Clemson dominates OU in 2nd half for trip to national championship game

The Clemson Tigers are headed to Arizona, one victory away from an undefeated national championship season.

They advanced to the title game in Glendale Jan. 11 with a dominant second half against the Oklahoma Sooners. The Tigers (14-0) built a 20-point lead with just under 11 minutes left for a 37-17 victory at the Orange Bowl.

Despite missing star end Shaq Lawson in the second half, Clemson’s defensive front bullied the Sooners, frequently sacking quarterback Baker Mayfield and knocking running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon out of the game for periods of the second half.

Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson had a big first half as a runner. Running back Wayne Gallman became Clemson’s primary rusher in the second half.

The Sooners ended their season at 11-2.

Clemson will play Alabama, the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal.

Three who mattered

Watson: His 119 rushing yards in the first half were essential to Clemson sustaining drives, but he took a pounding doing so.

Hunter Renfrow: His 35-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter broke open what had been a tight game.

Gallman: His second-half running picked up first downs and allowed Clemson to burn the clock.

Observations

▪  It appeared Clemson fans outnumbered Oklahoma fans at Sun Life Stadium by a significant margin. At least 70 percent of those at the game wore orange.

▪  The pass interference call against Clemson in Oklahoma’s opening touchdown drive seemed dubious. There wasn’t much contact and the pass looked uncatchable out of bounds.

▪  Clemson’s fake punt was quite a gutsy call. Punter Andy Teasdale found defensive tackle Christian Wilkins for a first down that kept the Tigers’ touchdown drive alive.

▪  One touchdown in four first-half red zone appearances was far less productive than Clemson expects. Watson’s interception in the end zone just before halftime threw away three points.

▪  Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes in the first half, but he also was sacked three times for 27 lost yards.

Worth mentioning

▪  Lawson suffered a leg injury early in the game and was held out for the second half.

▪  Perine had to be helped off the field after a third-quarter collision with Clemson’s D.J. Reader. Perine couldn’t initially put weight on his left leg.

▪  Mixon suffered what appeared to be a shoulder injury the next series. After some stretching, Perine was able to return to the game.

They said it

“Deshaun Watson, he’s just the best player in the country. It’s just that simple. You know, people can have their own opinions or whatever, but ain’t a better one than No. 4.” – Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.

“He did a great job of getting small and skinny and kind of hiding for a 330-pounder.” – Swinney on defensive lineman Christian Wilkins catching a pass on a fake punt in the first half.

“It doesn’t really matter what the defense does. We just focus on us and doing our jobs.” – Watson.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Clemson dominates OU in 2nd half for trip to national championship game."