Fantastic Fiesta finish! Clemson comeback lifts Tigers to championship game vs LSU
Clemson defensive back Nolan Turner was picked on by Ohio State during Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl, including when the Buckeyes attacked him for a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Almost 10 minutes after that score, with No. 3 Clemson clinging to a six-point lead, No. 2 Ohio State was driving and needed a touchdown to punch its ticket to the championship game. OSU quarterback Justin Fields went after the reserve Clemson safety again in the end zone. This time the redshirt junior made a game-clinching interception with 37 seconds remaining to send the Tigers to their fourth national title game in five years.
Clemson (14-0) defeated Ohio State 29-23 and will face No. 1 LSU in the championship game Jan. 13 in New Orleans, looking for its second consecutive national title and its third in four years.
“We’re going to celebrate this one, and then give these guys a couple of days off. Then we’re going to get focused on trying to find a way to win one more,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “It’s going to be a heck of a task, but we’re thankful that we got the opportunity... A tough one for either team to lose, but in the end, these guys found a way to get it done.”
Fields’ intended receiver on Ohio State’s final offensive play was Chris Olave, who was running a post route but broke off his route because he thought Fields was scrambling. Instead, Fields fired the ball to the middle of the end zone where only Turner was left.
“I don’t know what happened to the receiver and I could care less,” Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.
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Clemson’s offense, which was out of sync for much of the game, scored the go-ahead touchdown minutes earlier when Trevor Lawrence found Travis Etienne for a 34-yard touchdown with 1:34 remaining.
Lawrence faked as if he was going to run, before finding Travis Etienne, who slipped out of the backfield. Etienne caught the short pass and was off to the races, breaking a tackle as he extended into the end zone for what ended up being the game-winning score. The Tigers went 94 yards in four plays on the drive.
“There was never one second that I did not think we were not going to win the game. That’s the honest answer,” Swinney said. “Trevor and I talked about it on the sideline, ‘Man, is this fun or what?’ I’m not real sure how we’re going to win this thing, but we’re going to win the game and it is going to be an epic thing.”
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The Buckeyes responded by marching to the Clemson 23 before Turner picked off Fields to seal the win.
Ohio State looked like it was set to run away with the game early on. The Buckeyes outgained Clemson 222-77 in the first quarter and led 16-0 midway through the second quarter, before the Tigers finally got on the board.
Tigers running back Travis Etienne scored from 8 yards out to cut Ohio State’s lead to 16-7 after a wild series of plays. The drive appeared halted when Lawrence was sacked on third-and-five, but the play was reviewed and Ohio State’s Shaun Wade was called for targeting and ejected, extending the drive.
“We had all of the momentum. Then when we got the sack, and then the penalty was called on Shaun. The momentum swung right there,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.
Moments later, Lawrence rushed for a career-long 67-yard touchdown to trim OSU’s lead to 16-14 going into halftime.
Etienne scored three touchdowns in the win. Lawrence (259 yards passing, 107 yards rushing, three scores) was named the game’s offensive MVP. Clemson linebacker Chad Smith (12 tackles) was named defensive MVP.
It was the first loss for Ohio State (13-1) and coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes had a 19-game winning streak snapped. Clemson, meanwhile, has won 29 straight games.
“I mean, what a football game,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “It’s a shame somebody had to lose that game. I told Ryan, that Ohio State team, what an unbelievable game, their quarterback, their back, those guys played their hearts out. But in the end, our guys showed what they’re made of. They’ve got the heart of a champion, they’ve got the eye of a tiger.”
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Trevor Lawrence, who showed his toughness by scoring his 67-yard touchdown run just moments after being knocked from the game briefly on sack.
Play of the game: Lawrence’s run was nice, but a roughing-the-punter penalty against Ohio State in the third quarter extended a Clemson drive. Moments later, Lawrence connected with Travis Etienne for a 53-yard touchdown and Clemson’s first lead of the game.
Stat of the game: 3 — field goals by Ohio State in the first half. The Buckeyes had 516 total yards of offense but had trouble finding the end zone when the opportunities were there.
When is the CFP national championship game?
Who: Clemson vs. LSU
When: 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans
TV: ESPN
Fiesta Bowl stats, box score
Clemson | 0 | 14 | 7 | 8 | — | 29 |
Ohio St. | 10 | 6 | 0 | 7 | — | 23 |
First Quarter
OSU—FG Haubeil 21, 12:03.
OSU—Dobbins 68 run (Haubeil kick), 8:35.
Second Quarter
OSU—FG Haubeil 22, 14:11.
OSU—FG Haubeil 33, 7:20.
CLE—Etienne 8 run (B. Potter kick), 2:45.
CLE—Lawrence 67 run (B. Potter kick), 1:10.
Third Quarter
CLE—Etienne 53 pass from Lawrence (B. Potter kick), 7:54.
Fourth Quarter
OSU—Olave 23 pass from Fields (Haubeil kick), 11:46.
CLE—Etienne 34 pass from Lawrence (Higgins pass from Lawrence), 1:49.
A—71,330.
CLE | OSU | |
First downs | 21 | 28 |
Rushes-yards | 29-158 | 39-196 |
Passing | 259 | 320 |
Comp-Att-Int | 18-33-0 | 30-46-2 |
Return Yards | 20 | 3 |
Punts-Avg. | 7-44.9 | 6-45.3 |
Fumbles-Lost | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Penalties-Yards | 6-47 | 8-77 |
Time of Possession | 26:33 | 33:27 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Clemson, Lawrence 16-107, Etienne 10-36, Dixon 1-17, (Team) 2-(minus 2). Ohio St., Dobbins 18-174, Fields 14-13, Teague 7-9.
PASSING—Clemson, Lawrence 18-33-0-259. Ohio St., Fields 30-46-2-320.
RECEIVING—Clemson, Ross 6-47, Higgins 4-33, Etienne 3-98, Overton 2-30, Rodgers 1-38, Ngata 1-11, Dixon 1-2. Ohio St., Hill 6-67, Mack 6-54, Dobbins 6-47, Wilson 4-47, Olave 3-50, Victor 3-38, Farrell 1-11, Ruckert 1-6.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Clemson, B.Potter 49.
Matt Connolly: MattatTheState
This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 12:02 AM.
