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Rapid Reaction: Ohio State falls short in Fiesta Bowl, ends dream of national championship season
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Final score: No. 3 Clemson 29 No. 2 Ohio State 23
Brief recap: It was a tale of two halves in Glendale. Things started out hot for Ohio State. J.K. Dobbins was shredding Clemson’s defense and Justin Fields was able to pick apart the secondary, leading the Buckeyes to an early 16-0 advantage in the first half. The defense was shutting down everything the Tigers threw at them. But things changed in the second quarter, following a targeting call on a third-and-long that resulted in Sean Wade’s ejection. Clemson scored 14 points to close the half to make the score 16-14 at halftime. Clemson took its first lead in the third quarter on a 53-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to Travis Etienne. Ohio State answered back in the fourth quarter, with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to Chris Olave to regain the lead at 23-21. But Lawrence found Etienne again for the game-winning touchdown with just 1:49 left in the game. The Buckeyes drove down the field, but an interception in the end zone sealed the fate for Ohio State.
Key moment: You can point to several moments throughout the game, but the targeting call against Wade was definitely the turning point. Rather than Clemson punting after Lawrence was sacked on third down, the Tigers were able to regroup and turned that drive into a touchdown, getting some momentum before the half.
Key stat: Ohio State had two turnovers in the game. In a game where two teams are evenly matched and it’s a back-and-forth contest, that proved to be the difference.
Key player: Even in a loss, Dobbins was outstanding in every facet. He rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and had six catches for 47 yards. He also did well in pass protection, doing most of his work in the second half on an injured ankle. Just an incredibly gutsy effort from Dobbins.
What it means: Ohio State will not be a national champion in Ryan Day’s first year as head coach, but that shouldn’t take away from what this team accomplished this season. The Buckeyes went 13-0, claimed a B1G title, and were a throw away from defeating the defending national champions, which are now on a 29-game winning streak. It was a disappointing loss, but Ohio State enjoyed a season nobody expected to see from a first-year head coach. The future looks very bright in Columbus.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB