GLENDALE, Arizona — After 23 minutes of play in the Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State football led Clemson 16-0 and controlled the game’s tempo and physical tone. Yet speaking from their victorious locker room after a full 60 minutes, the Tigers said defensive stops in that first quarter-and-a-half set the stage for their eventual 29-23 victory. Clemson held one of the most potent red zone offenses in football to field goals on all three of their first-half red zone opportunities. If Ohio State had converted on any one of those red zone chances, it plausibly changed everything that comes after — especially the closing minutes, when the Buckeyes had to reach the end zone. “If on the opposite side you keep settling for field goals, it can come back and bite you as we all know when you’re playing against good people,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “Tonight it ended…
Continue Reading: Early red zone chances haunted Ohio State football late in Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson: Buckeye Rewatch
