Clemson catches fire in second half beats Oklahoma : 0xbt

Clemson catches fire in second half beats Oklahoma

Clemson went into the locker room at halftime trailing No. 4 Oklahoma by one point Jamal Murray Jersey after a red-zone interception late in the half and several other points left on the field. But the top-ranked Tigerscaught fire out of the break, shut out andoutscored the Sooners by 21 points in the second half en route to a37-17 Orange Bowl victory tosecure a spot in the national title game onJan. 11.Clemson will play the winner of the Cotton Bowl between No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Michigan state for the College Football National Championship.MORE: | | "Just a tremendous second half," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told ESPN after Thursday's win. "Our team has shown heart and guts all year long.We werent favored to win the game, but I told them we ain't no underdog..."Its been 34 years since Clemson played for the national championship, but it ain't gonna be much longer."Heisman finalist Deshaun Watson finished the game with 337 total yards, one touchdown through the air and another on the ground, while Wayne Gallman carried Dikembe Mutombo Jersey the ball 26 times for 150 yards and two scores.Oklahoma (11-2) looked nearly unstoppable with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game, but Clemson (14-0) scored the next 13 points of the game behind Watson, who had 234 total yards in the first half.A fake punt that went for 31 yards from punter Andy Teasdall to defensive lineman Christian Wilkins kept alive Clemsons fist touchdown drive of the night, which ended in a 4-yard run by Watson. It was the only touchdown Clemson scored in four trips to the red zone in the first half.What a play for . Huge momentum gainer for Michael Porter Jersey the Tigers on the fake punt. Travis Durkee (@Travis_Durkee) The Sooners regained the lead with 1:34 remaining in the first half on an 11-yard pa s from Baker Mayfield to freshman tight end Mark Andrews to go up 17-16, and held off Watson with an interception in the end zone just 13 seconds before halftime.Not the fastest juke, but still effective for freshman Mark Andrews. OU leading 17-16. Travis Durkee (@Travis_Durkee) The aftereffects from Watsons interception didnt last as Clemson open the second half with a methodical, 12-play drive that went 75 yards and ended with a 1-yard plunge byGallman for a touchdown and a 23-17 Tigers lead.Oklahomas running game took a series of blows in the third quarter with Samaje Perine injuring his left ankle and redshirt freshman Joe Mixon leaving the field on the next series, forcing Perine back into the game with a heavily taped foot.That's a big boy falling on Samaje Perine's left ankle. Travis Durkee Devin Harris Jersey (@Travis_Durkee) While the Sooners struggled on offense, Clemson stretched its lead to 37-17 with a 35-yard pa s-and-catch from Watson to Hunter Renfrow for another third-quarter touchdown and 4-yard scoring run from Gallman 10:48 left in the fourth quarter.Perine re-aggravated his ankle injury on the ensuing drive, Alex English Jersey but Mayfield managed to lead the Sooners to the Clemson 5 before throwing his second interception of the game just his seventh of the season on a one-handed catch by Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware. Making matters worse, Mayfield caught a Boulware knee to the neck while making the tackle on the interception return and spent the remainder of the night on the bench. He finished the night with 311 pa sing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.