The Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal between the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes and the #3 Clemson Tigers got off to quite the start, and a dramatic catch from Ohio State freshman wide receiver Garrett Wilson was a big part of that. On the game’s opening possession, Wilson made an incredible catch near the sideline, which eventually required replay to confirm that he did get a hand down before his feet landed out of bounds:
The video review eventually confirmed that that was in fact a catch, and that paved the way for a 21-yard field goal from Ohio State’s Blake Haubeil. That made for the Big Ten’s first playoff points since the inaugural playoff season of 2014-15 (when the Buckeyes won the title); the Michigan State Spartans were picked in 2015-16, but lost 38-0 to the Alabama Crimson Tide in a semifinal game, and Ohio State lost 31-0 to Clemson in a 2016-17 semifinal game. 2017-18 and 2018-19 saw no Big Ten teams picked.
So Ohio State got off to a good start here, and they then built on that. Tigers’ kicker B.T. Potter missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on Clemson’s first drive, and Buckeyes’ RB J.K. Dobbins followed that up with a 68-yard touchdown run on Ohio State’s first play on the subsequent drive. After the first quarter, the Buckeyes led 10-0, and they soon improved that lead to 13-0 after a second-quarter field goal.
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About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.