MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Quarterback Tajh Boyd and wide receiver Sammy Watkins led an explosive offense as the No. 12 Clemson Tigers defeated the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes 40-35 on Friday night at the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium.
Playing before a crowd of 72,080, Boyd passed for 370 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 127 yards and one score. Watkins caught 16 passes and set an Orange Bowl receiving record with 227 yards. He scored two touchdowns.
Clemson improved to 11-2 for the second straight season, which is the most wins in any two-year period in school history. Ohio State fell to 12-2.
The winning touchdown was a 5-yard toss from Boyd to tight end Stanton Beckinger with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion pass failed.
Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller was sacked — with a lost fumble — and intercepted on the Buckeyes’ final two possessions.
OSU and Clemson traded touchdowns early in the third quarter. The Buckeyes converted a fourth-and-1 with a 31-yard gain by running back Carlos Hyde. On the next play, Hyde ran 1 yard for a touchdown.
Clemson capitalized on a fumble by punt returner Philly Brown that was recovered by safety Robert Smith at the OSU 33. Three plays later, Watkins went up and grabbed a 30-yard touchdown pass.
Another Ohio State turnover — this time an interception by safety Jayron Kearse — paved the way for Clemson to take a 34-29 third-quarter lead on a sensational 3-yard touchdown grab by Martavis Bryant. The Clemson wide receiver overcame pass interference against Ohio State cornerback Armani Reeves and still made the juggling catch.
Ohio State went up 35-34 on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Hyde. Miller took a hit on the play and was removed from the game. Backup quarterback Kenny Guiton threw an incomplete pass on the try for a two-point conversion.
Clemson scored on the game’s first possession, traveling 75 yards in six plays capped by a 48-yard touchdown run by Boyd, who faked a handoff before taking off. It was the longest run of Boyd’s career.
Ohio State tied the score 7-7 on Miller’s 33-yard touchdown run around left end. That capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 7:06 off the clock and featured a key penalty and a fake punt.
Clemson had sacked Miller and seemingly forced a punt on fourth-and-23. But defensive end Vic Beasley, who got the sack and made a gesture that appeared to suggest he had a Superman outfit on underneath, was whistled for unsportsmanlike penalty.
That gave Ohio State a first down. Later in the drive, faced with a fourth-and-2 at the Clemson 49, up-back Jeff Heuerman took the punt snap and ran 6 yards for another first down that led to Miller’s score.
Clemson needed just 48 seconds to respond, driving 75 yards on four plays, capped by Boyd’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Watkins, who beat freshman safety Vonn Bell. On that play, Boyd ended up on the turf after a hard hit by defensive end Joey Bosa.
Ohio State pulled to within 14-9 when Boyd was flagged in the end zone for intentional grounding. Bosa, who pressured Boyd, was credited with the safety.
The Tigers had a chance to extend their lead in the second quarter. This time, though, Bell got revenge and intercepted Boyd.
Clemson went up 20-9 on a 3-yard touchdown pass to Bryant, who beat cornerback Armani Reeves on a fade pattern in the left corner of the end zone. Reeves was starting in place of All-Big Ten cornerback Bradley Roby, who sat out with a knee injury.
The extra-point try was no good.
Ohio State rallied when Miller executed a great fake handoff that created a huge hole downfield for Heuerman. The result was a 57-yard TD pass, capping a five-play 85-yard drive. The extra point attempt was blocked.
The Buckeyes went into halftime leading 22-20 when Miller scored on a 3-yard run up the middle with 12 seconds left in the second quarter. It was again a faked handoff that created an opening.
NOTES: Clemson had not blocked a kick all season until Friday. … Game-time temperature was a cool-for-Miami 62 degrees. … Clemson’s last trip to the Orange Bowl was not a good one. The Tigers lost three years ago to West Virginia 70-33. … Entering the bowls, Ohio State’s Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde were the most productive quarterback-running back combo in the nation this season with 2,441 yards and 24 touchdowns rushing. … Clemson’s defense led the nation in tackles for losses. … Ohio State starting DE Noah Spence served the first of a three-game suspension for violating an unspecified conference rule.