Oklahoma vs. Clemson: Russell Athletic Bowl info
Oklahoma Sooners vs. Clemson Tigers
The Oklahoma Sooners (8-4) travel to Florida to play the Clemson Tigers (9-3) in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29. Clemson found a replacement for Tajh Boyd in quarterback Deshaun Watson, and Watson is set to start despite sustaining what coach Dabo Swinney called a torn ACL. Clemson's season ended on a high note when the Tigers beat South Carolina to end the Gamecocks' five-year winning streak in the Battle of the Palmetto State.
True freshman running back Samaje Perine has led the Sooners, gaining 200 rushing yards or more in three games, including 427 yards against Kansas, an FBS record. The Oklahoma offense has also been anchored by junior receiver Sterling Shepard, who had five games with 100 yards receiving before a groin injury hindered him in the latter part of the season.
You can follow the game with live stats and play-by-play here.
How to watch
Details for the game, to be played on Dec. 29, are below:
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. ET
Live Stream: The game can be live streamed here.
TV Coverage: ESPN
Radio: For a list of Oklahoma affiliates, click here. For Clemson affiliates, click here.
Season recaps
Oklahoma
11/22: Oklahoma 44, Kansas 7
Samaje Perine broke a one-week old FBS record, rushing for 427 yards in Oklahoma’s rout of the Jayhawks. Perine accomplished the feat on 34 carries and also scored five touchdowns. Kansas lost its 30th straight on the road and only had 103 yards of total offense, including 19 yards rushing. Oklahoma only needed to throw the ball 13 times all game, as the Sooners used 55 running attempts to gain 549 yards.
11/15: Oklahoma 42, Texas Tech 30
Cody Thomas started for an injured Trevor Knight and was intercepted three times, so the Sooners turned to Samaje Perine and the ground game. The Sooners rolled up 384 rushing yards to offset a four-touchdown, 390-yard passing day from Texas Tech freshman Patrick Mahomes. Thomas ran for 103 yards and Perine rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns, and became the fifth Oklahoma freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
11/8:Baylor 48, Oklahoma 14
Quarterback Trevor Knight was carted off the field after he was sacked early in the fourth quarter. The Sooners lost by 30-plus points for just the fourth time under head coach Bob Stoops. Running back Keith Ford returned to play for the first time since Sept. 13 and had eight carries for 40 yards.
11/1: Oklahoma 59, Iowa State 14
Three Sooners ran for more than 100 yards as Oklahoma rushed for 510 yards and five touchdowns against the Cyclones. Trevor Knight threw for 230 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, while also running for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Alex Ross rushed for 144 yards, and Samaje Perine added 110 yards and a touchdown.
10/18: Kansas State 31, Oklahoma 30
A blocked PAT was the difference as the Sooners lost their second game of the season. Trevor Knight threw a touchdown pass to Durron Neal in the fourth quarter, but the PAT was blocked and the Sooners lost by one. Knight completed 26 of 32 passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the loss. Sterling Shepard had 15 catches for 197 yards and touchdown.
10/11: Oklahoma 31, Texas 26
The Sooners, after falling in the Red River Rivalry last year against the Longhorns, came out victorious this year. Trevor Knight threw for 129 yards and a touchdown. However, the Sooners defense allowed 482 yards to Texas and nearly squandered a lead that at one point was 31-13.
10/04: TCU 37, Oklahoma 33
Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, and TCU hung on to win. Knight's second interception was returned 41 yards for a touchdown, giving the Horned Frogs a 37-31 lead. Oklahoma blocked the ensuing PAT attempt and returned it for a safety. Oklahoma's defense allowed 469 yards.
9/20: Oklahoma 45, West Virginia 33
The Sooners took the lead with 12:22 remaining in the third quarter when Samaje Perine scored on a 9-yard run to break a 24-24 tie. Oklahoma ran for 301 yards; the Sooners have won 36 straight games in which they've rushed for at least 200 yards. Alex Ross' 100-yard kick return for a touchdown gave the Sooners two 100-yard plays in the same season for the first time in program history.
9/13: Oklahoma 34, Tennessee 10
Oklahoma had five sacks in the game after posting four in the first two games. For the first time since 2009, the Sooners held their first three opponents to 17 points or less.
9/6: Oklahoma 52, Tulsa 7
The Sooners' 52 points were their most since scoring 63 against Texas in 2012. Oklahoma improved to 20-1 in its last 21 games against unranked opponents. The Sooners are 13-3 in road openers under coach Bob Stoops.
8/30: Oklahoma 48, Louisiana Tech 16
The Sooners are now 49-9-5 all-time in home openers. Oklahoma scored 21 points in the first quarter, the first time it has scored that many in an opening period since 2010 at Baylor. Running backs Keith Ford and Alex Ross each ran for two touchdowns, the first time the Sooners have had two runners score at least two touchdowns since 2012 against Florida A&M.
Clemson
11/29: Clemson 35, South Carolina 17
Deshaun Watson returned to the field and recorded 269 passing yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-19 passing; he added two touchdowns on the ground. Wayne Gallman carried 27 times for 191 yards and a touchdown. Artavis Scott had seven receptions for 185 yards; he caught both of Watson’s two touchdown passes. The victory broke Clemson’s five-game losing streak to South Carolina.
11/22:Clemson 28, Georgia State 0
Clemson rebounded from its loss to Georgia Tech with a decisive victory over Georgia Southern. Cole Stoudt completed 19 of his 29 passes for 132 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception. Tyshon Dye led the Tigers’ rushing attack, carrying the ball 20 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Williams picked up 87 yards with seven receptions, scoring one touchdown. Artavis Scott gained just 23 yards on five catches.
11/15: Clemson 6, Georgia Tech 28
Quarterback Deshaun Watson left the game for good after a first-quarter knee injury; Stoudt replaced him and threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. The Tigers were held to 190 yards, 88 of which came on Wayne Gallman’s 15 carries; Watson added 40 yards on seven carries before leaving the game. Artavis Scott led the team’s receiving corps with three catches for 19 yards.
11/06: Clemson 34, Wake Forest 20
Quarterback Cole Stoudt finshed 27-of-42 passing, throwing for 282 yards with three touchdowns. Two of his scoring passes went to Artavis Scott, who had eight receptions for 122 yards. The third touchdown pass was to Wayne Gallman, whose 43 receiving yards came in addition to 106 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
10/25: Clemson 16, Syracuse 6
The Tigers defeated Syracuse at Memorial Stadium for the first time. Running back Wayne Gallman ran for a career-high 101 yards on 28 carries, becoming the first Clemson running back to run for 100-plus yards this season. The Tigers committed four turnovers in the game after committing just six in their previous seven games.
10/18: Clemson 17, Boston College 13
Neither team committed a turnover, the first time Clemson played in such a game since 2010. The Tigers' defense had a season-high 14 tackles for loss and held Boston College to a season-low 120 rushing yards. Receiver Artavis Scott tied the Clemson freshman record for receptions in a game for the second time in as many weeks, catching 10 passes for 72 yards.
10/11: Clemson 23, Louisville 17
Despite the win, Clemson lost freshman phenom quarterback Deshaun Watson to a broken hand. In his place, Cole Stoudt threw for 162 yards on 20-of-33 passing. With the game tied at 17 late in the third quarter, two Ammon Lakip field goals gave the Tigers the win.
10/4: Clemson 41, NC State 0
It was the Tigers’ first shutout since a 54-0 win over South Carolina State in 2008. The 41-point margin of victory was the largest in the history of the series by either side and helped Clemson improve to 54-28-1 all-time against the Wolfpack. The Tigers gave up just 156 yards of total offense, their fewest since holding Boston College to 52 total yards in 2009. NC State came in averaging 505.6 yards per game.
9/27: Clemson 50, North Carolina 35
Clemson improved to 74-0-1 when gaining at least 500 yards of total offense. True freshman Deshaun Watson threw for six touchdowns and became the first true freshman to win his first start for Clemson.
9/20: Florida State 23, Clemson 17, OT
Clemson couldn’t hold on to a 17-10 fourth-quarter lead as FSU tied it up with a 74-yard touchdown pass with 6:04 left in regulation and won it with a touchdown in the first overtime. Both of the Tigers’ losses have come to ranked opponents on the road. Deshaun Watson’s 266 passing yards were the most for a Clemson true freshman since Patrick Sapp threw for 273 yards at Maryland in 1992.
9/6: Clemson 73, South Carolina State 7
The 73 points were the most for the Tigers since scoring 82 against Wake Forest in 1981. The 66-point margin of victory was Clemson’s biggest since a 66-0 victory over Presbyterian in 1957. The Tigers had 735 yards of total offense, just the fourth time in school history they topped 700 yards in a game and their most since getting 754 against NC State in 2012.
8/30: Georgia 45, Clemson 21
The Tigers trailed 24-21 entering the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs pulled away. True freshman Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass in his debut, a 30-yarder to Charone Peake early in the second quarter. Clemson had a 21-14 lead before Georgia scored 31 unanswered points.
