Orange Bowl 2015: Highlights and Comments from Oklahoma vs. Clemson

The No. 1 Clemson Tigers entered the Orange Bowl as the underdogs despite being undefeated, but that didn't stop them from imposing their will on the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners in a 37-17 College Football Playoff semifinal victory Thursday night.

While the game was ultimately a blowout in favor of Clemson, things initially seemed to be going in Oklahoma's direction. The Sooners actually got on the board first less than four minutes into the contest when sophomore running back Samaje Perine scored from one yard out.

In addition to that, top Clemson pass-rusher Shaq Lawson injured his knee early on and never returned. Despite sitting out, Lawson believes he will be able to play in the national championship game, according to ESPN.com's Matt Fortuna:

The Tigers tightened the game with a field goal late in the first quarter, but the game really started to get interesting on Clemson's third drive.

Clemson quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson rushed for 145 yards, and his most impressive run was a 46-yard scamper that started on his own 4-yard line, as seen in this video courtesy of ESPN College Football:

That may not have even been the most exciting play of the drive, though, as punter Andy Teasdall kept the drive alive on a fourth down by completing a 31-yard pass to freshman defensive lineman Christian Wilkins:

Head coach Dabo Swinney's trickery set the stage for a five-yard touchdown run by Watson, which put Clemson ahead 10-7.

After two more Clemson field goals along with a field goal by Oklahoma, the Sooners took back the lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first half when quarterback Baker Mayfield found Mark Andrews for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

The Tigers seemed poised to pull ahead once again just before halftime after quickly moving the ball down the field, but Watson surprisingly threw a red-zone interception, which preserved Oklahoma's 17-16 advantage entering the locker room:

Clemson certainly didn't panic after that miscue as the remainder of the Orange Bowl was all Tigers.

It started on Clemson's first possession of the third quarter when star running back Wayne Gallman finished off a 12-play, 75-yard with a five-yard touchdown run, as seen in this Vine from College GameDay:

The Tigers built on that lead later in the quarter when Watson connected with freshman wide receiver Hunter Renfrow for his first and only touchdown pass of the contest:

With Oklahoma struggling to get anything going offensively in the second half, Clemson put an exclamation point on the victory with another Gallman touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to make it 37-17, which ended up being the final score.

Following the impressive victory, Clemson's players and coaches were elated to be moving on to the CFP National Championship, as evidenced by the postgame celebration:

During his on-field interview after the game, Swinney made reference to the fact that the Sooners were favored, and suggested that he used it as motivation to fire up his players, according to ESPN:

While the celebration wasn't a culmination since there is still one game to go, it represented validation of Swinney's tenure at Clemson.

He and his teams have often been criticized for coming up short in big games, but that simply hasn't been the case in 2015.

Despite the negativity, Swinney never had any doubt that his team would get to this point, according to Daren Stoltzfus of WCIV in Charleston, South Carolina:

There is still plenty of work to be done before Clemson has accomplished all it set out to do this season, but Swinney is content to enjoy the Orange Bowl win for now, per WIS News 10:

Considering how little belief there was in Clemson entering the season and ahead of the Orange Bowl, it is certainly understandable why Swinney is so proud of his team.

The Tigers now have an opportunity to not only win their first national title since 1981, but also to become the first 15-0 team in the history of college football.

If Watson, Gallman and the defense continue to perform like they did against Oklahoma, then both of those major accomplishments are very much within reach.

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