Fiesta Bowl 2016: Examining Key Stats, Matchups for Ohio State vs. Clemson
The 2016 Fiesta Bowl showdown between Ohio State and Clemson has everything a college football fan could want.
The stakes are high with a berth in the College Football Playoff National Championship hanging in the balance. There is plenty of star power at quarterback (Deshaun Watson and J.T. Barrett) and head coach (Urban Meyer and Dabo Swinney). There will also be NFL prospects all over the field for both sides.
The Buckeyes and Tigers have become regulars in the CFP, with each program making it to two of the three editions. Ohio State won the national title in the first version, while Clemson lost to Alabama in heartbreaking fashion in last season's championship clash.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The showdown between the two evenly matched programs figures to come down to a couple of critical matchups. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the key stats and a breakdown of those matchups.
The stats and national rankings are current as of Sunday.
Key Stats
| Offense | ||
| Points Per Game | 42.7 (ninth in nation) | 40.2 (15th in nation) |
| Total Yards Per Game | 480 (21st in nation) | 506 (13th in nation) |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 221.2 (77th in nation) | 332.6 (seventh in nation) |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | 258.3 (ninth in nation) | 173.1 (67th in nation) |
| Defense | ||
| Points Allowed Per Game | 14.2 (third in nation) | 18.4 (12th in nation) |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Game | 282 (fifth in nation) | 314 (ninth in nation) |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game | 164.5 (sixth in nation) | 188.2 (19th in nation) |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game | 117.8 (14th in nation) | 125.8 (22nd in nation) |
| Sacks | 26 (57th in nation) | 46 (second in nation) |
| Interceptions | 19 (sixth in nation) | 18 (eighth in nation) |
Matchups to Watch
Clemson's Passing Game vs. Ohio State's Secondary
Watson is the face of the program and Clemson's best chance to win the national title. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist and entered true superstardom in last season's national championship game when he torched Alabama's vaunted defense for 405 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air.
The Tigers boast a top-10 passing offense in the country thanks to Watson and a number of talented targets. Mike Williams (1,171 receiving yards), Jordan Leggett (637 receiving yards), Deon Cain (621 receiving yards) and Artavis Scott (592 receiving yards) will all pose threats to the Buckeyes on any given play.
Don't just assume the Tigers will rack up a ton of points with so many weapons. While Watson threw for 3,914 yards and 37 touchdowns, he also tossed 15 interceptions. Few defenses are as opportunistic as Ohio State's (sixth in the nation in interceptions), and there are three NFL prospects who will be waiting to pounce on any Clemson mistake.
Safety Malik Hooker had six interceptions and ran three of them back for scores, while cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley can shut down receivers on the outside. Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus said Conley was second in the nation in opposing quarterback rating this season, while Lattimore was fourth.
The Tigers could look to Ohio State's game against Northwestern earlier this season as a blueprint for attacking the dominant secondary.
The Wildcats lined up Austin Carr in the slot to escape Conley and Lattimore, and he finished with 158 receiving yards. The Buckeyes can adjust and move Conley or Lattimore into the slot if Clemson tries the same tactic with Williams, but the Tigers have a number of other weapons that someone else will have to cover.
Stopping Clemson's attack will fall in the hands of less-heralded defensive backs Damon Webb and Damon Arnette if the Tigers scheme to avoid Hooker, Lattimore and Conley.
Ohio State's Rushing Attack vs. Clemson's Run Defense
While Clemson and Ohio State are among the nation's leaders in almost every statistic above, there are a couple of notable exceptions. The Tigers rank just 67th in the country in rushing yards per game, while the Buckeyes are 77th in passing yards per game.
The matchup between Ohio State's secondary and Clemson's passing attack is so important because that is how the Tigers move the ball (and that is where so many future NFL players line up for each side). The same can be said about the Buckeyes' rushing attack against Clemson's run defense.
Ohio State uses a combination of Barrett, Curtis Samuel and Mike Weber to dictate the tempo of the game. Meyer's offense spreads the opposing defense and uses no-huddle tactics, but it ultimately relies on running between the tackles or to the outside with the quarterback and running backs.
Weber racked up 1,072 rushing yards this season, while Barrett had 847 and Samuel tallied 704 (to go with 822 receiving yards).
Clemson is a solid 22nd in the country in rushing yards allowed per game and must find a way to slow that three-headed attack so it can keep Watson on the field and avoid falling behind early to the Buckeyes' powerful tempo.
Just as importantly for Clemson, slowing Ohio State's rushing attack would force the Buckeyes to turn to the air with a passing attack that struggled at key moments this season, as Austin Ward of ESPN.com explained:
"As much as Meyer has emphasized a balanced attack and tried to develop the passing game this season, the Buckeyes have still struggled through some lulls in the passing game that must be addressed heading into the College Football Playoff. Barrett has thrown for 152 yards or less five times already this year, including the past two games of the regular season against Michigan State and Michigan. He's not solely to blame for that because there have been protection issues on the offensive line and growing pains for a young cast of wide receivers.
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If Clemson's defense continues to put the Buckeyes behind schedule on first and second downs, the defensive line can get after Barrett and change the game with its pressure.
Ohio State's Pass Protection vs. Clemson's Defensive Line
That sets the stage for the third key matchup. The Tigers are second in the nation in sacks and can exploit an Ohio State offensive line that broke down against Penn State and Michigan in two of its key games.
According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Barrett was sacked two times on Ohio State's last possession of its only loss of the season. Penn State finished with six sacks in the game, and the AP highlighted right tackle Isaiah Prince as someone who couldn't keep Barrett off the ground.
Barrett didn't want to place blame on his line after the loss, per the AP: "I think we put our O-line in bad spots early on in drives, so we're in 2nd-and-long and then we had to pass and that harmed us."
While Ohio State beat Michigan in double overtime, the same issues popped up again. According to the ESPN.com box score, the Wolverines sacked Barrett eight times. Taco Charlton in particular was dominant with 2.5 sacks, as he consistently blew past Prince in passing situations.
That is music to the ears of Clemson's defensive line that includes Carlos Watkins, Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins. Only Florida State had more sacks than Clemson this season, and that could be a serious problem for a Buckeyes offensive line that struggled against elite competition.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
