Clemson Hangs On To Defeat Ohio State, Faces LSU In Championship
The Clemson Tigers are heading to the College Football National Championship Game after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 29-23.
The game came down to one final drive for OSU but a miscommunication between quarterback Justin Fields and receiver Chris Olave resulted in a Nolan Turner interception to seal it for the Tigers.
As this game began it was all Ohio State as the Buckeyes got out to an early 10-0 lead after the first quarter as J.K. Dobbins exploded through the Tigers defense for a 68-yard touchdown to cap the one-play drive.
Clemson wouldn't go away though as the Buckeyes scored 16 unanswered points but settled for short field goals where they couldn't finish drives thanks to the Tigers defense and Dobbins dropping a touchdown pass. Their comeback was fueled by a huge Trevor Lawrence run where he outran the Buckeye defense for 67 yards right before the half to bring them within two at 16-14.
The second-half was more of a back and forth affair as the lead changed hands a couple of times with the Tigers grabbing it for the first time in the third quarter after beginning a drive from their own one-yard line. The scoring drive was capped with a 53-yard touchdown catch and run from talented Louisiana born running back Travis Etienne putting Clemson up 21-16.
However, the Buckeyes would snag it back but not before Justin Fields threw only his second interception of the season via Isaiah Simmons. OSU struck as the 4th quarter opened with a masterful 13-play drive as Fields found Chris Olave for a 23-yard score. Ryan Day decided not to go for two and made it a 23-21 game, interesting but they had the lead.
With less than three minutes to go Clemson put together a quick strike of four plays and 94 yards as Lawrence found Etienne once again on a 34-yard catch and run for a score.
Ohio State had the chance to win it but the second Fields interception dashed their hopes at a National Championship.
Trevor Lawrence would be named the offensive player of the game throwing for 259 yards on 18/33 passing and two touchdowns. Additionally, he was the Tigers leading rusher as he ran for 107 yards on 16 carries and a score.
Here's the rest of the box score.
Clemson will take on the LSU Tigers in the CFB National Championship Game on January, 13th 2020 at 7 p.m.
Both teams will come into this game undefeated and Clemson carries a 29-game winning streak as well.
Get your popcorn ready.