2016 Fiesta Bowl (December)

2016 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
College Football Playoff Semifinal 46th Fiesta Bowl Game
Ohio State Buckeyes Clemson Tigers (11–1) (12–1) Big Ten ACC 0 31 Head coach:  Urban Meyer Head coach:  Dabo Swinney AP Coaches CFP 2 2 3 AP Coaches CFP 3 3 2
1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 0 0 0 0 0 Clemson 10 7 7 7 31
Date	December 31, 2016
Season	2016
Stadium	University of Phoenix Stadium
Location	Glendale, Arizona
MVP	Offense: Deshaun Watson Defense: Clelin Ferrell
Favorite	Ohio State by 1
Referee	Land Clark (Pac-12)
Halftime show	Bands from participants
Attendance	70,236
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN/ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes
Announcers	Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Samantha Ponder and Tom Rinaldi (ESPN) Bill Rosinski, David Norrie and Ian Fitzsimmons (ESPN Radio)
Nielsen ratings	(# of viewers)
Fiesta Bowl  < 2016 (Jan.) 2017 >  2 vs. 3 Seed CFP Semifinal Game  < 2015 Cotton 2018 Rose >

University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, hosted the Fiesta Bowl.

The 2016 Fiesta Bowl (officially known as the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game that was played on December 31, 2016, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This 46th Fiesta Bowl Game was a College Football Playoff semifinal with the winner of the game competing against the winner of the 2016 Peach Bowl (Alabama) in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship which took place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. ^[1] It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games that concluded the 2016 FBS football season.

It was the second game to be called "the 2016 Fiesta Bowl", as the previous season's game was played on January 1, 2016. The previous two Fiesta Bowls were also played in the same calendar year as each other. The game's title sponsor was Sony Interactive Entertainment via its PlayStation brand as part of a multi-year deal with broadcasting and marketing rightsholder ESPN, which includes branded content and making PlayStation the official video gaming and virtual reality sponsor of the College Football Playoff. ^[2] The winning team received the Molina Fiesta Bowl Trophy.

Clemson became just the second team in college football history to shut out Ohio State (11–2) in a bowl game, joining Cal in the 1921 Rose Bowl. The game also marked the first time that Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer was shut out in his career, in about 193 games, and his second major loss to Dabo Swinney in the past four seasons. ^[3] The game also marked the second consecutive advance to the CFP National Championship game by the Clemson football program. ^[4]

Teams

On Sunday December 4, 2016, the CFP Semifinals was announced with #2 Clemson vs. #3 Ohio State playing in the Fiesta Bowl.

This was the third meeting between the schools, with Clemson having won both of the previous matchups. The most recent meeting was the 2014 Orange Bowl, where the Tigers defeated the Buckeyes by a score of 40–35. ^[5]

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP OSU CLEM 1 9:16 7 42 2:36 CLEM 45-yard field goal by Greg Huegel 0 3 1 2:16 10 70 3:43 CLEM Deshaun Watson 1-yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 0 10 2 2:21 8 83 3:44 CLEM C.J. Fuller 30-yard touchdown reception from Deshaun Watson, Greg Huegel kick good 0 17 3 2:06 5 40 2:03 CLEM Deshaun Watson 7-yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 0 24 4 8:51 2 7 0:34 CLEM Wayne Gallman 7-yard touchdown run, Greg Huegel kick good 0 31 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 0 31

Statistics

Statistics	Ohio State	Clemson
First Downs	9	24
Plays-yards	215	470
Third down efficiency	3–14	8–17
Rushes-yards	88	205
Passing yards	127	265
Passing: Comp-Att-Int	19–33–2	24–37–2
Time of Possession	24:09	35:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ohio State	Passing	J. T. Barrett	19/33, 127 yds, 2 INT
	Rushing	Curtis Samuel	6 car, 67 yds
	Receiving	Curtis Samuel	9 rec, 43 yds
Clemson	Passing	Deshaun Watson	23/36 yds, 259 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Wayne Gallman	18 car, 85 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Mike Williams	6 rec, 96 yds

See also

• 2019 Fiesta Bowl (December) – Also a CFP Semifinal featuring Clemson and Ohio State, won by Clemson
• 2021 Sugar Bowl – Also a CFP Semifinal featuring Clemson and Ohio State, featured Ohio State's first overall win against Clemson

References

1. "Sites & Schedules". collegefootballplayoff.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
2. "PlayStation Signs Multiyear Deal To Become Title Sponsor Of Fiesta Bowl". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
3. Braziller, Zach (January 1, 2017). "Clemson destroys Ohio State to set up title rematch with Tide". New York Post. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
4. Crouse, Karen (December 31, 2016). "Clemson Pounds Ohio State to Set Up a Rematch With Alabama". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2017.
5. Winsipedia – Clemson Tigers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes football series history