish up the season.

There’s no Jalin Hyatt – the nation’s best receiver is getting ready for the NFL – and receiving mate Cedric Tillman is joining him, but the offense should still work and the defense is relatively intact.

– Clemson also gets back a ton of future NFL stars, especially on the offensive front. QB DJ Uiagalelei is gone to Oregon State, and losing pass rusher Myles Murphy and LB Trenton Simpson hurts, but this is QB Cade Klubnik’s offense to run and the next level would love to have the Tiger starting front four on D.

The Tigers would’ve been in the College Football Playoff had they beaten South Carolina – yeah, the CFP would’ve gone with a 12-1 ACC Champion over TCU and/or Ohio State.

Considering they way they buckled against the Gamecocks and got run over by Notre Dame, this – even more than the blowout over North Carolina in the ACC Championship – is the biggest moment for this year’s team. This will define the 2022 season narrative.

– Dabo Swinney is amazing in bowl games. He lost his first two at Clemson – one of them was the 70-33 epic to West Virginia in the 2012 Orange – and has been 10-4 since with two of the losses coming in College Football Playoff National Championships and two others in CFP semifinals.

– Tennessee won four straight bowls before dropping last year’s amazing 47-45 Music City to Purdue. Head coach Josh Heupel is 1-3 in bowl games – he was 1-2 at UCF before last year’s controversial loss with the Vols. The guy knows the Orange Bowl, though. He was the starting quarterback for Oklahoma in the 13-2 2001 BCS Championship win over Florida State.

– The Orange Bowl has been wildly hit-or-miss. It was a dog as a College Football Playoff semifinal last year – a 34-11 Georgia win over Michigan that was over after a few drives.

Going all the way back to 1996, 19 of the last 26 have been decided by double-digits. That’s totally misleading – there were some classics in there – but the bowl deserves something wild. This might be it.

CFN Experts CFP, NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Why Clemson Will Win The Capital One Orange Bowl

If you want the Cade Klubnik national breakout party to begin – America’s attention wasn’t exactly on the ACC Championship when the Big Ten title game was going on at the same time – here you go.

DJ Uiagalelei struggled against North Carolina, Swinney made the call right away and put in Klubnik, and …. boom. 20-of-24 for 279 yards and a touchdown in the blowout.

Now he gets the Tennessee secondary.

At some point this year the Vols were going to pay for their problems on defense. Florida’s Anthony Richardson rolled for over 450 yards, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett had an efficient day in a win, and ol’ Bryce Young came up with 455 yards and was a Jahmyr Gibbs drop away from Bama probably winning in Knoxville.

But it was South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler who went totally bonkers with 438 yards and six touchdowns – and, most shockingly for him, no picks – in the 63-38 win.

Now it should be Klubnik’s turn against the fifth-worst pass defense in the country. That, and the ball control aspect to this game should matter.

Clemson doesn’t dominate the clock, but it should have the ball for at close to 35 minutes, mainly because Tennessee doesn’t care a lick about time of possession and was dead last in the nation at it.

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Why Tennessee Will Win The Capital One Orange Bowl

For all the talent and all the NFL star power on the Clemson defense, it wasn’t all that hard to move the ball on this bunch.

Wake Forest did it through the air, Notre Dame did it on the ground, Florida State did it however it wanted to, and Spencer Rattler had himself a day against the Tigers right after he disposed of the Vols.

Oh sure, the superstars up front can get into the backfield and be disruptive, and the overall stats are fine, but for Tennessee it’s going to be about cranking up the running game for over five yards per carry and getting a monster day out of Joe Milton.

The former Michigan quarterback got the start for Josh Heupel last year, but he was quickly replaced by Hendon Hooker. Thrown into a tough spot when Hooker went down, Milton wasn’t bad with a few deep plays in the loss to South Carolina and was just fine in the blowout over Vanderbilt.

The spotlight will be on Klubnik. Milton has the arm and enough experience to be okay, but as long as he can get things moving with his legs along with his arm, and if the running backs can help the cause, the offense will keep moving.

Here’s the problem …

Capital One Orange Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Clemson vs Tennessee Prediction, Capital One Orange Bowl History

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ESPN updates bowl projections after Week 1: Where is Notre Dame headed now?

Hot takes after week one

The first official week of college football is finally over and everyone is having their hot takes from just one data point. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have made their bowl projections, which will undoubtably change between now and when the matchups are announced. Find out where Notre Dame landed along with the New Year’s Six and College Football Playoff pairings and who advances to the CFP Finals.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

 

‘It’s a start’ — Jim Harbaugh, Wolverines vow Michigan’s 2021 season is just the beginning

#Michigan now knows what it takes to get here. Now it’ll have to work to get further.

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It may have been Michigan’s year, but on the last day of 2021, it wasn’t Michigan’s night.

As Georgia was getting up on the makeshift stage to receive the Capital One Orange Bowl trophy and celebrate its advancement to the national championship game, a handful of young Michigan players refused the leave the field, watching what they missed, presumably soaking in this moment, pre-visualizing being in the Bulldogs’ shoes next time around.

That’s all they get, for the moment. Because the Wolverines faltered mightily in the now-season finale, with Georgia reclaiming the mantle of the elite, while the maize and blue have to but wonder how much further it will take to reach similar heights.

Make no mistake: Michigan belonged here. It eviscerated nearly every opponent, every step of the way. It vanquished Ohio State. It won the Big Ten Championship. Its best was excellent enough most days to destroy most of the teams in its way, but on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium, these Wolverines learned it’ll take more than what they’ve got. Perhaps it’s a valuable lesson learned.

Friday featured an uncharacteristic set of circumstances for the maize and blue. While the offense came out aggressive, it didn’t result in points. It turned the ball over with regularity, with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Georgia was the one that got out to a fast start, scoring the first 17 points before the Wolverines got a field goal, getting one of the touchdowns in a similar fashion (a running back passing the ball) to Michigan’s second vs. Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. The defense couldn’t stop the Bulldogs until the second half, and while it only allowed one touchdown in the final 30 minutes, the damage was done. It was too much against too vaunted a defense.

But, as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said initially after the Ohio State game, he reiterated the same after Friday’s College Football Playoff loss: this is the start more than an untimely end.

“Yeah, it was a great season. To me it’s one of the best seasons in Michigan football history,” Harbaugh said. “We were trying to make it greater. We were trying to make it greater tonight. But it was still a great season. This team won’t be together fully next year. It’s still a beginning for this team. This is about when our guys Josh Ross to my left here and Cade McNamara to my right, that’s when it began last year, and it’ll begin anew this year. Start of a new year.

“Proud of them, the way they kept fighting. I could say they were — there’s never any quit in these guys. It’s a very resilient – ton of resolve with this football team, and as I said, to me it feels like a start. Feels like a beginning.”

“Yeah, we climbed mountains this season that no one thought we could,” edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson said. “We did some things that nobody expected this Michigan team to do. I think we set the standard for the future of Michigan football and we really helped this program tremendously for the future.

“All those young guys, they got this scar tissue now, being in the playoffs, losing, having to feel this. I know they’re going to bounce back next year and give ’em hell.”

Some teams build on their success. Others crumble at their failures. Michigan has a road to choose and it intends on taking the former.

But in order to do that, it’ll need some revitalization, unfortunately. Hutchinson, a team captain and heart of the team, has put on a winged helmet for the last time. He, among others, was the catalyst for a stunning turnaround from 2020 to this season’s 12-2 campaign.

Hutchinson has already worked on passing the mantle, noting that he believes the program is in good hands.

“We got a lot of guys on this team coming back that they listen to us leaders this year, they learn from us,” Hutchinson said. “I mean, they’re with us through the thick and the thin.

“I know Michigan football will be in good hands next year with one of those guys. I mean, they’re going to step up. Already started talking to a couple of them that I know are going to be leaders next year. Michigan football will be in good hands. They’ve learned this whole season what leadership is and how it’s supposed to be.”

But, naturally, that will take some work. As Harbaugh sees it, though the outcome wasn’t what this team wanted, it’s a starting point.

“Keep building and attacking,” Harbaugh said. “I think our ballclub was in position to do it and weren’t able to get it done tonight, but always building and attacking at the same time.”

So were Blake Corum, J.J. McCarthy, Donovan Edwards, Mike Morris, and Andrel Anthony watching the trophy presentation because they were preparing for a future where Michigan was in the same position? Or were they merely watching their betters on Friday receive their award?

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until next year to find out. But having seen, tasted, and witnessed what it takes to reach this point, it’s no longer a pipe dream as it perhaps has been in the recent past.

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What Jim Harbaugh said about Michigan football’s loss to Georgia

Disappointing game, but incredible season for #Michigan. #GoBlue

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It wasn’t the result that any of the maize and blue faithful were hoping for, considering that the Wolverines were a game away from the national championship, but they fell to Georgia, 34-11, in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Anything that could go wrong for Michigan football did go wrong, as the Wolverines uncharacteristically stalled, stopped, turned the ball over, couldn’t run, and defensively couldn’t stop an offense that was thought to be a mirror of themselves.

After the game, Jim Harbaugh met with the media to discuss Michigan’s 14th and final game of the season. Here is everything he had to say.

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Alabama Wins Orange Bowl Over Cincinnati: Reaction, Analysis, 5 Thoughts

Reaction, Analysis, 5 Thoughts on Alabama’s Capital One Orange Bowl win over Cincinnati

Alabama beat Cincinnati to win the Capital One Orange Bowl. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.

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Alabama beat Cincinnati 27-6: Capital One Orange Bowl 5 Things That Matter

Final Score: Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6
CFN Prediction: Alabama 37, Cincinnati 20
Line: Alabama -13, o/u: 57.5

5. Alabama played like it knew Cincinnati wasn’t going to score

Bryce Young overshot his guy on one throw, but he didn’t take a whole lot of chances.

Alabama kept running the ball because it worked, but also because it didn’t want to do anything crazy.

Alabama was able to come up with a business-like, safe performance on offense, because the defense that had its rocky moments this season stepped up its play to the College Football Playoff level – and it seemed to know that Cincinnati didn’t have a prayer of doing anything big offensively.

That’s not Cincinnati’s fault. Desmond Ridder didn’t have any time to work, Jerome Ford didn’t get free to run, and that’s all because the Bama defensive front took over and held from late in the first Bearcat drive on.

From jump, this looked like an Alabama team that was comfortable in its position and surroundings.

That was Alabama knowing it was Alabama and Cincinnati wasn’t.

However …

Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff 5 Thoughts 
4. Bryce Young was fine, but …
3. That’s the Brian Robinson Bama needed
2. Cincinnati lost, but it was just fine
1. Alabama is still great, and it’s okay

NEXT: Bryce Young was fine, but …

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Jim Harbaugh updates Daxton Hill’s status before Capital One Orange Bowl

Fingers crossed he can play! #GoBlue

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DANIA BEACH, Fla. — The big question surrounding Michigan football in the past week is whether or not junior safety Daxton Hill will be available to play in the Capital One Orange Bowl against Georgia on Friday.

The day before the game, we finally got a little clarity.

It was discovered earlier in the week that Hill remained in Ann Arbor while the rest of the team made its way to South Florida. Michigan did not disclose the reasons as to why Hill did not make the trip.

On Thursday, head coach Jim Harbaugh said that the Wolverines will have a better idea on whether or not he’ll be able to play in the College Football Playoff semifinal later in the day.

“His status is going to be questionable,” Harbaugh said. “He’s working through something right now. We’ll know more today whether he’ll be able to play.”

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But does that mean that Hill has made his way to South Florida? Or has he yet to make the trip?

Harbaugh clarified, saying that he still hasn’t arrived, but if he’s cleared to play, he could be down in the area by later Thursday.

“He’s not right now. He might be,” Harbaugh said. “He could be here today. He may not. But not currently in Florida, no.”

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What Jim Harbaugh and Kirby Smart said about Capital One Orange Bowl matchup

There was a lot discussed between the two head coaches.

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DANIA BEACH, Fla. — The surest sign that the Capital One Orange Bowl is on the horizon is the head coaches press conference taking place, with both Jim Harbaugh and Kirby Smart both representing their respective schools.

From how both teams have fared in practice, to what it’s like facing off against each other, to program similarities, to Daxton Hill’s status, a lot was covered as both the Michigan football and Georgia Bulldogs coaches took questions from the media in the joint press conference. They spoke for 45 minutes combined in the virtual media availability.

Here’s what both had to say on Thursday morning.

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Michigan defense breaks down Georgia’s quarterbacks

It’ll be interesting to see how the defense performs against the Georgia offense. #GoBlue

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DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Though much of the talk when it comes to matchups in the Capital One Orange Bowl has been centered on the Michigan offense against the Georgia defense, perhaps just as important is how the Wolverine defense fares against the Bulldog offense.

While UGA wants to run the ball, just as Michigan does, it’ll be crucial for Georgia, if it wants to have success, for whoever is under center to have a good game. Unfortunately for whoever that may be — whether it’s Stetson Bennett or J.T. Daniels — the Wolverines pass rush will have something to say about that.

It’s presumed that Bennett will retain his starting position and play at least the bulk of the game, as he presents options for the Bulldogs not just in passing, but also running if plays break down. Naturally, the Wolverines are already ready for his mobility.

“Yeah, I think the strengths of this Michigan defense match up really well,” linebacker Josh Ross said. “You’ve got a quarterback in Stetson Bennett who’s a consistent quarterback and extends plays, and as a defense we have to do a really good job stopping the run on 1st and 2nd down and having a great game plan on 3rd down and getting off the field.”

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“Yeah, Josh is right,” edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson added. “He’s a very mobile quarterback, so that’s definitely a point of emphasis, but first things first, we’ve got to stop that run game. That’s definitely the point of emphasis, and then get them to 3rd-and-long and let us rush the passer and get after it.”

But what if J.T. Daniels ends up getting a significant amount of play? How are the Wolverines preparing for both?

“I’d say they’re both good quarterbacks, and we just know that we just always have to make the tackle,” cornerback DJ Turner said. “They’re really good quarterbacks and make good reads.”

”Yeah, mobile, know how to sit in the pocket, too,” edge rusher David Ojabo added. “You’ve just got to account for them at all points.”

The Capital One Orange Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. EST at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

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What Kirby Smart said about Michigan football the Wednesday before the game

He’s particularly leery of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. #GoBlue

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DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Michigan football vs. Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl is but days away now, and both teams are gearing up for what looks to be a perpetual fist fight in the trenches.

Being that it’s the College Football Playoff, both teams will look to use whatever they can to find an advantage, and both the Wolverines and Bulldogs are heavy when it comes to utilizing the tight end position.

On Wednesday, Georgia coach Kirby Smart met with the media to discuss the matchup and noted that while the Bulldogs love using Brock Bowers, the Wolverines have a cadre of tight ends at their disposal that they like to use as well.

“Yeah, size, speed, match-ups,” Smart said. “You’ve got to be careful, you can’t put a little guy on a size-speed guy. He can get overpowered, overmatched. You’ve got to have the personnel to match the offensive personnel. I don’t care if that’s five wides or if that’s 14 personnel, and they’ve got a back and four tight ends in there.

“Everybody can control the match-ups they want to try to emphasize to what the strength of their team is, and Michigan does a tremendous job of utilizing those tight ends.

“They’re easier to use in play action. They’re good match-ups for intermediate routes. They’re really good for the play-action game off of wheels, off block and release. They do a tremendous job of that. I think both these teams utilize their tight end skill sets really well.”

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But perhaps the great equalizer on the Michigan side of things is the pass rush. While tight ends may be used to chip, with players like Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, Michigan has still managed to get home, no matter what other teams throw at them.

Smart spoke about the challenge that the Wolverines’ formidable pass rushing duo present, saying that he’s learned a lot by talking to coaches of other teams who have already faced Hutchinson and Ojabo. What he hadn’t realized is that it isn’t just talent as much as it is the drive that both have.

“Yeah, the first thing you have to do is match their intensity,” Smart said. “Regardless of the talent they have, the strain, the desire, the want-to leaks through on the film.

“You talk to people that have played them, it’s one of the first things they talk about is man, we didn’t take into account how hard they played, how much effort, how much want-to, how much desire. That has to come from within. That doesn’t come from a star that was given to you out of high school. That doesn’t come from a reputation you got. That comes from like within, what do you have inside you, what stamina do you have in the fourth quarter to pass pro or run block, whatever it requires in the fourth quarter, to outwork the player, out-strain the player in front of you. Those two guys just are tremendous want-to — you can tell they push each other. They go against a really good offensive line every day in practice, so those guys are really good competitors, and they’re a huge challenge for our offensive line.

”Our offensive line embraces challenges like this. They want these opportunities. It’s what you come to college to go play against is the best in the country, whether that’s the best in the country at run defense or best in the country at rushing the passer. You want to play against the best. You want to be measured against the best, and that’s what the playoffs allow you to do.”

Michigan and Georgia are set to kick off on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. EST at Hard Rock Stadium.

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