NEW ORLEANS — As the final seconds ticked off at the AllState Sugar Bowl, Ohio State fans chanted, Dabo! Dabo!
They were clearly irked by comments by Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, who said he did not vote for Ohio State in the top 10 in his poll because they had not played enough games.
The Buckeyes, 7-0, routed the Clemson Tigers 49-28 Friday night at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Quarterback Justin Fields threw a Sugar Bowl record 6 touchdown passes. Fields was 22 of 28 for 385 yards. He named the game’s Most Outstanding offensive player. Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland was named the game’s Most Outstanding defensive player.
Ohio State trailed early before reeling off 28 consecutive points. Fields threw TD passes of 8 yards to Luke Farrell, 17 and 12 yards to Jeremy Ruckert, and 9 yards to Chris Olave.
In the third quarter, Fields threw a 56 yard touchdown pass to Olave. In the fourth, Fields threw a 45 yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams.
“Congratulations to Ohio State,” said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. “They dominated. They were the better team.”
Buckeyes running back Trey Sermon, working behind a stellar offensive line, rushed 31 times for 193 yards and a touchdown.
The Big Ten originally postponed its football season. But, the league reversed course. Ohio State’s first of 5 regular season games was an October 24th 52-17 win over Nebraska.
Friday night, the Buckeyes lifted the prestigious Allstate Sugar Bowl trophy.
The significance of the moment was not lost on Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.
“We have the opportunity to write one of the greatest stories in the history of college football,” said Day.
To win the championship, Ohio State will have to defeat top ranked Alabama. The CFP championship is Monday night January 11th in Miami.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns.
Both losses in his college career were at the Superdome. Last year, Clemson lost to LSU 42-25 in the championship game.