Clemson to face Oklahoma in Russell Athletic Bowl |
CLEMSON – Clemson will play Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29th in Orlando, Florida, and one ACC media member tweeted out Sunday afternoon that the game has a BCS feel to it.
Not only does it have a BCS feel, but features plenty of storylines starting with Clemson defensive coordinator
Brent Venables Going into Saturday’s action, Oklahoma had a slim chance to leap up the Big 12 bowl picture into the Alamo Bowl if things fell right. However, after Saturday’s 38-35 overtime loss to Oklahoma State, the Sooners fell into the lap of the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Sooners have never played in the bowl, which is in its first year of affiliation with the Big 12. The Sooners feature one of the nation’s best backs in freshman running back Samaje Perine. Perine rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with a third-quarter ankle sprain Saturday, but still made Oklahoma school history. Perine set the school record for rushing yardage over a three-game period. Against Texas Tech, Kansas and Oklahoma State, Perine rushed for 791 yards and 10 touchdowns. Most of that yardage came in the Sooners’ 44-7 win over Kansas on Nov. 22, when Perine rushed for an NCAA-record 427 yards and five touchdowns. Oklahoma is ranked 20th nationally in total offense, averaging 486.3 yards per game. The Sooners are 11th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 38.9 points per game. Defensively, Oklahoma is ranked 54th, giving up 382.3 yards per game. Adding to the intrigue of Venables vs. his former team and the prolific offense is the status of Clemson quarterback
Deshaun Watson Also, offensive coordinator
Chad Morris The teams squared off once before in a bowl game – Clemson defeated Oklahoma 13-6 in the Citrus Bowl on January 2nd, 1989. In a match up where both teams had a 9-2 record, tenth-ranked Oklahoma, playing their final bowl game and last television appearance for two years due to pending probation, squared off against #13 Clemson, Atlantic Coast Conference champions for the third straight year. Rodney Williams led a late touchdown drive to lift Clemson to the win. Williams ran for two first downs on option plays and completed all three passes he attempted in the 80-yard, 15-play drive. He hit his tailback, Terry Allen, for 11 and 6 yards, and later moved the Tigers to the 5-yard line when he found Ricardo Cooper on a 10-yard completion. Two plays later, Allen scooted in from the 4 with 10 minutes 28 seconds remaining. Allen was the game's most valuable player with 53 yards rushing and 47 receiving. The Sooners will make their 48th bowl appearance, earning their 16th straight bowl bid under head coach Bob Stoops. Only three schools have longer active consecutive streaks of bowl appearances recognized by the NCAA – Virginia Tech (22), Georgia (18) and Georgia Tech (18). The Sooners have an all-time bowl record of 28-18-1 and have won four of their last five bowl appearances under Stoops. Oklahoma will be making its inaugural appearance in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Sooners will be facing an ACC opponent in a postseason contest for the first time since registering a 48-14 victory over Virginia in the 1991 Gator Bowl. Current Oklahoma running backs coach Cale Gundy completed 25 of 31 passes for 329 yards with two touchdowns in that game as the Sooners tied a school scoring record in a bowl contest. GAME INFORMATION Date - Monday, Dec. 29, 2014 Site - Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium (capacity - 65,000) Television - ESPN Website - RussellAthleticBowl.com TEAM HOTEL Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld 6677 Sea Harbor Drive Orlando, Fla. 32821 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Sunday, December 28 Noon - Kickoff Luncheon (Oceans Ballroom, Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld) 4:45 p.m. - Pep Rally (Pointe Orlando - International Drive) Monday, December 29 10 a.m. - Kuykendall Gardner Hospitality Pavilion (McCracken Field at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium). Tickets - $75, $65 kids 10 and under) 11 a.m. - Russell Athletic Bowl Parade of Bands (Park Avenue, Winter Park) 1:30 p.m. - FanFest (Lake Lorna Doone Park) 5:30 p.m. – Kickoff of Russell Athletic Bowl Tuesday, December 30 10 a.m. - Florida Citrus Parade (Downtown Orlando) CLEMSON FAMILY & ALUMNI TAILGATE We all know the Clemson Family enjoys the pregame celebration, and it’s time for the biggest tailgate of the year for our final game. Join us in the Clemson tent, located in Fan Fest for a picnic tailgate. Tickets are $25 per person and include food, beverages (beer & wine) and lots of fun! CU in Orlando! PARKING All parking passes for the Russell Athletic Bowl can be purchased online at RussellAthleticBowl.clickandpark.com or by calling 866-330-7275. Order your parking pass now as, lots are expected sell out. TICKET INFORMATION * Tickets will be available for purchase on ClemsonTigers.com at 7 p.m. * Indoor Club - $245 Open Air Club - $150 Midfield - $125 Red Zone (20 - goal line) - $110 Goal Line - $100 Corner - $85 Terrace (upper level) - $75; $70; $60 prices vary based on location in upper level 
Brent Venables
Def. Coordinator / Linebackers
View Full Profile
facing off against the Sooners, a team he coached for from 1999-2011. 
Deshaun Watson
Fr. Quarterback
#4 6-3, 204
Gainesville, GA
View Full Profile
, who played in last week’s win over South Carolina with a torn ACL. Head coach
Dabo Swinney
Dabo Swinney
Head Coach
View Full Profile
has said that Watson will have surgery after the bowl game. 
Chad Morris
Offensive Coordinator / QBs
View Full Profile
took the head coaching job at SMU last week and Swinney promoted wide receivers coach
Jeff Scott
Jeff Scott
Asst. Coach (WR) / Recruiting Coord.
View Full Profile
and running backs coach
Tony Elliott
Tony Elliott
Assistant Coach / Running Backs
View Full Profile
to co-offensive coordinator – the game will mark the debut of the play-calling combo, even though we have heard that Elliott will call the plays.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
