Instant Classic: Clemson leaves Ohio State high and dry in the desert
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Two teams with the nation’s two longest win streaks in America. Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Travis Etienne, J.K. Dobbins. Isaiah Simmons and Chase Young. Two teams who’ve felt disrespected at times this year. All the makings of an instant classic, right? You bet.
This semifinal matchup was the greatest one we've seen in the history of the playoff. Clemson’s four-play, 94-yard drive, capped by Travis Etienne’s 34-yard catch and run gave the Tigers the lead with just 1:49 left in the fourth quarter. Moments later, after the Buckeyes moved the ball 52-yards on eight plays, Nolan Turner’s interception on the endzone sealed the 29-23 win over Ohio State.
The Tigers completed an incredible comeback, after trailing 16-0, in what felt like a heavyweight battle. The Tigers had been unstoppable since that late September game in Chapel Hill, N.C., but ran into a brick wall against an inspired Ohio State team out of the gates, but one play sparked new life for the Tigers late in the first half.
Momentum shifts
With Ohio State leading 16-0 in the second quarter, all the momentum was with Ryan Day’s squad, but a targeting penalty changed everything for Clemson. The Tigers faced a monster 3rd-and-5 when Shaun Wade was called for targeting during a sack of Lawrence. That play gave the Tigers life, leading to an 8-yard touchdown run from Travis Etienne moments later.
At that point, you could feel the energy come alive in State Farm Stadium for Clemson fans. On the next drive, as Lawrence sprinted down the left sideline for a 67-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career, the game had been turned upside down as the Tigers closed within two points in a blink, 16-14.
It wouldn’t be the last time Lawrence’s legs influenced the Fiesta Bowl, an added wrinkle to his game in 2019, that came in handy against Ohio State.
“Me running the ball has been important in some games helping us win. (We) kind of had those couple plays in our back pocket that we didn’t use for a while and then got that opportunity, and it was wide open. Credit to the guys up front, just being patient and making those lanes for me,” Lawrence said.
Two more big shifts would take place, the first coming when the Tigers lined up to punt in the third quarter. The smart play would have been to allow Clemson’s Will Spiers to punt the football away freely, but OSU brought pressure and roughed the kicker. That eventually led to a 99-yard Clemson drive, finished by Etienne taking a screen pass 53-yards to the house, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game at 21-16.
Later, a fumble return for a touchdown by Ohio State was overturned by the officials after review. While the play was close, our argument stands that in real-time had that play taken place in the endzone, would Justyn Ross had been awarded a touchdown? No chance.
‘Don’t be pouting. You’re going to make the interception to win this thing.’
Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins exploded for two big runs in the first half, putting Clemson’s defense on their heels.
Even during the close game in Chapel Hill, Brent Venables’ defense still performed well given the offense’s struggles. But for a portion of Saturday night’s game, Ohio State was winning the battle up front and winning big.
When it counted, in the red zone, Clemson came up with three goal-line stands, forcing the Buckeyes to kick field goals instead of touchdowns, which made all the difference once the offense was able to get it going.
“For us to go down 16-0 as bad as we played in the first half as a team, going in 16-14, that says a lot,” Venables noted after the game. “That’s how we end up coming back and winning the game. Red zone stops were a big deal.”
Ohio State came in ranked third in all of FBS in red zone touchdown percentage at 81.9 percent and went 0-3 against the Tigers in the first half. Huge.
Perhaps the play most forgotten about in this game was Tanner Muse running down J.K. Dobbins from behind on the Buckeyes’ running backs second massive run of the first half. If not for that hustle, perhaps the game ends as a Tiger loss.
Safety Nolan Turner was beaten on a critical play in the fourth quarter. Facing 4th-and-two Justin Fields found wideout Chris Olave with matchup advantage against Tuner for a go-ahead touchdown. After Etienne’s late score gave the Tigers the final 29-23 margin, Clemson needed one more stop. Head coach Dabo Swinney encouraged Turner right before the last drive.
“Don’t be pouting. You’re going to make the interception to win this thing,” Swinney said.
Turner delivered, picking off Fields and ending the nation’s second-longest winning streak and giving Clemson a chance to extend their streak to 30 with a win over LSU.
Looking Ahead
Many will point to the 2012 Clemson - LSU game as a turning point for the Clemson football program, and while it was, the game two weeks from Monday night has much more on the line.
Two undefeated teams: One who is looking to win their 30th straight game the other looking to complete a magical season with Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow at quarterback.
We’ll have much more on the matchup as the buildup continues, but it appears we’re headed towards another instant classic in New Orleans.