Clemson entered the 2016 season with rather lofty expectations.
The Tigers were fresh off a national championship game appearance the year prior and returned plenty of starters from that group. Led by quarterback and preseason Heisman Trophy favorite Deshaun Watson, many predicted Clemson to be ACC champions and College Football Playoff qualifiers for the second year in a row.
That's exactly what happened, too, as the Tigers went 12-1 during the 2016 campaign and are scheduled to meet Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. But their journey to back-to-back CFP appearances wasn't exactly as smooth as many anticipated.
| DATE | OPPONENT | OUTCOME |
|---|---|---|
| 9/3/16 | @ AUBURN | W, 19-13 |
| 9/10/16 | TROY | W, 30-24 |
| 9/17/16 | S. CAROLINA STATE | W, 59-0 |
| 9/22/16 | @ GEORGIA TECH | W, 26-7 |
| 10/1/16 | LOUISVILLE | W, 42-36 |
| 10/7/16 | @ BOSTON COLLEGE | W, 56-10 |
| 10/15/16 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | W, 24-17 |
| 10/29/16 | @ FLORIDA STATE | W, 37-34 |
| 11/5/16 | SYRACUSE | W, 54-0 |
| 11/12/16 | PITTSBURGH | L, 43-42 |
| 11/19/16 | @ WAKE FOREST | W, 35-13 |
| 11/26/16 | SOUTH CAROLINA | W, 56-7 |
| 12/3/16 | VIRGINIA TECH | W, 42-35 |
What follows is a recap of Clemson's season leading up to the New Year's Eve matchup against the Buckeyes.
The Beginning
Clemson tested itself right from the get-go, as the second-ranked Tigers traveled to Jordan-Hare Stadium for a primetime showdown with Auburn on the season's opening weekend. It was certainly going to be a stiff opening test for a team with expectations as high as Clemson's.
Trailing 3-0 in the early going, running back Wayne Gallman found the end zone on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead midway through the second quarter. It was a lead Clemson wouldn't relinquish though it would be difficult to hang on.
The Tigers held a 13-6 lead early in the fourth quarter when Watson lofted a pass toward the end zone intended for wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. The redshirt sophomore leaped and snared the ball out of mid-air for a big-time touchdown catch to put Clemson ahead, 19-6.
Auburn added a touchdown to get within six points and then threw a hail mary into the end zone as time expired. The ball was batted down by a Clemson defender and the Tigers survived a game that was much closer than many anticipated.
Watson threw for 248 yards — 174 of which were to wide receiver Mike Williams, who had nine grabs on the evening — and the Clemson defense forced three Auburn turnovers.
The Showdown
After defeating Troy (30-24), South Carolina State (59-0) and Georgia Tech (26-7) in consecutive weeks, Clemson hosted Louisville on Oct. 1 for a top-five showdown that featured two of the best quarterbacks in all of college football.
Lamar Jackson burst onto the national stage at the beginning of the 2016 season and led his Cardinals into Death Valley for what turned out to be one of the best games all year.
A dominant second quarter gave the Tigers a big 28-10 lead at halftime as Watson threw three first-half touchdown passes. Jackson took over from there, though, as Louisville scored the next 26 points to storm back and take a 36-28 lead with just 7:52 to play. Jackson's 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Cardinals their eight-point lead.
But Watson found Williams for a 20-yard touchdown pass just 45 seconds later to get the Tigers within two, and then Watson threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett with 3:14 remaining. Final score: Clemson 42, Louisville 36.
Watson finished 20-for-31 passing for 305 yards and five touchdowns (with three interceptions) while Jackson was 27-for-44 for 295 yards and a score along with 162 rushing yards and two additional touchdowns.
The Escape
After a blowout 56-10 victory against Boston College to move to 6-0, Clemson hosted N.C. State on Oct. 15 for what was supposed to be another easy victory. It turned out to be anything but.
Throughout an ugly four quarters, the Wolfpack had a chance to pull a stunning upset at the end of regulation. A game-winning 33-yard field goal attempt by N.C. State's Kyle Bambard missed wide right, however, and gave Clemson life as the game went to overtime.
From there, Watson found Artavis Scott for a 10-yard touchdown pass to open the extra period and cornerback Marcus Edmond intercepted a pass on N.C. State's offensive possession to seal a victory for the Tigers.
Disaster averted, and Clemson moved to 7-0 heading into its open week.
The preseason favorite
The Clemson–Florida State game was one many had circled before the season began, and despite the fact the Seminoles had a pair of losses to Louisville and North Carolina entering the game, it still lived up to the hype.
The Tigers trailed 28-20 entering the fourth quarter, but Jordan Leggett's touchdown catch with 2:06 remaining proved to be the game-winner. Watson threw for 378 yards and a pair of scores as Clemson, once again, found a way to win a close game despite a dominant effort from Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (169 yards, four touchdowns).
The victory over Florida State was the Tigers' fifth of the season (out of eight) decided by six points or fewer.
The Loss
By this point, it kind of felt like one was coming. Clemson avoided losses all season leading up to a Nov. 12 matchup with Pittsburgh, but the Tigers' luck had to be running out soon.
Watson threw for 580 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but Chris Blewitt's 48-yard field goal with six seconds left was the game-winner for the Panthers. Clemson had an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but a James Conner 20-yard touchdown run with 5:17 remaining cut the deficit to two.
Pittsburgh's two-point conversion attempt failed and the Tigers had a chance to seal the game with just over one minute to play, but Gallman was stopped on 4th-and-1 to give the Panthers the ball back. Pittsburgh drove down the field to set up Blewitt's field goal that ended Clemson's perfect season.
The Championship
The loss to Pittsburgh did not derail Clemson's hopes for an ACC championship as all the Tigers had to do was beat Wake Forest the following week and they would represent the ACC Atlantic in the title game. Clemson knocked off the Deamon Deacons, 35-13, and then smashed rival South Carolina the following week, 56-7, to finish the regular-season with an 11-1 record.
The Tigers matched up with Virginia Tech for the conference crown and a win would solidify Clemson's spot in the College Football Playoff. It was anything but easy, though.
Clemson led by as many as 21 points against the Hokies after a 2-yard run by Watson put it ahead 35-14 with 4:45 to play in the third quarter, but Virginia Tech stormed back to make it 35-28 with 11:35 to play.
The Tigers again stretched their lead to two touchdowns on a score by Renfrow with 7:33 to play, but the Hokies again had an answer to get within seven with just under six minutes to go.
Virginia Tech had the ball and drove into Clemson territory with a chance to tie the game late, but Cordrea Tankersley picked off Hokies quarterback Jerod Evans to seal the win.
