Orange Bowl 2015: Key Players in Clemson vs. Oklahoma
When the Oklahoma Sooners and Clemson Tigers clash in the College Football Playoff, a number of matchups and players will go toward determining which team advances to the national championship game.
Let's break down the four players who will have a huge impact in the contest.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
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No surprises here. Deshaun Watson is the proverbial straw that stirs Clemson's drink. The Heisman runner-up threw for 3,512 yards and 30 touchdowns this season while also rushing for 887 yards and another 11 scores. Trying to slow down his dual-threat abilities is a tall task for any defense.
"He's a great quarterback," Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker told Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press, via Newser.com. "I mean, everything about their offense, he is. As far as running, you've got to account for him in every way. It's going to be a great challenge defensively trying to slow him down or stop him. That guy right there, he's for real."
Watson certainly isn't alone in Clemson's offense. Wayne Gallman is an excellent, physical downhill runner, while Artavis Scott is a dangerous weapon out wide in the passing game.
But Clemson goes as Watson goes. If he has an off game, Clemson's national title hopes will quickly be ruined.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
You can't acknowledge one of the star quarterbacks in this game without acknowledging the other.
Baker Mayfield probably should have been invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. All he did this year was throw for 3,389 yards, 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions while adding 420 rushing yards and seven additional scores. He stabilized the quarterback position and led one of the nation's most dangerous offenses into the College Football Playoff.
But there is something different about Mayfield, too. He's unpredictable. There's a little Han Solo in him. He isn't afraid to take a chance, and it almost always pays off.
“It's the infectious energy that he brings," former Oklahoma star linebacker Brian Bosworth said of Mayfield, per Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com. "He gets knocked down, gets up and sprints back to the huddle. Instead of having to defend Oklahoma for the way they're winning, now people are commending them on the style of play.”
Mayfield has the Sooners believing. If the Clemson defense can't get pressure on him and rattle him throughout the game, he'll be tough to stop.
Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
One of the defensive players tasked with slowing down Mayfield and the Sooners' passing attack will be defensive end Shaq Lawson, who was excellent for Clemson this season, leading the team in sacks (9.5) and the nation in tackles for loss (22).
While Clemson's entire defensive line is excellent, Lawson is the one player capable of dominating this game, namely on passing downs. He'll be on the hunt for Mayfield all game long, and if he bags himself a few sacks and plays big on the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Clemson defensive line may be able to boss this game and win the crucial battle in the trenches.
Jordan Thomas, CB, Oklahoma
Jordan Thomas likely will be given a pretty unenviable task: slow down Scott in the passing game.
The Clemson wideout caught 84 passes for 805 yards and five touchdowns this season and is easily Watson's top target in the passing game. Thomas, meanwhile, has been excellent for the Sooners this season and helped to slow down some of the Big 12's top receivers this year.
If he can win this battle and take away Watson's top target, Clemson may become one-dimensional and overly reliant on the ground game. If nothing else, stifling Scott would force Watson to lean on players he's less comfortable turning to on passing downs. Controlling Scott's production, in other words, would take Clemson out of its rhythm.
It's a tall task for Thomas. If he pulls it off, however, Oklahoma will have success slowing down a dangerous Tigers offense.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
