Clemson blanks Oklahoma in second half, earns spot in national title game with 37-17 win

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Just two days before the Orange Bowl, many were worried how Clemson would fare after Deon Cain was sent home for violating team rules.

The answer? Just fine.

As Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman collected 295 yards rushing combined, the Tigers were able to hold Oklahoma scoreless in the second half in their 37-17 win over the Sooners.

"You know, that's 17 in a row for us," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "You know, it's the longest winning streak in the country, and we've played a lot of good teams in those 17 games. I'm just so proud of our team for just their willingness to be coached, their willingness to prepare each and every week, each and every game, the mindset and the mentality that they come to work with because it's just special. It's uncommon."

The Sooners put their first points on the board quickly with the help of a questionable call. On third-and-3, Baker Mayfield's pass flew out of bounds as Dede Westbrook gave chase. But officials ruled pass interference on Ryan Carter giving the Sooners new life. Three plays later, Samaje Perine rushed into the end zone from one yard out and the Sooners took an early 7-0 lead.

The Tigers weren't able to get their first points on the board until late in the first quarter. Thanks to a poor Oklahoma punt, the Tigers had excellent field position at the Sooners 28-yard line. However, Clemson wasn't able to come away with a touchdown and settle for a 26-yard field goal by Greg Huegel.

The Tigers would shake off the jitters in the second quarter. On fourth-and-4, Andy Teasdall connected with defensive end Christian Wilkins for 42 yards keeping the drive alive and giving the Tigers some momentum.

"We shocked them, didn't we?" Swinney said jokingly. "Ain't nobody covering that big ol' guy."

Two plays later, Deshaun Watson scored on a five-yard run and Clemson would take a 10-7 lead with 12:45 left in the half.

The Tigers would go up 16-10 late in the quarter thanks to two Greg Huegel field goals, but the Sooners would regain the lead with less than two minutes in the quarter. Mayfield found Mark Andrews for an 11-yard touchdown pass and Oklahoma went back on top 17-16.

Mayfield was 17-of-23 for 223 and a touchdown in the first half.

Clemson would drive down the field in hopes of taking the lead before the half ended, but a Watson interception by Zack Sanchez would quell those hopes and give the Sooners momentum heading into the half.

"We didn't play a bad first half," Swinney said. "I just didn't think we were as clean as we needed to be. We had had five straight drives offensively, but we had kicked three field goals, one touchdown, and an interception right before the half. So we just weren't finishing in the red zone with touchdowns, and we needed -- field goals weren't going to get it done, not with the type of offense that they have. So that was the biggest thing on offense."

Momentum seemed to shift back to Oklahoma before halftime, but Clemson took it back in the second half. A 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by Wayne Gallman's 1-yard touchdown run put Clemson ahead 23-17 with 10:51 to go in the third.

The Tigers eventually went on to create the separation they were looking for later in the quarter. Watson's 35-yard pass to Hunter Renfrow gave the Tigers a 30-17 lead to finish off a four-play, 70-yard drive.

Clemson would all but put the game away with the fourth. Dabo Swinney's offense put together a nine-play drive that spanned nearly five minutes before Gallman capped the series with a four-yard rushing touchdown making it 37-17.

"I don't really think there's anything different," Gallman said when asked about his second-half performance, "other than really wanting to close out the game, really wanting to make an impact, and to be able to finish the game is always something special."

The Clemson defense would put the proverbial fork in this game. With Oklahoma threatening at the Clemson 2-yard line, Mayfield was picked off by Ben Boulware ending the drive and ultimately ending the Sooners' title hopes.

Now, the Tigers will take a couple of days to rest before getting ready for what Swinney calls "truly the biggest game of the season." But that's a few days. For now, Clemson is going to relish the moment.

"We've got four quarters left or however many it takes, and so we'll be ready," Swinney said. "But we're not trying to balance anything. Right now we're just trying to enjoy this, enjoy being 14-0, sit back and see how it shakes out tonight, see who we're going to play, get home, and then we'll flip the script and go back to work."