2016 Fiesta Bowl Live: Clemson vs Ohio State College Football Playoff semifinal
The 2016 Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 2016 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 44th Fiesta Bowl was one of the New Year’s Bowls of the College Football Playoff Source Wikipedia
The 2016 Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 2016 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 44th Fiesta Bowl was one of the New Year’s Bowls of the College Football Playoff. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season.
The game was televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and broadcast on ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio, with the kickoff time set for 1:00 P.M. ET (11 A.M. MT). Sponsored by obstacle racing series BattleFrog, it was officially known as the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl.
Coincidentally, it took place 10 years after the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, that was also played by Ohio State and Notre Dame. That was also the last time Notre Dame participated in the Fiesta Bowl.
The two participants for the game will be determined by the College Football Playoff selection committee, and will consist of at-large selections and/or the highest ranked team from the “Group of Five” conferences. The two participants are going to be the #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 10–2 VS The #7 Ohio State Buckeyes at 11–1.
The 2016 Fiesta Bowl showdown between Ohio State and Clemson has everything a college football fan could want.
The stakes are high with a berth in the College Football Playoff National Championship hanging in the balance. There is plenty of star power at quarterback (Deshaun Watson and J.T. Barrett) and head coach (Urban Meyer and Dabo Swinney). There will also be NFL prospects all over the field for both sides.
The Buckeyes and Tigers have become regulars in the CFP, with each program making it to two of the three editions. Ohio State won the national title in the first version, while Clemson lost to Alabama in heartbreaking fashion in last season’s championship clash.
Fiesta Bowl 2016: Examining Key Stats, Matchups for Ohio State vs. Clemson
The showdown between the two evenly matched programs figures to come down to a couple of critical matchups. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the key stats and a breakdown of those matchups.
The stats and national rankings are current as of Sunday.
Watson is the face of the program and Clemson’s best chance to win the national title. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist and entered true superstardom in last season’s national championship game when he torched Alabama’s vaunted defense for 405 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air.
The Tigers boast a top-10 passing offense in the country thanks to Watson and a number of talented targets. Mike Williams (1,171 receiving yards), Jordan Leggett (637 receiving yards), Deon Cain (621 receiving yards) and Artavis Scott (592 receiving yards) will all pose threats to the Buckeyes on any given play.
Don’t just assume the Tigers will rack up a ton of points with so many weapons. While Watson threw for 3,914 yards and 37 touchdowns, he also tossed 15 interceptions. Few defenses are as opportunistic as Ohio State’s (sixth in the nation in interceptions), and there are three NFL prospects who will be waiting to pounce on any Clemson mistake.
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Safety Malik Hooker had six interceptions and ran three of them back for scores, while cornerbacksMarshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley can shut down receivers on the outside. Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus said Conley was second in the nation in opposing quarterback rating this season, while Lattimore was fourth.
The Tigers could look to Ohio State’s game against Northwestern earlier this season as a blueprint for attacking the dominant secondary.
The Wildcats lined up Austin Carr in the slot to escape Conley and Lattimore, and he finished with 158 receiving yards. The Buckeyes can adjust and move Conley or Lattimore into the slot if Clemson tries the same tactic with Williams, but the Tigers have a number of other weapons that someone else will have to cover.
Stopping Clemson’s attack will fall in the hands of less-heralded defensive backs Damon Webb and Damon Arnette if the Tigers scheme to avoid Hooker, Lattimore and Conley.
Ohio State’s Rushing Attack vs. Clemson’s Run Defense
While Clemson and Ohio State are among the nation’s leaders in almost every statistic above, there are a couple of notable exceptions. The Tigers rank just 67th in the country in rushing yards per game, while the Buckeyes are 77th in passing yards per game.
The matchup between Ohio State’s secondary and Clemson’s passing attack is so important because that is how the Tigers move the ball (and that is where so many future NFL players line up for each side). The same can be said about the Buckeyes’ rushing attack against Clemson’s run defense.
Ohio State uses a combination of Barrett, Curtis Samuel and Mike Weber to dictate the tempo of the game. Meyer’s offense spreads the opposing defense and uses no-huddle tactics, but it ultimately relies on running between the tackles or to the outside with the quarterback and running backs.