Playoff Semifinals 2015

Orange Bowl: #1 Clemson Tigers vs. #4 Oklahoma Sooners

This year’s Orange bowl pitted a team in orange, the Clemson Tigers, against a team in burgundy, the Oklahoma Sooners. Clemson’s last trip to the Orange bowl was an embarrassing one.  In 2012 they got blown out by West Virginia in a surprising 70-33 loss.  But unlike the 2012 season, when the Tigers lost once again to their rivals Florida State and failed to win the ACC, this year they beat Florida State and won the ACC Championship Game, all the while not suffering a single loss.  An electric offense led by quarterback DeShaun Watson and running back Wayne Gallman and an unexpectedly powerful defense led by linebacker Ben Boulware has led Clemson to an impressive 13-0 record.  However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Head Coach Dabo Swinney whose dynamic leadership and unwavering belief that his team is far better than people think has fueled his team’ s desire to prove their coach right.  Standing in their way of winning their 14^th game of the season was a talented Oklahoma team with a dynamic quarterback of their own in Baker Mayfield.  Which quarterback would be hoisting the Orange Bowl Trophy at the end of the game and have an opportunity to win a National Championship?

Oklahoma got the ball first and it wouldn’t be long before they would put their first touchdown on the board.  Aided by a questionable pass interference call against Clemson, Baker Mayfield used two accurate pass completions to set his team up at the 1 yard line.  Hard-nosed running back Semaje Perine snuck his way through the line and ran into the end zone still on his feet.  On the ensuing Clemson drive, the Tigers had to punt after only six plays.  Fortunately for the Tigers, their defense came up with a sack and forced a three and out.  A bad punt set the Tigers up with great field position but they were only able to score a field goal after a goal line stand by Oklahoma. 

The Sooners got the ball back but an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on the offense prevented them from scoring any points.  A perfect punt pinned the Tigers back at their own 4 yard line but the great special teams play was quickly erased by a 46 yard run by Deshaun Watson.  However, two incompletions on the next three plays forced the Tigers into a punting situation.  Punter Andy Teasdall walked onto the field in the same way he had done all season.  But this time he would do something far different than his usual routine.  He caught the snap, scampered a short distance to the right, and lofted a pass to the left where a wide open receiver was waiting for it.  The receiver dashed toward for a 31 yard gain, more than enough for a first down.  Two plays later, Watson sprinted into the end zone for the go-ahead score.  

The scoring in the middle of the 2nd quarter was comprised totally of field goals: two by the Tigers sandwiched around one by the Sooners.  Oklahoma’s last drive of the half was a quick yet productive one.  After a 20 yard gain by Perine on the first play, three straight pass completions by Mayfield, one of them for 42 yards, got the ball across the goal line in record time.  Clemson put together an impressive drive down the field in the final minute and a half of the second quarter, but an ill advised pass into the endzone by Watson resulted in an interception that prevented the Tigers from even getting a field goal.  However, Clemson would get the ball first in the second half, and just like in their game against Florida State earlier in the year, they would prove how resilient a team they are.

The Tigers made a statement on the first drive of the second half, as they went 75 yards on 12 plays and scored a touchdown, due to the powerful running of Wayne Gallman (pictured below) and the crisp passing of Watson. 

The Clemson defense also played exceptionally well in the second half, preventing the high-powered Oklahoma offense from scoring any points.  

Two more Clemson touchdowns, one of them late in the third quarter and one of them early in the fourth, put the game out of reach for the Sooners.  

Final Score: Clemson 37 Oklahoma 17

It was not long before Coach Swinney was giving another memorable post game interview on the field while the Tigers celebrated around him.  Although immensely proud of his team, Swinney assured fans that their eyes were still fully focused on a greater goal, winning a National Championship for Clemson for the first time since 1981. 

Cotton Bowl: #2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #3 Michigan State Spartans

My recap of this game will be quite short.  Early on in the game, neither team was gaining much of an advantage.  Both defenses were playing great and scored remain tied until the second quarter. At that time, the Alabama offense started to find its rhythm while the overrated Michigan State offense continued to sputter. The Crimson Tide had only a 10-0 lead at the half, but it was evident that the Michigan State defense was exhausted. The only hope the Spartans had to win the game was to somehow get their offense going. Otherwise, their defense would have little confidence that their offense could get them back in the game and would simply collapse.  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.  A game that was billed as the physical struggle between two powerful offensive lines quickly became a blowout.  Alabama would go on to win the game 38 to nothing, but I would hazard to say that the score is deceiving. If a team can simply get their offense working, as many teams have been able to do against Alabama, the score will remain much closer. 

Preview of the National Championship

Alabama is a juggernaut filled with pride over their past accomplishments, while the Clemson team is very comfortable coming away with a victory in games that analysts don’t think they can win.  If Deshaun Watson has a good game, the National Championship could very well come down to a late field goal.