The Morning After...The Orange Bowl!

Dabo Swinney celebrates his second Orange Bowl victory.
(Photo courtesy The Miami Herald)

1) It's been written and said all season long: What a time to be a Tiger! The Paw is headed to the National Championship game for the first time in 34 years. Clemson's first and only national title came during the 1981 season - 1982 Orange Bowl - and the Tigers haven't really sniffed it since. Until now. I'm 29 years old, so this is a first in my lifetime. What a time to be alive and what a time to be a Tiger, indeed!

2) The Fake - This play should go down in Clemson lore alongside "The Catch" and "The Catch II." Simply put, it was a brilliant call and it sparked the team when it needed a spark most. Dabo Swinney was lambasted by media outlets for his lashing of punter Andy Teasdall's admittedly stupid decision to call his own number on fake punt int he ACC Championship Game. It failed miserably and Swinney let him have it with all the cameras focused on the tirade. So what else would Swinney call but a fake punt when trailing 7-3 and the offense sputtering early on. 

3) It wasn't until the second half, though, that Clemson pulled away from the Sooners. The Tigers dominated in the trenches, opening up a running attack that saw them set a school bowl record with 312 rushing yards. On the defensive side, Clemson harrassed Baker Mayfield all night and knocked out Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, OU's talented running back tandem. The Sooners gained 67 yards on the ground. The Tigers averaged 5.4 yards per rush with Wayne Gallman totaling 150 yards and Deshaun Watson posting 145.

4) Quick notes, courtesy of Clemson's SID: Clemson went 14-0 in 2015, just the eighth team in FBS history to win 14 games and the first time ever Clemson has won 14 games in a season ... Gained 530 yards, its 10th straight game of 500-plus yards, half the games coming against Top 40 defenses ... Watson is 18-1 as a starter, 17-0 when he starts and finishes a game healthy ... Swinney is 9-4 against Top 10 teams and is also 9-4 in NFL stadiums ... Gallman's 1,482 rushing yards set a single-season record ... Watson became the first Tiger and only third player in FBS history with 3,500 yards passing and 1,000 rushing. He can become the first player ever with 4,000 and 1,000 if he passes for 301 yards against Alabama.

5) Alabama did Alabama things to Michigan State in a 38-0 rout of the Spartans. While Heisman winner Derrick Henry was limited to 75 yards on 20 carries, it was Jake Coker who showed the Crimson Tide can sling the ball a little bit, too. Coker was 25-30 (83.3%) for 286 yards and two touchdowns in the win. When Michigan State bottled up Alabama's vaunted running game, the Tide went to the air. On the flip side, Alabama asserted it's defensive dominance, holding the Spartans to 29 total yards rushing. 

6) I was very outspoken about the Clemson-OU and Bama-MSU matchups being wrong, and I feel that was justified on New Year's Eve. Michigan State was clearly the worst of the four teams. They hadn't looked dominant in any of their wins over their best opponents and they failed to get anything going last night. Oklahoma was leading No. 1 Clemson at halftime and had more impressive wins over three better opponents that the Spartans. It's a shame the committee can jump a team from fifth to third (MSU) and drop a team from third to fourth (OU) just because it feels like it. I would've loved to have seen two contrasting styles in the semifinal games and see which would prevail.

7) Regardless, we get the matchup most everybody wants to see - Clemson vs. Alabama. No. 1 vs. No. 2. SEC's best vs. ACC's best. College football's blue blood against college football's new blood. The storylines will write themselves: Dabo Swinney, a former walk-on wide receiver at Bama against his alma mater; Clemson's tempo offense against Alabama's physical and fast defense; Two Heisman finalists pitted against each other ... the list goes on. I have my own story, which I will blog about later on. I hope you will enjoy it.

8) It was a great season for the Oklahoma Sooners and they should be proud of what they accomplished after an 8-5 season a year ago. Aside from what appears to be a fluke loss to Texas, OU ran roughshod over the Big 12, winning the conference crown and becoming the first Big 12 team to make the College Football Playoff. Bob Stoops resurrected a team that was left for dead following last season and after the loss to the Horns in October. Several key players will move on, either graduating or electing to go to the NFL, but it's Oklahoma. The Sooners will reload and have a solid core coming back next year. I hate to say it, because for my family's sake I hate when Clemson and Oklahoma play each other, but the Sooners and Tigers could be in this Playoff thing again next year.

9) Not to be left out, congrats to Houston for the huge Peach Bowl win yesterday against Florida State. The Cougs gave the Group of 5 its second win in as many years in a New Year's Six Bowl (Boise State beat Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl last year). Tom Herman has the Houston train rolling and it could be headed to a Power 5 conference in the near future.

10) Nothing else to be said here. Beat Alabama.

-BtW

Orange Bowl Preview - Oklahoma O vs. Clemson D

Yesterday, we took a look at one side of the ball and broke down the Clemson offense against the Oklahoma defense. In today's post, we'll flip the script and see how the Sooners' Air Raid attack matches up against the Tigers' vaunted defense.

Oklahoma Sooners Offense
Total Offense Rank: 7th
Total Yards Per Game: 542.9
Yards Per Play: 6.95
Rushing Offense Rank: 16th
Rushing Yards Per Game: 235.0
Passing Offense Rank: 18th
Passing Yards Per Game: 307.9
Scoring Offense Rank: 3rd
Points Per Game: 45.8

Clemson Tigers Defense
Total Defense Rank: 7th
Total Yards Per Game: 295.7
Yards Per Play: 4.68
Rushing Defense Rank: 23rd
Rushing Yards Per Game: 128.8
Passing Defense Rank: 5th
Passing Yards Per Game: 166.9
Scoring Defense Rank: 18th
Points Per Game: 20.2

A couple things to point out here. First, Clemson's and Oklahoma's defense each allowed 4.68 yards per play this season. The key for Clemson has been limiting the amount of plays opposing offenses run. Getting off the field on third downs has been the Tigers' forte and a big reason why defensive coordinator Brent Venables is talked about as one of the best DCs in the game.

Second, this looks like the epitome of the unstoppable force against the immovable object. Oklahoma scored 50-plus points in five of the final seven games, including two 60-plus point games. Following the debacle of a loss to Texas in the Cotton Bowl, newly minted offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley began to utilize the strength of the Sooners: their running game.

Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon bring a one-two punch unmatched in the sport. Perine is a physical, bruising back who simply does not go down. Mixon adds a little more speed and shiftiness, along with the ability to catch passes out of the backfield, much like we discussed with Clemson's Wayne Gallman. Both Perine and Mixon are capable of taking it to the house from anywhere on the field.

Perine carried the ball for 1,291 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Mixon had 749 yards, seven rushing TDs and averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Mixon was also the fourth leading receiver for the Sooners, grabbing 25 receptions for 345 yards and four scores.

Prior to the seven-game winning streak down the stretch, OU fans already had caught a glimpse of the magic of Baker Mayfield. The walk-on quarterback, who won Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2013 for Texas Tech, has been Johnny Manziel-esque in Crimson and Cream this season.


via GIPHY

Mayfield accounted for 42 touchdowns (35 passing, seven rushing). He completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,389 yards and added 420 yards on the ground. Mayfield's best downfield target has been the ever-reliable Sterling Shepard. The senior leads the team with 72 receptions for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. Dede Westbrook and Duron Neal each have 42 catches, with Westbrook hauling in four TDs and 674 yards, and Neal with three scores and 527 yards. Tight end Mark Andrews is second behind Shepard with six touchdowns. Depth is certainly a strength at the receive position for OU and Mayfield loves to spread the ball around similarly to Deshaun Watson for the Tigers.

Perhaps the Achilles' heel for OU is its offensive line. How can that be with such a great running game and Mayfield able to put up the stats he has? For one, Mayfield was sacked 34 times. Compare that to Watson who was sacked just 12 times. Perine, Mixon and Mayfield each have an uncanny ability to make a play when it's simply not there. Many times this season, Mayfield has had to scramble out of the pocket on a designed pass. And many times, he's made a bigtime play.

How do the Tigers counter? After losing nine starters on defense (eight to the NFL), Venables went to work to ensure there wasn't much of a drop-off from the No. 1 defense in 2014. Clemson reloaded up front and relied on a veteran secondary to play coverage and give the front seven time to get to the quarterback.

Defensive end Shaq Lawson anchored the line and leads the nation with 22.5 tackles for loss and added 9.5 sacks. Opposite him is Kevin Dodd, who came into his own this season, totaling eight sacks. The linebacking corps consists of a two-headed monster in Ben Boulware and BJ Goodson. The duo have wreaked havoc in offensive backfields and play like their hair is on fire. The Tigers have depth up front, but pretty much rely on the starters to play the majority of the game.

Ben Boulware (10) will lead the Tiger defense in its toughest test this season.
(Photo courtesy TigerNet.com)

That fact became troublesome down the stretch when Clemson played 10 straight games without a bye week. In Clemson's first seven games of the season, the Tigers gave up just 105.4 yards rushing per game. In the final five weeks of the season, Clemson allowed 156 yards on the ground. The Tigers were bruised and banged up, with several players commenting after the season they were needing the break to get fully healthy. The good news is this group will have rested up for its toughest test to date.

The Tigers' strength on defense lies in its defensive backfield. Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse were widely known as two of the best defensive backs in the nation leading into the season. Cordrea Tankersley, TJ Green, Jadar Johnson and Travis Blanks, among a host of others, give this unit the most depth and experience on the field. Alexander's stats are low mostly because quarterbacks refuse to throw his way. Kearse proclaimed he still hasn't played his best game and he believes the defense has been slacking in the final games of the season.

So who has the advantage in this epic clash of high-flying, high-powered offense against stout, rugged defense? The key lies in the Sooners' ability to extend plays. Whether that's Mayfield escaping the pocket and giving his receivers extra time to get open or Perine and Mixon shedding tacklers to turn a short gain into a long one. As good as Goodson and Boulware have been for the Tigers this season, the area of concern is their coverage of running backs out of the backfield. If Mayfield and Mixon are able to hook-up a few times, it could spell danger for the Tigers.

Advantage: Oklahoma

-BtW

Orange Bowl Preview - Clemson O vs. Oklahoma D

We've reached single digit days until the Capital One Orange Bowl clash between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma. As mentioned in yesterday's blog, I'll break down the matchups over the coming days based on what I (think I) know.

Today, we begin with Clemson's offense against Oklahoma's defense. I'll go ahead and preface all the forthcoming posts by saying this: We are down to the top four teams in the country, so there is minuscule advantages across the board.

Clemson Tigers Offense
Total Offense Rank: 12th
Total Yards Per Game: 510.7
Yards Per Play: 6.43
Rushing Offense Rank: 22nd
Rushing Yards Per Game: 222.2
Passing Offense Rank: 23rd
Passing Yards Per Game: 288.5
Scoring Offense Rank: 15th
Points Per Game: 38.5

Oklahoma Sooners Defense
Total Defense Rank: 32nd
Total Yards Per Game: 350.7
Yards Per Play: 4.68
Rushing Defense Rank: 45th
Rushing Yards Per Game: 149.2
Passing Defense Rank: 34th
Passing Yards Per Game: 201.5
Scoring Defense Rank: 21st
Points Per Game: 20.8

A simple look at the statistical rankings of each unit bears nothing for this game. Clemson benefits from playing in the ACC and while the conference had several of the top defenses statistically, many of those stats can be misconstrued because of the sub-par offenses.

On the flip side, OU's defense was the best in the Big 12, although it is outside the Top 20 in every category above. Well, think of the conference it plays in and now think about the type of offenses that conference boasts - Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, West Virginia ... six of the top 28 offenses in the NCAA.

We could sit here and argue all day, "Well, the defenses in the Big 12 aren't great, hence why the offenses seem to be so good." Or, "The ACC owns five of the Top 20 defenses, so Clemson's stats are that much more impressive."

Look, you can make stats say whatever you want them to say. What can be concluded from watching each team is that these two units match up extremely well.

For starters, Clemson has the best quarterback in the nation in Deshaun Watson. A Heisman finalist and winner of the Davey O'Brien award, Watson is a surgeon signal-caller. He completed 69.5 percent of his passes for over 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. Watson did throw 11 interceptions, but only four of those came in the final seven games.

It's Watson's running game, though, that has exploded in the second half of the season. Through the first six games of the season, Watson had one game where he ran for more than 60 yards. In the final five games, He had over 100 yards on the ground four times and had seven of his 11 rushing TDs. Watson finished with 887 rush yards to give him 4,399 total for the season.

While the Tigers lack a go-to playmaker at the skill positions, they make up for it with a bevy of talent. Running back Wayne Gallman ran for 1,332 yards and 10 touchdowns despite sitting out a full game (Wake Forest) and having his carries limited in others when Clemson held big leads. The Tigers' wide receiver corps consists of several reliable players and is led by Artavis Scott with 805 yards. Freshman Deon Cain and senior Charone Peake each have over 500 yards and five TDs. Lump in tight end Jordan Leggett and his team-leading seven TD receptions, and it's easy to see Watson likes to spread the ball around.

Clemson RB Wayne Gallman will be looked upon to shoulder the load against OU's run defense.
(Photo courtesy TigerNet.com)

All of this to say, Clemson's offense is good. It won't be the most explosive offense Oklahoma has seen this season, but it is arguably the most balanced and is certainly led by a quarterback better than anyone the Sooners faced.

For OU's defense, it starts up front with defense end Charles Tapper and linebacker Eric Striker. The two combined for 14.5 sacks and caused havoc in offensive backfields all season. Striker finds ways to disrupt a quarterbacks timing and is extremely quick on the edge. I expect Tapper to get double-teamed by Clemson's offensive line, but that frees up a gap and creates one-on-one matchups for guys like Striker and Matt Dimon, the end opposite Tapper. Clemson's offensive line started five new guys in 2015 and the big hogs only allowed 14 sacks.

If Clemson is able to win the line of scrimmage, that's great. But it's not the determining factor in the ballgame. In steps OU's secondary. What makes that unit scary good is the exceptional linebacker coverage. Striker, Dominique Alexander and Jordan Evans are hybrid backers who cover the short passing game probably better than any other group in the country. If they need to play up and stop the run, they can. If they need to drop back into coverage, they can. And they do both well.

The next line of defense is a veteran cornerback and safety group. Zack Sanchez, Jordan Thomas, Ahmad Thomas, Dakota Austin and Steven Parker anchor the secondary. Sanchez had a team-leading six interceptions and Jordan Thomas was one shy with five picks. They were burned a season ago by virtually this same group of receivers, so there will be plenty to play for. That and the fact that they shut down Baylor, Texas Tech, West Virginia, TCU and Oklahoma State provides more proof that they aren't fooling around this year.

Oklahoma's Zack Sanchez picks off one of his team-leading six INTs this season.
(Photo courtesy AP)

Gallman was used heavily to catch passes out of the backfield from Clemson in the latter half of the season. The Tigers love to use the short and intermediate passing game to draw defenders up. That's when Watson gets dangerous as the best downfield passer in the nation. He has to have success underneath, though, to open that up.

That's the matchup to watch. How will Clemson utilize the short and underneath passes to loosen up OU's secondary? If they are successful early, Watson could take some deep shots that might be the difference. If the Sooners don't allow Gallman to get free or Scott, Peake and Leggett to exploit the middle of the field, it could be a long night for those in orange. Historically, Oklahoma has had trouble defending dual-threat quarterbacks. Watson's legs could get another workout after eclipsing 20 carries for the first time in his career in each of the Tigers' final two games (21 carriers vs. South Carolina; 24 vs. North Carolina).

Advantage: SLIGHT to Clemson - and I mean SLIGHT!

-BtW

Clemson vs. Oklahoma - What do I know?

Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield add a new level of intrigue
to the Clemson-Oklahoma matchup.

I feel like I can legitimately say that I am one of very few people who sat and watched every Clemson and Oklahoma football game this season. As a reminder, I'm a Clemson grad and fanatic, and my wife is an OU grad and fanatic. Point here is, we've seen pretty much every snap of every game by both teams, and over the coming week and a half, I will be providing as much insight to the Capital One Orange Bowl as I can.

I'll start with this: Pretend Clemson and Oklahoma did not play each other last year. These two squads are completely different. For the Tigers, Deshaun Watson leads the charge and he didn't play in last year's bowl game against the Sooners as he was recovering from ACL surgery. Clemson also has several freshman impact players on the offensive side of the ball that were high school seniors last December. On defense, the Tigers lost eight starting players from the unit that played against OU.

For the Sooners, a new offensive coordinator and scheme are in place. Lincoln Riley brought the Air Raid offense back to Norman. Walk-on Baker Mayfield has orchestrated Riley's offense to near perfection with the help of a renewed running game behind returning power back Samaje Perine and new addition Joe Mixon.

The starting lineups at the Orange Bowl will look much different than those at the Russell Athletic Bowl. Of course, two teams with a combined 24-1 record don't resemble the three- and four-loss teams that showed up to Orlando.

This game has a completely different feel. The only similarities are the colors, logos, and head coaches. Most everything else has changed. Yes, the OU players who were on the sidelines in 2014 will want final revenge on a team they lost to a season ago (Oklahoma has defeated the other four teams it lost two last year). Yes, there will be a few of the same playmakers on both sides of the ball playing against each other for the second time.

But don't expect anything close to what happened in last year's 40-6 Clemson win. Don't look to last year to try and figure out what might happen this year.

This one will be fun.

-BtW