No more Clemsoning: Tigers headed to national title game

Clemson running back Wayne Gallman (9) is congratulated by tight end Stanton Seckinger (81) during the second half of the Orange Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game against Oklahoma, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The unbeaten Tigers knocked off Oklahoma, 37-17, earning a trip to Glendale, Ariz., for the January 11 national championship game, where they’ll play the victor of Thursday’s Cotton Bowl, either Alabama or Michigan State. Watson switched the momentum with a 46-yard run on the first play, but the drive stalled near midfield. OSU and Clemson are no strangers to one another, though this time the victor of this College Football Playoff semifinal game advances to the National Championship game Monday night.

“We didn’t really make any adjustments”, Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware said.

Clemson gets the ball back after a Sooner punt that will force the Tigers to start within their own 5 yard line.

After a series of field goals put Clemson up 16-10, Mark Andrews caught an 11 yard score that would give the Sooners a 1 point lead at the break. Even throwing a pass on a fake punt to 315-pound defensive tackle Christian Wilkins for 31 yards? Clemson fans filled three-quarters of Sun Life Stadium on Thursday to guarantee the game was a sell-out.

Leading 30-17, two Clemson players combined to make a big defensive play. Two plays later, Watson carried it in from the 5 for a 10-7 lead.

Clemson piled up 550 yards in the game, sealing the victory on Gallman’s 4-yard touchdown run with 10:48 remaining. The Tigers declared him out of the game at halftime, and Lawson still had an ice pack strapped to his knee during the postgame celebration. “Next man up…. We played a lot of (second-stringers) today, and they all were ready”. Clemson came in averaging 48 penalty yards per game, Oklahoma at 61 per game. Mayfield threw 35 touchdown passes this season, Watson passed for 30. Samaje Perine rushed for 1,291 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Oklahoma place kicker Austin Seibert (43) scores a field goal as Oklahoma wide receiver Grant Bothun (84) holds, during the first half of the Orange Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game against Clemson, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Miami Gardens, Fla. They know they’re up against the nation’s top-ranked team, but they also know that Notre Dame took the Tigers to the wire and could have forced overtime with a made two-point conversion.

The Sooners – outright winners of the Big 12 title, their ninth in 17 seasons under coach Bob Stoops – are extending their record by heading to the game for the 19th time, 20 if you count a BCS title game that was hosted by the Orange Bowl Committee.

“He tried to go back in”, Swinney said.

Clemson sacked Baker Mayfield five times and held the Sooners to 121 yards over the final two quarters. Ask Oklahoma. Their seasons ended, in some form, after Clemson games. “The national championship? Nothing will keep me out of that”.