Under the Hood: A Most Balanced Match-Up

Oklahoma for the first time will take part in the college football playoff facing No. 1, and undefeated Clemson in the Orange Bowl that also serves as the national semi-final. Oklahoma and the Tigers are infinitely familiar for two teams from difference conferences in very different regions of the country following last year's 40-6 drubbing of Oklahoma that capped a wholly forgettable season in Sooner football. In this edition of Under the Hood we take a look at not one, but two, Clemson games breaking down just what makes the Tigers so good. Prepare for the New Year's Eve showdown by checking out a full breakdown of Clemson's Oct. 3 24-22 victory over Notre DAme and their Dec. 5 ACC championship game 45-37 victory over North Carolina.

Against the Irish and Tar Heels, combined, Clemson rushed for 531-yards on 99 attempts (5.4 yards per carry) and completed 36-of-63 passes for 373-yards (5.9 yards per attempt).

OFFENSIVE THOUGHTS

When an offense has a Heisman trophy finalist it's nearly impossible to start a breakdown anywhere else.

The interesting thing about one of the nation's premier players, quarterback Deshaun Watson, is his ability to, at times quietly, make such an impact on the game. Sure the talented sophomore made plenty of big plays but late against North Carolina a grophic displayed that he'd already put up 400-yards of offense and though Clemson's offense had been successful it wasn't the type of performance where you were wowed by the Heisman contender.

That's no slight on Watson, it's just an embodiment of how steady his game can be. Not a ton of big plays but whether it is running or passing he just continues to move the chains and keep his offense in good settings. And that of course forgets the simple threat of his run game that freezes one defensive end after another on zone read plays. And though he averaged over 100-yards rushing in the two games thanks to plenty of athleticism it's his instincts as a runner that truly stand out. He is certainly quick and has some speed to his game but he has a knack for finding cracks in a defense and little running lanes to pick up four, five, and six yards when none seemed likely.

As a passer Watson is steady and does a great job of taking what the defense gives him and avoiding costly mistakes. He has nice touch and suffered, in both games from receivers dropping passes that could have converted one third down or another.

One player who had a few of those drops is Clemson's star receiver Artavis Scott and though that may seem an ugly introduction don't take it to mean that Scott isn't a very capable playmaker - he most certainly is. Whether it was on jet sweeps, swing passes, straight handoffs, or the more routine pass route and catch Scott is a player that the Tigers make a point to try and get involved early and keep him involved throughout the game. Thanks to his short area quickness he is also a skilled punt returner that will give Oklahoma plenty of pause on special teams.

Though Scott is your stereotypical slot receiver he is a much tougher receiver to tackle than some might anticipate, if defenders aren't strong with their tackles, he'll break loose.

The question with Clemson's receiving corps is, similarly to Oklahoma and Sterling Shepard, who is the No. 2 to Scott's leading man? The player who seems most physically capable is talented freshman Deon Cain. The big receiver popped up at various times in both games and clearly had made big strides from early October to early December (the dates of Notre Dame and North Carolina games, respectively) as a receiver. However in neither game was he a consistent true threat.

As a blocker one player who definitely stands out is veteran senior Charone Peake, on the edge Peake frequently opened up running lanes for Watson and Clemson's runners behind him.

Another key run game blocker that might not readily get his due is tight end Jordan Leggett. The Tigers like to line him up all over the field, a reality that gives their formations a lot of flexibility as he can be lined up in the slot one snap, next to the tackle the next and lead blocking for his running backs on the following play. Almost invariably the 'one back' alignment above and it's variations are designated by the placement of Leggett. In all formations though he is a quality blocker who is at his best as an h-back coming across formations to kickout linebackers and defensive ends.

Though Watson is the name the entire country is familiar with his running back Wayne Gallman may be one of the more under appreciated talentes in the country. For most Gallman is a power back that wants to attack between the tackles. However while watching the two games Gallman showed the ability to make plays as a receiver as well as showing some surprising burst to the outside. He is another player that really seemed to grow through the course of the season; looking the part of the steady back against Notre Dame and flashing potential stardom against the Tar Heels.

If Oklahoma isn't wary of Gallman they'll have a lot of trouble stopping the powerful 6-foot, 215-pound running back.

All of this offensive success goes nowhere without the offensive line a solid, if unspectacular unit. They aren't a group that is going to line up and maul opponents but are a group that came into the season as a big question mark that has solidified into a cohesive unit.

As far as standouts up front, right guard Tyrone Crowder, showed some nice ability pulling out in space and lead blocking for Gallman and Watson. At left tackle is a future star in true freshman Mitch Hyatt who shows great feet and a natural feel in pass blocking. Like much of the line Hyatt isn't currently a physically dominant player but as a technician is somewhat similar to current Baylor standout Spencer Drango.

If there is one player that seemed to have a few issues at various points it's left guard Eric MacLain who struggled at times with spin moves and stunts. IF there is one player you might see the Sooners try and throw some various looks at it's the 6-foot-5, 315-pound redshirt senior.

Against the Tigers, the Irish and Tar Heels combined to rush for 253-yards on 64 attempts (3.9 yards per carry) and completed 31-of-70 passes for 561-yards (8.0 yards per attempt).

DEFENSIVE THOUGHTS

Much as the offensive show for the Tigers starts with one man the physical defense's success is largely built on the back of one standout - junior defensive end Shaq Lawson. Lawson is an absolute force and one of the nation's most disruptive defensive lineman. The physical edge rusher is currently leading the country in tackles for loss with 22.5 and in the nation's top 15 in sacks with 9.5. At 6-foot-3 and 272-pounds Lawson has the size, and truly impressive strength, to shed blockers but also has the agility to dip his shoulder and pursue the quarterback. He'll be a handful for Oklahoma's pair of freshmen offensive tackles from beginning to end.

Though Lawson, rightly, gets a lot of the attention his opposite defensive end Kevin Dodd is a player that will have to be accounted for. A strong point of attack player who lacks some of Lawson's burst Dodd is definitely capable of making plays behind the line of scrimmage with his length and power. On the year he has accounted for 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

In the middle of the defnesive line the Tigers rotate a series of solid players, notably junior Carlos Watkins, but if there is one player with the potential to be a game changer it's freshman, and former five-star, Christian Wilkins. Against Notre Dame Wilkins flashed here and there but against North Carolina he showed why he is one of the nation's most promising young defensive lineman.

The next line of defense for the Tigers is led by junior Ben Boulware and senior B.J. Goodson. Boulware is your stereotypical throwback middle linebacker that loves contact, seeks out traffic and is going to stick his nose into any alley he can find. He also is a favorite of Brent Venables' to blitz - almost invariably lining up over the center and blitzing A-gap. Though he is all of these things Boulware is a better athlete than he usually gets credit for making plays from sideline to sideline.

His partner in crime is Goodson who is also more than capable to be a physical run-stopping linebacker but Goodson has a bit of an edge as a pass defender looking pretty natural in his drops to forget that he has 14 tackles for loss on the year. Goodson is a disruptive player that has the kind of motor that will have him chasing plays all over the field.

In the back half of the defense the star of the show is without a doubt sophomore cornerback Mackensie Alexander, a one-time Sooner recruit, who shadowed Notre Dame star receiver Will Fuller throughout their meeting and may be called to do the same with Sterling Shepard.

Alexander has all the tools you're looking for in a cornerback with great length and fluidity to change directions and drive with ease. He is a willing tackler who likes to lay the big hit and at his best will compete for everything. An emotionally charged player, at times he can lose focus and tend to fall asleep a bit but part of that reality is that it's because so rarely are quarterbacks looking to throw in his direction.

Opposite Alexander is junior Cordrea Tankersley who is a highly competitive player who will fight and claw with receivers for every inch. At 6-foot-1 and 198-pounds he is also a more than capable run defender on the edge who won't shy away from contact.

The safety duo for the Tigers is a solid unit with a pair of physical junior defenders in Jayron Kearse and T.J. Green.

Kearse, a massive 6-foot-5, 224-pound athlete is capable of closing outside the tackles and will make highlight reel hits in the run game. That being said he's more adept as a pass defender than one might expect but it's Green that truly excels in pass coverage. Whether it's speed or quick change of direction Green shows a little bit of everything and is a natural big-play safety. He is certainly one Clemson defender who is capable of making some big plays if the Sooners don't account for him.

IF I'M Oklahoma, I…

...Clemson is a very well rounded team, in fact of the playoff teams they are as close to a mirror as the Sooners may find - they are talented at the skill positions, have a game-changing quarterback are solid but not spectacular along the offensive line and have a young defense that has grown up ahead of schedule.

Sound familiar?

Well it's likely to be that kind of game as the two may be the two most well-rounded teams in the country this season and as such there aren't a bevy of easy answers other than 'be better than Clemson' but that being said, I'll try and provide some input.

One thing that should be no surprise to Oklahoma fans who can remmeber Brent Venables's time in Norman is that Clemson's defense is happy to try and force the issue with lots of blitz packages from all angles - though particularly up the middle in the two games truly watched.

Notre Dame made some plays, and missed some more, with underneath passing with the vacant areas left behind by the blitzing Clemson defenders. Much of that success came with long crossing patterns that forced the linebackers in coverage into choices that quarterback DeShone Kizer was able to take advantage of - particularly late against Clemson.

Speaking of late game defensive issues, another thing that isn't likely to surprise Sooner fans is that the Tigers defense showed a propensity to wear down late in games thanks to a very modest rotation of players - particularly in the back seven. As both games wore on both quarterbacks suddenly found passing lanes where they hadn't seen them before.

One thing both North Carolina and Clemson had success with was elongated plays. Clemson, at times, would drop into coverage and rush three or four and as both Kizer and Marquise Williams scrambled around to buy time pass defense broke down and, on a few occasions, really busted for big plays for the Irish and Tar Heels.

That difficulty is exaggerated, at times, by a very aggressive linebacker duo of Goodson and Boulware who want to play downhill at all times and at times could be called out with play action passes with seam routes behind them.

Clemson is a unit with an undersized linebacker group that wants to run and make plays from side to side and it might be interesting to see the Sooners go with some extra blockers; be it an extra tackle or some packages with both Dimitri Flowers and Mark Andrews on the field to lead block for Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. Such a personnel grouping would put some of Oklahoma's most dynamic talents on the field at the same time and could create some match-up issues in the passing game as well as create some leverage - there's that word again! - issues on the edge. This issue could be even bigger with Clemson often wanting to run two down and odd fronts.

Offensively the Tigers don't throw a lot out in the way of formation they are, as mentioned before, are going to do a lot of the same stuff with Jordan Leggett moving around a lot. Now as for what they do there are some variations on things Oklahoma has seen this year. Perhaps none more interesting than something of a student body play where they run a power sweep to one side or another with Watson able to choose to run or pick a receiver down field - depending on what the defense is doing in response. It's similar to some of the things that Kansas State has thrown at the Sooners through the years.

In the same idea of getting Watson to the edge Clemson loves to run counter boots to get the defense flowing in one direction and then flush Watson and a receiver, often Leggett, to the opposite side to create easy mid-range yardage gains.

What will be interesting for Oklahoma is how they choose to deploy Devante Bond and William Johnson against these personnel groupings. If Oklahoma goes with Johnson it's likely Clemson will try and put Leggett near the box and force him to play run while a sub, on even the next play, of Bond would simply result in Leggett flexing out and trying to force the Sooners senior linebacker outside.

In the end Clemson's defense is perfectly comfortable dinking and dunking and taking what a defense may give them so forcing the issue and getting Watson and co. out of their comfort zone may be the best course of action. However, that cat and mouse game may be as interesting as any in the national semi-finals.