For an Ohio State season that was an emotional rollercoaster from September to November, the Fiesta Bowl was as anti-climatic as possible.
The Clemson Tigers dominated the Buckeyes 31-0, shutting down Ohio State’s offense from start to finish and forcing three turnovers.
J.T. Barrett’s struggles in the passing game against a tough defense continued, as he threw two picks, but Clemson accomplished what no team had done to the Buckeyes all season: shutting down the run game.
Mike Weber, who ran for over 1,000 yards in his redshirt freshman season was held to a career-low 24 yards on eight carries.
Curtis Samuel broke free for a 64-yard run when the game was out of reach, but aside from that, he gained only three yards on five carries.
Barrett, who has been an efficient runner all year, was competely shut down, finishing with negative-two yards on 11 carries.
It was Ohio State’s worst offensive game under Urban Meyer and possibly the worst of any of the different places he has coached.
Ohio State’s defense continued to do its share of the load, as Gareon Conley and Malik Hooker each interecepted DeShaun Watson, but those forced turnovers could not bail the offense out this time around, like it did against Wisconsin and Michigan.
Watson showed why he will be a high draft pick, as although he threw the two interceptions, he was responsible for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) completing 23 of 36 passes for 259 yards and rushing for 57 yards on 15 carries against a Buckeyes defense, that even in a 31-0 loss, played like one of the best in the nation.
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