GLENDALE, Ariz. — An ugly display by Ohio State's offense will lead to a long offseason in Columbus.
The Buckeyes closed the book on their 2016 season in the worst way on Saturday night, failing even to enter the scoring column in a 31-0 beatdown at the hands of the Tigers. It is the first time in Meyer's 15 seasons as a head coach his team did not score a single point and the first time since 1993 the Buckeyes were shut out. They fell to Michigan that year 28-0.
With that in mind, let's get to three key stats from the Fiesta Bowl beatdown.
Ohio State Rushes 23 Times for 88 Yards
To say Ohio State couldn't run the ball against a ferocious Tiger defensive front is an understatement. At halftime, the Buckeyes had 11 carries for eight yards. Redshirt freshman and 1,000-yard rusher Mike Weber ran it just one time in the first 30 minutes, picking up 5 yards. On his second carry, he fumbled in Ohio State territory after picking up first down yardage.
The Buckeyes continued to call edge runs the outside, mostly to Curtis Samuel, but to no avail. The Tigers shut down the electric H-back all night, holding him to 109 yards on 16 touches. Ten of those came in the first half for 38 yards. His 64-yard run early in the fourth helped make this statistic at least somewhat respectable.
“I put a lot of blame on myself,” Samuel said following the loss. “I feel like I’m supposed to go out there and make more plays than I did in games like this.”
It didn't matter who got the ball on Saturday night for Ohio State. Plays were not there to be made.
Clemson's Defensive Line Knocks Down 3 Passes, Tigers Record 11 Tackles For Loss
Barrett didn't throw the ball that poorly until late in the game when Clemson knew he had to. He ended the game with 127 yards on 19 completions. Clemson defensive linemen Carlos Watkins and Christian Wilkins constantly got in his face and made his life miserable.
They combined to knock down three passes, while the Tigers finished with 11 tackles for loss. Barrett ran 11 times for -2 yards and when he did get the ball away, he usually ended up on his back. Unleashing constant pressure all game, Clemson sent its big, fast and powerful bodies on a bevy of unique blitzes and Barrett paid for it.
“They did a good job being disruptive, the D-line did,” Barrett said. “I mean, there was times I could have done a better job getting the ball out, as far as seeing my reads faster. But they definitely — I mean we just didn't execute really on offense.”
Clemson Finishes Without a 100-Yard Rusher or Receiver
And the Tigers still won by four possessions. Think about that.
Future first-round draft pick Mike Williams caught six passes for 96 yards to lead Clemson's pass catchers. Wayne Gallman ran 18 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. Deshaun Watson rushed 15 times for 57 yards and a pair of scores.
He distributed the ball beautifully, hitting nine different receivers, six of whom had at least 10 yards through the air. Watson was the only skill player to reach triple digits in any offensive statistic, completing 23-of-36 passes for 259 yards. Eight rushers combined for 205 yards on the ground for a brilliantly balanced onslaught against an Ohio State defense stuck on the field for nearly 40 minutes.
The offensive weapons were on full display Saturday night. It kept Ohio State guessing and held serve in the rout.
