| Game Name: | Fiesta Bowl |
| Subheader: | CFP Semifinal 46th Fiesta Bowl Game |
| Title Sponsor: | PlayStation |
| Date Game Played: | December 31 |
| Year Game Played: | 2016 |
| Football Season: | 2016 |
| Stadium: | University of Phoenix Stadium |
| City: | Glendale, Arizona |
| Visitor Name Short: | Ohio State |
| Visitor Nickname: | Buckeyes |
| Visitor Record: | 11–1 |
| Visitor Conference: | Big Ten |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 2 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 2 |
| Visitor Rank Cfp: | 3 |
| Visitor Coach: | Urban Meyer |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Home Name Short: | Clemson |
| Home Nickname: | Tigers |
| Home Record: | 12–1 |
| Home Conference: | ACC |
| Home Rank Ap: | 3 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 3 |
| Home Rank Cfp: | 2 |
| Home Coach: | Dabo Swinney |
| Home 1Q: | 10 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 7 |
| Mvp: | Offense: Deshaun Watson Defense: Clelin Ferrell |
| Odds: | Ohio State by 1 |
| Halftime: | Bands from participants |
| Referee: | Land Clark (Pac-12) |
| Attendance: | 70,236 |
| Us Network: | ESPN/ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes |
| Us Announcers: | Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Samantha Ponder and Tom Rinaldi (ESPN) Bill Rosinski, David Norrie and Ian Fitzsimmons (ESPN Radio) |
| Ratings: | (# of viewers) |
| Different Previous: | 2016 (Jan.) |
| Navigation 2: | 2 vs. 3 Seed CFP Semifinal Game |
| Different Previous 2: | 2015 Cotton |
| Different Next 2: | 2018 Rose |
The 2016 Fiesta Bowl (officially known as the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game that was played on December 31, 2016, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This 46th Fiesta Bowl Game was a College Football Playoff semifinal with the winner of the game competing against the winner of the 2016 Peach Bowl (Alabama) in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship which took place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.[1] It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games that concluded the 2016 FBS football season.
It was the second game to be called "the 2016 Fiesta Bowl", as the previous season's game was played on January 1, 2016. The previous two Fiesta Bowls were also played in the same calendar year as each other. The game's title sponsor was Sony Interactive Entertainment via its PlayStation brand as part of a multi-year deal with broadcasting and marketing rightsholder ESPN, which includes branded content and making PlayStation the official video gaming and virtual reality sponsor of the College Football Playoff.[2] The winning team received the Molina Fiesta Bowl Trophy.
Clemson became just the second team in college football history to shut out Ohio State (11–2) in a bowl game, joining Cal in the 1921 Rose Bowl. The game also marked the first time that Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer was shut out in his career, in about 193 games, and his second major loss to Dabo Swinney in the past four seasons.[3] The game also marked the second consecutive advance to the CFP National Championship game by the Clemson football program.[4]
On Sunday December 4, 2016, the CFP Semifinals was announced with #2 Clemson vs. #3 Ohio State playing in the Fiesta Bowl.
This was the third meeting between the schools, with Clemson having won both of the previous matchups. The most recent meeting was the 2014 Orange Bowl, where the Tigers defeated the Buckeyes by a score of 40–35.[5]
| Statistics | Ohio State | Clemson |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 9 | 24 |
| Plays-yards | 215 | 470 |
| Third down efficiency | 3–14 | 8–17 |
| Rushes-yards | 88 | 205 |
| Passing yards | 127 | 265 |
| Passing: Comp-Att-Int | 19–33–2 | 24–37–2 |
| Time of Possession | 24:09 | 35:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | Passing | 19/33, 127 yds, 2 INT | |
| Rushing | 6 car, 67 yds | ||
| Receiving | Curtis Samuel | 9 rec, 43 yds | |
| Clemson | Passing | 23/36 yds, 259 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT | |
| Rushing | 18 car, 85 yds, 1 TD | ||
| Receiving | 6 rec, 96 yds |