Clemson Football: 3 takeaways from Fiesta Bowl win over Ohio State

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 28: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts against the Clemson Tigers in the second half during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

2. Ohio State couldn’t overcome the mistakes

Ohio State played a great game, but there were some huge errors that ended up hurting them in the end. The targeting penalty by Shaun Wade being a critical one, as Ohio State was looking at getting the ball back up 16-0 with 4:47 left in the second quarter. That penalty gave Clemson new life, as they capitalized getting their first touchdown of the night shortly after.

Another mistake was the roughing the punter penalty at the beginning of the third quarter. Another opportunity to expand the lead was taken away after Cameron Brown was called for roughing the punter on a 4th-and-6. Clemson did not let Ohio State recover from these mistakes as yet again they scored a touchdown shortly after, taking a 21-16 lead.

Of course the Justin Fields interception was the biggest mistake, although it looked like there was some miscommunication between Fields and Olave on the route, so it would not be fair to put it all on Fields.

All-in-all, Ohio State played a great game they put up 516 yards of total offense (far ahead of Clemson’s 417) and were in position to win the game late. I also would be remiss to not mention JK Dobbins amazing performance putting up 221 total yards of offense and a touchdown despite leaving the game twice do to injury.

Someone had to lose this incredible game, and unfortunately it was the Buckeyes.

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