Your 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game



Clemson University Tigers vs. 
Louisiana State University Tigers
2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana,
United States of America
13 January 2020
National Collegiate Athletic Association
Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

Clemson: 2019 Fiesta Bowl Champions



A season seemingly destined to place Ryan Day's first year as Ohio State head coach atop all the other seasons of distinction in OSU history instead ending suddenly and stunningly in a 29-23 loss to No. 3 Clemson in the College Football Playoff on Saturday at the Fiesta Bowl.

Justin Fields, who threw only one interception all season, threw two against the defending national champion Tigers, including the clincher with 37 seconds left.

Fields was looking for Chris Olave from the Clemson 30, but Olave broke left and Fields threw to the middle of the field, where the Tigers intercepted.

The 30th consecutive victory for coach Dabo Swinney's team moves them into the national championship game Jan. 13 against LSU, which hammered Oklahoma in the other Playoff semifinal.

Fields finished 30-of-46 for 320 yards, with one TD.

J.K. Dobbins gained 174 yards on 18 carries, but had only 30 yards after injuring his ankle in the third quarter.

Clemson's Trevor Lawrence led his team 94 yards to take the lead in the final two minutes.

He finished 18-of-33 for 259 yards and rushed 16 times for 107 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown.

OSU embarked on its potential game-winning drive from its 25 with 1:49 left, trying to overcome a 29-23 deficit that resulted from Travis Etienne's 34-yard touchdown catch with 1:49 left.

That culminated a four-play drive by the Tigers, but Ohio State started just as promptly in response.

Fields found Dobbins with three swing passes and hit K.J. Hill for 13 yards to move quickly inside the Clemson 30 with 43 seconds left.

That's where Fields and Olave miscommunicated and Clemson free safety Nolan Turner intercepted in the end zone, ending the Buckeyes' hopes for a thrilling comeback.

Clemson gained the chance to take the lead by holding on third-and-five with 3:53 left, denying Austin Mack the three additional yards he needed to sustain the drive after a catch at the Tigers' 39.

OSU elected to punt, giving the Tigers the ball at the 6-yard line with two timeouts and 3:07 left to drive for a go-ahead field goal.

Instead, the Tigers used just four plays to go 94 yards for a touchdown.

Lawrence passed for 11 yards to Justyn Ross, ran for 11 himself to go over 100 yards for the game, then found Amari Rodgers over the middle.

He slipped a tackle from Jeff Okudah at midfield and gained 38 yards to the 34-yard line with 2:06 left.

Etienne covered the distance that remained on the next snap, taking a short pass behind the OSU defensive line and speeding through the secondary to get in the end zone for the third time.

The Tigers tried to pad their resulting 27-23 lead to six points, and got that when Tee Higgins got away from Okudah to catch the two-point pass from a scrambling Lawrence.

OSU shook off a streak of 21 straight Clemson points that erased a 16-0 second-quarter deficit to re-take the lead with 11:46 left on Fields' 23-yard touchdown pass to Olave.

Olave got free over the middle with Clemson's defense crowding the line on fourth-and-one, anticipating a Dobbins' or Fields run.

Ohio State will forever lament its missed opportunities that undermined its chance of getting to the national championship game.

The Buckeyes' early 16-0 lead could have been much larger had they not settled for three Blake Haubeil field goals inside 35 yards.

Two of those came after near Fields touchdowns to Dobbins, who earlier scored on a 68 yard run and broke off another 64-yarder inside the 10.

Replay overruled a Dobbins 5-yard TD catch because the football hit the ground and slid down his leg in the end zone.

Shortly after that, Dobbins dropped a screen floated to him in the left flat with three blockers to clear the one Clemson defender in the 20 yards separating him from the goal line.

Those mistakes weren't the extent of the Buckeyes' self-inflicted damage.

Midway through the third quarter, with Clemson punting from its 15, Cameron Brown roughed Will Spiers to sustain a drive that two plays later resulted in Travis Etienne scoring on a 53-yard screen pass.

As much as that hurt, it wasn't the last debilitating mental blow to the Buckeyes.

Replay overturned Fuller's scoop-and-score touchdown the next time Clemson had the ball, denying OSU what appeared a touchdown when Okudah stripped possession from Ross at the Clemson 25.

The Buckeyes' 16-0 second-quarter lead evaporated in a flurry of two Clemson touchdowns in a span of just 1:35.

OSU gave the Tigers a second chance to score its first touchdown, converting a third-down incompletion into a first down when cornerback Shaun Wade slammed into Lawrence and drew a targeting call.

That continued the possession and Clemson pounced.

Amir Riep replaced Wade and, on second down, Lawrence returned from a brief medical check on the sideline and went deep. That drew pass interference and a provided a Clemson first down at the OSU 16.

Etienne took it from there, avoiding Fuller and Malik Harrison on third-and-2 from the 7-yard line to knife into the end zone and get Clemson within 16-7 with 2:45 left in the half.

Ohio State tried to run out the clock, but Dobbins came up short on third down and Clemson took over with 1:55 left.

It took the Tigers less than a minute to get within 16-14.

Lawrence converted third-and-10 with a throw to Ross, then broke OSU's heart with a 67-yard run on a quarterback draw.

He broke free up the middle, juked safety Josh Proctor and Fuller, then outran Barron Browning to the end zone.

The Tigers made it 21 straight points right after that, cashing in another second chance off the personal foul of their punter and Etienne's 53-yard catch and run with a screen pass.

LSU: 2019 Peach Bowl Champions



What happened Saturday afternoon in Mercedes Benz Stadium, to put it simply, was the stuff of legend.

Whether it was Joe Burrow's seven touchdown passes or Justin Jefferson's four touchdown receptions, the Tigers 63-28 route of Oklahoma provided an eye-popping moment nearly every step of the way.

The offensive performance was so unique, the Peach Bowl communications department passed out a sheet of the records that were broken, in the first half alone. And that sheet was a full page long.

There was Burrow's seven touchdown passes, which broke the Peach Bowl, New Year's Six and CFP semifinal records while his 403 passing yards also broke the CFP semifinal record.

In addition, Burrow's 56 passing touchdowns are now the second most for a single season in NCAA history, two behind Colt Brennan, who had 58 in 2006. The senior quarterback also became the all time LSU leader in passing touchdowns, passing Tommy Hodson (69) with his 70th touchdown pass as the first half drew to a close.

Then there was Jefferson's first half that saw the junior break the Peach Bowl, New Year's Six and CFP semifinal record for touchdowns and the Peach Bowl record for receptions by days end (14).

In total, Jefferson hauled in 14 balls for 227 yards and four touchdowns while Burrow went for 493 yards and eight total touchdowns, both College Football Playoff records. The offense as a whole scored 49 points in the first half alone, also Peach Bowl, New Year's Six and CFP semifinal records.

The 63 total points would go on to set a College Football Playoff record, coming on a six-yard John Emery touchdown run.

While the offense was historically great, particularly in the first half, the intensity and performance of the defense was nothing to sneeze at either.

Sooner quarterback Jalen Hurts was scrambling all afternoon thanks to the LSU pass rush as Hurts mustered only 43 rushing yards while passing for another 217.

Outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson had a hectic afternoon, recording six tackles and two sacks while Kary Vincent recorded the game's lone turnover, an interception off of Hurts with LSU already up 35-14 in the first half.

The Tigers held Oklahoma to 14 first half points while the offense was doing its thing on the other end. Oklahoma would add 14 more points in the second half, which tied its season low on offense from a points perspective.

Up next for the Tigers is a berth to the National Championship game in New Orleans against either Clemson or Ohio State.

Penn State: 2019 Cotton Bowl Champions



The No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions saved their best rushing performance for the last game of the year.

Amassing 369 total rushing yards, Penn State held on to beat the No. 17 Memphis Tigers 53-39 in Saturday’s Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Running back Journey Brown finished with a Penn State bowl record 202 rushing yards — the second-most ever in a New Year’s Six bowl game — while Noah Cain added 92. Ricky Slade also had 58, and Devyn Ford even added 2 yards and a TD.

Memphis QB Brady White had a memorable game himself, throwing for 454 yards and two interceptions. And Memphis kicker Riley Patterson set a Cotton Bowl record, and an overall all-time bowl record, with six field goals from distances of 42, 41, 51, 44, 37 and 48 yards.

James Franklin’s squad got off to a slow start and trailed early. But Penn State rebounded, and Memphis had no answer for its running game.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
Penn State RB Journey Brown: The redshirt sophomore saved the best game of his career for the final game of the season. Let’s just list his stats here first because they tell quite the story: 16 carries for 202 rushing yards andtwo touchdowns. He also had two catches for 7 receiving yards.

Brown flashed speed, power and versatility Saturday, and the Memphis defense simply couldn’t stop him — even when it knew what was coming. We’ll get to one of his more memorable plays a little farther down, but Brown was simply unstoppable. His previous career high was 124 yards against Minnesota.

Only one running back has recorded more rushing yards in a New Year’s Six bowl game — Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, who had 230 against Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
Penn State LB Micah Parsons: The sophomore All-American was a one-man wrecking crew and absolutely dominated Saturday. He finished with a team-leading 14 total tackles, to go along with three tackles for loss, two sacks, two breakups and two forced fumbles. If it wasn’t for him, this game could’ve been a whole lot closer.

He made clutch plays at key times. When Memphis was just 20 yards shy of the end zone in the first quarter, he sniffed out a reverse for a 10-yard loss to force a third-and-20 situation. In the second quarter, he forced a three-and-out after stopping Memphis’ back for no gain and, on the next play, sacking the quarterback for an 8-yard loss. In the third quarter, he pressured Memphis QB Brady White into throwing a pick-six to safety Garrett Taylor. And, in the final period, he made Memphis settle for a field goal after a pass deflection — well, dropped interception — and sack pushed the Tigers into a third-and-19 situation early on.

Parsons should make every single all-bowl team this postesason.

PLAY OF THE GAME
RB Journey Brown’s bruising 32-yard TD run: He’s not just a burner with the 100-meter high school state record; Brown is proving he’s a multidimensional threat.

The Pennsylvania native made national highlights early in the first quarter, when he broke four tackles en route to a 32-yard touchdown run to give Penn State the 7-3 lead. On first-and-10, he followed his blockers and broke a linebacker’s arm tackle about five yards upfield. Then he shimmied to avoid a defensive back, before stiff-arming him to the ground. And then? Well, he still wasn’t finished.

Brown stiff-armed another defensive back, who tried to pull Brown down by his collar — but Brown powered through the tackle and then carried a 250-pound defensive end about 5 yards into the end zone. If it wasn’t the most impressive run of the season for Brown, it sure made his end-of-year highlight tape.

TURNING POINT
Penn State safety Garrett Taylor’s pick-six: No, this play didn’t exactly put it away for Penn State. But it gave the Nittany Lions the necessary momentum to carry them to a win.

Let’s set it up. Late in the third quarter, with Penn State nursing a 38-36 lead, the Memphis offense found itself facing a critical third-and-8 on its own 24-yard line. As soon as QB Brady White snapped the ball, linebacker Micah Parsons was bearing down on him.

With one hand on White, the signal-caller just tried to shovel the pass forward — but it landed in the waiting arms of Garrett Taylor, who didn’t hesitate and sprinted 15 yards into the end zone. That gave Penn State a 45-36 lead, and it eventually gave it the win.

Notre Dame: 2019 Camping World Bowl Champions



ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- So much for the notion that No. 14 Notre Dame didn't have anything to play for in the Camping World Bowl.

A year removed from an appearance in the CFP national semifinals, the Fighting Irish closed out another double-digit win season with arguably their best all-around performance in a 33-9 victory over Iowa State on Saturday.

"I'm just so proud of our football team. 2019 will be one that I'll always remember, for a group of guys that just loved to play the game. They had such a strong brotherhood," coach Brian Kelly said.

"They did not listen to what the naysayers had to say about them. The negative tone, the negative people out there. All they cared about was playing the game," Kelly added. "It was clean. It was about competing. Always looking to better themselves."

Ian Book threw for 247 yards and a touchdown, Tony Jones Jr. scored on an 84-yard run and game MVP Chase Claypool had seven receptions for 146 yards and a TD for the Irish (11-2, No. 15 CFP), who finished on a six-game winning streak after losing to Michigan to tumble out of contention for a playoff berth in late October.

Notre Dame also lost to Georgia in September; however, Kelly said the team remained focused and continued to focus and get better.

"Even this week. `Notre Dame is not ready to play.' They used that as another form of motivation to show people wrong, They just read this team wrong," Kelly said. "It's just so satisfying that this group has been rewarded with 11 wins. ... They overcame adversity, lived the life lessons of it. They're not perfect. They never pretended to be perfect and never wanted to be, but always strived for excellence."

Book completed 20 of 28 passes without an interception, including a 27-yard TD throw to Claypool, who went over 1,000 yards receiving for the season and also recovered a fumble on special teams to set up an early field goal.

Iowa State (7-6) lost to four ranked teams -- Iowa, Oklahoma, Baylor and Oklahoma State -- by a combined 11 points this season and was hoping to end its fourth season under Matt Campbell with a signature win for a once-downtrodden program.

"You know, when we got here ... there wasn't even a thought that we could compete with teams like this. There was no thought that we could compete with the best teams in our conference," Campbell said. "And, you know, to be quite honest with you, I don't know if there was a lot of people that thought we could compete with our rival in our own state."

Brock Purdy was 17 of 30 for 222 yards and no interceptions for the Cyclones, but he was unable to get his team into the end zone after throwing for a school single-season record 27 TDs during the regular season.

The sophomore quarterback left the game in the closing minutes with what Campbell described as a high ankle sprain.

Connor Assalley kicked field goals of 41, 26 and 42 yards .

"I think why you're so disappointed is because you feel how close you really are to where you want to be," Campbell said.

"Getting over that hump, taking that next step , that's a great challenge," Campbell added. "It's a great challenge for Iowa State football, but no greater challenge, to be honest with you, that I'd rather tackle than that."

THE TAKEAWAY

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish had 26 takeaways during the regular season, including a nation-leading 17 fumbles. The defense set the tone from the start against one of the Big 12's top passing attacks and never really allowed the high-scoring Cyclones to establish a rhythm offensively. As expected, the 6-foot-4, 229-pound Claypool was a difficult matchup for Iowa State's smallish secondary. The Irish also outrushed the Cyclones 208-45, with a huge chunk of that advantage being built on Jones' long scoring run.

Iowa State: After losing four games to ranked opponents by a combined 11 points during the regular season, the Cyclones were looking for a signature win against Notre Dame. Instead, they dug a hole with the early turnovers and never escaped. Until Jones' long run put the Irish up by three TDs, it was a fairly close game statistically. Notre Dame ran 33 plays and gained 207 yards in the first half, while Iowa State had gained 204 yards on 32 plays up to that point. Ultimately, the difference were the fumbles and the Cyclones' inability to get the ball in the end zone after scoring a school single-season record 53 touchdowns and 409 points during the regular season.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish have won 10 or more games in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991-93. Book is a senior but has a year of eligibility remaining. Coach Brian Kelly faces some tough decisions for 2020, including naming an offensive coordinator after parting ways with Chip Long earlier this month. Quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees called plays in the Camping World Bowl. The Irish open next season against Navy in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 29.

Iowa State: The Cyclones have won 23 games over past three seasons, one shy of the program record for a three-year span. With Purdy returning after setting single-season records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions and total offense, the future seems bright -- especially if they can turn some of those narrow losses that kept them from being more successful this year into victories. The Cyclones begin next season at home against South Dakota on Sept. 5.