Don’t you want to be the one to end Clemson’s streak?
Does it make sense for Notre Dame fans to be pulling for one of Clemson or LSU more than the other in next Monday night’s college football national championship?
Neither are anything near a traditional rival, although Notre Dame and LSU have matched up six times since 1997 with the Irish taking four of those matchups.
Meanwhile Notre Dame has played Clemson twice recently, one being a heart-breaking loss in a hurricane back in 2015 and the other being in the 2018 Cotton Bowl when the Tigers erupted in the second quarter to eliminate the Irish, 30-3.
We’ll look at why and why not to root for both teams in the final collegiate football game until August.
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.
Lawrence said Saturday was most physical game he's ever played in. Most sore he's ever felt a day after a game. "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."
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.
Trevor Lawrence explained that the play wasn’t working in practice.
It’s easy to see why Trevor Lawrence didn’t love the play which would ultimately send the Clemson Tigers to the College Football National Championship after a 29-23 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the semifinal.
It was an odd trick play, which looks a lot like what former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow used to run. Still, Lawrence faked a quarterback dive before connecting with running back Travis Etienne for a 34-yard touchdown pass.
“Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of the play in practice,” Lawrence said after Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl, via TheState.com. “It’s tough if the defense doesn’t really bite on it, if that safety comes up hard and takes it away. I felt like it was good just because of how well we set it up throughout the game. I thought it was gonna work then, but throughout the week I was like, ‘I don’t really know about this play.’”
Lawrence took the snap from shotgun and pretended to rush toward the right side of the offensive line. While Lawrence had 16 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown, he looked awfully comfortable throwing from the pocket on Saturday. But this play drew him out of the pocket and closer to the offensive line (and therefore closer to danger), where his visibility probably isn’t great. At the last moment, he popped up and delivered a strike to an pass-catcher — just like it’s designed.
The misdirection of the play can get the defense out of position, much like it did in the fourth quarter in Clemson’s win over the Buckeyes. It worked, in part, because the Buckeyes defense was trying to stop Lawrence as a runner. That created a throwing window for Lawrence and then room to run after the catch ofEtienne. Apparently, in practice, the play didn’t work quiet as smoothly as it did in the game.
Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields face off in an early preview of the battle for the top pick in the 2021 NFL draft
We’re still more than a year away from the 2021 NFL draft, but this year’s College Football Playoff is giving us an early preview of the top two candidates to go No. 1 overall in that class.
Saturday afternoon, Ohio State and Clemson will battle it out in the Fiesta Bowl for the chance to play for a national title. Leading them will be the two best prospects in the 2021 draft class.
After he torched Alabama in last year’s title game, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence was immediately crowned a future No. 1 pick, albeit two years before he could even be eligible. He’s experienced his rough patches throughout his sophomore season for the Tigers, but still has a rare skill set that should have him firmly planted in that conversation next offseason.
Once buried behind Jake Fromm at Georgia, Justin Fields transferred to Ohio State, replacing first-rounder Dwayne Haskins and leading the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and a berth in this year’s playoff. His athleticism and versatility and well-documented, but it’s his prowess as a passer, both inside the pocket and when things break down, that will have him challenging Lawrence for the chance to go No. 1 overall in 2021.
Obviously, plenty can change in a year. Both of these talented passers will have to avoid major injury, and continue their development at their current pace to fend off the other in the race to the top of next year’s draft.
But they both have the talent and potential, along with the coaching staff and supporting cast, to end up at the top of the draft board when April 2021 rolls around.
Don’t miss Saturday’s chance to see them both face off with a trip to the national championship on the line.
If Ohio State is going to be Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, it’ll have to follow and execute its game plan. Here are 3 keys to the game.
And here we are on the doorstep of the biggest game Ohio State football has had in three years (sorry Michigan). In fact, it was the last time the Buckeyes matched up with Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl that we had the same type of implications. The desired destination is the College Football Playoff after all. Hopefully though, things end a little better this time around.
There’s no way around it. Beating a Clemson team on top of the college football world right now is going to be a Lord of the Rings type of journey with everyone pulling their weight. But let it be known, despite most of the media-types out there siding with the Tigers in this one, Ohio State has the horses, athletes, and coaching to get it done.
However, there’s certain things that will have to go OSU’s way if it expects to slay the dragon and make it to the next step of the journey in New Orleans. From there, it’ll have the opportunity to win the program’s ninth national championship (depending on what and how you count).
So what exactly is do the Buckeyes have to do for this thing to have confetti falling on them rather than a Clemson team? Here’s three things we think have to happen to make that a possibility.
Both teams met with the media today at the Fiesta Bowl. Find out what select members of Clemson’s offense said about Ohio State.
While you were getting ready for Christmas and whatever shenanigans and celebrations you’ll be a part of tonight and tomorrow, the Fiesta Bowl set up a little media event for select Ohio State and Clemson players and coaches.
We normally bring you the comments of the other team after an Ohio State game, but in this case we have a ton of quotes from a few of the most notable players and coaches getting ready to suit up for the defending national champion Tigers.
We had defensive and offensive players and coaches to speak on what they saw on both sides of the ball for the Buckeyes and we’re bringing them all to you.
So, here we go, with the offensive players and coaches up first.
Ohio State vs. Clemson Enemy Territory Fiesta bowl preview. Get to know the Tigers https://t.co/8dv3Rt1xTN
Ohio State is ready to match up with the national champion Clemson Tigers in the Fiesta Bowl. Here’s the scouting report on the Tigers.
Before every game, we provide a preview of Ohio State football’s opponent for the upcoming week. It was a twelve game slate to the regular season, then the Big Ten Championship game, and now the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Buckeyes are taking on the ACC Champion and defending national champion Clemson Tigers. It’ll be a daunting task, but one the Buckeyes are hopefully up to. We’re here to give you all you need to know about a Clemson team on top of the college football world right now.
So, if you want to impress your friends while watching the game, we’ve got your cheat code right here. We do the research, you drop nuggets. You win on Saturdays. It’s as simple as that.
Dabo Swinney sees a lot of similarities between the Tigers and Buckeyes.
As the No. 3 Clemson Tigers prepare to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl next weekend, Dabo Swinney’s biggest observation about his next opponent is a fairly obvious one: “A complete team in every sense of the word,” he told ESPN’s Marty Smith.
All season, the Buckeyes have been at or very near the top of the country in both total offense and total defense, and their leaders on both sides of the ball, quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young, were both 2019 Heisman Trophy finalists. They’ve dominated just about every opponent so far this season, and it wasn’t a question of if they’d make the playoff but whether or not they’d be the top seed. (LSU is and will face No. 4 Oklahoma.)
But the only other team that consistently ranked among the top five on both sides of the ball was Clemson. A week out, the Tigers are slight 2.5-point favorites.
“There’s just no weaknesses,” Swinney told Smith about Ohio State (just after the 22-minute mark in the video below).
“I mean, they’re really good. They’re a mirror image of us, to be quite honest with you. If you look at us statistically, we’re [No.] 1 in this, they’re [No.] 2 in this. We’re [No.] 2 in this, they’re [No.] 1 in this. We’re [No.] 3 in this, they’re [No.] 2. I mean, we’re literally mirror images of each other.
“So I really wasn’t surprised to see that statistical analysis, but when you watch the tape, they’re a complete football team just like we are. We’re one of the few teams out there top five in the country [in] total offense and total defense, and so are they. They’re just good.”
Going into the playoff semifinal, the Tigers are ranked No. 3 nationally in total offense (547.7 yards per game) behind LSU and Oklahoma, while the Buckeyes are No. 5 (531.0 yards per game). Tigers’ Trevor Lawrence and Buckeyes’ Justin Fields are two of the best quarterbacks in the game, and the same goes for running backs Travis Etienne and J.K. Dobbins.
When asked what comes to mind about Young, who leads the nation with 16.5 sacks this season (after missing two games), Swinney said:
“Speed, just a monster off the edge, man. He’s a fast, twitchy dude that can get to the quarterback.”
However, Lawrence is behind an offensive line that has limited his number of sacks to 12 so far this season, and although he has eight interceptions this season, he hasn’t thrown one since mid-October. But his counterpart, Fields, has thrown just one.
On the other side, Clemson is No. 1 in total defense (244.7 yards per game), and Ohio State is No. 2 (247.6 yards per game). They’re also both among the top-5 teams in scoring offense and scoring defense, defensive yards per play and first downs. On offense, Clemson is No. 4 with 7.51 yards per play, while Ohio State is No. 7 with 7.02.
Swinney continued to explain what he sees in Ohio State:
“Defensive line, strong. Linebackers, good players, elite players in the secondary that can all run and cover, just like we got. Flip it over to the offensive side: Elite quarterback, elite running back, elite wideouts, elite offensive line. So it’s literally a mirror image of each other. You’re just in different uniforms.
“So it’s gonna be fun, man, just like practice. It’s like what we practice against every day. You know, when we go out there live good-on-good, I mean, that’s the best way you can prepare for a game like this because that’s the level of talent that you’re getting ready to play. … There’s gonna be some fun matchups, but I don’t really see a weakness really anywhere.”
The Fiesta Bowl is the second semifinal Saturday, December 28. LSU and Oklahoma play in the Peach Bowl at 4 p.m. ET, and then Clemson and Ohio State face off at 8 p.m. ET.
Previewing the College Football Playoff futures including National Championship best bets.
The College Football Playoff kicks off Dec. 28 with the semifinals. Top-ranked LSU Tigers (13-0) faces the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (13-0) will battle the No. 3 Clemson Tigers (13-0) in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Below is my best bet and rationale for who will be crowned the national champion on Jan. 13.
Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!
It’s amazing how relatively under-the-radar defending champion Clemson has flown in 2019. A bonafide dynasty, the Tigers have played in four of the five College Football Playoffs, winning two titles in their three Championship Game appearances, including last year’s 28-point blistering of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence received Burrow-esque hype following Clemson’s 2018 title run, but has been largely missing from the national conversation because of a shaky start to 2019 – he threw eight interceptions in his first seven games. However, he finished strong with 20 passing touchdowns and NO interceptions and ended up with 41 total touchdowns. While LSU’s Joe Burrow is getting all the buzz heading into the CFP, make no mistake, Lawrence should be the No. 1 pick whenever he enters the NFL Draft, presumably in 2020.
Led by coach Dabo Swinney and defensive wizard Brett Venables, Clemson has the best coaching staff in the Playoff. No other coach in the CFP has a national championship appearance or title. The Tigers have been here before and the moment will not be too big for them. Despite all the defensive players drafted back in April, Clemson’s defense is still stout, allowing the least passing yards per game (138.5) in the country, and ranking ninth in rushing yards allowed (106.2 YPG).
Another random tidbit that I cannot explain but thought was worth mentioning: The No. 1 seed in the CFP has never won the national title. I don’t know if that’s because the top team is really feeling themselves during the extended break, grows complacent or the opening-round matchup against the No. 4 team isn’t difficult enough to get them ready for the title game. Whatever the case is, Clemson entering the CFP as the 3-seed only makes me feel better about my CLEMSON +200 ticket.
New to sports betting? Every $10 wagered on Clemson to win the National Championship would profit $20 if the Tigers prevail.
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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.
