MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — From a protest in the spring to travel woes in the fall, Oklahoma coped with plenty of distractions on its way to the Orange Bowl.
Clemson might ask for a few pointers.
The top-ranked Tigers (13-0) were dealing with the suspension of three players for violating unspecified team rules as they prepared to face the No. 4 Sooners (11-1) in the national semifinal game.
While none was a starter, it was still an unwanted annoyance on the eve of Thursday’s contest in balmy South Florida.
Oklahoma has dealt with its own issues, actually going all the way back to a meeting between these same teams more than a year ago in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Clemson blew out the Sooners 40-6, raising doubts about the direction of the program under longtime coach Bob Stoops.
Well, look where the Sooners are now — two victories away from their first national title since 2000.
“We’ve got a strong program,” Stoops said Wednesday. “It wasn’t nearly as weak as people wanted to say it was a year ago.”
Since then, Oklahoma has grown even stronger.
When a racist video shot by members of a campus fraternity went viral during spring practice, the Sooners shut down workouts for several days, held a series of emotionally charged meetings and wound up marching arm-in-arm in a show of solidarity.
Their bond grew even tighter after an upset loss to rival Texas, followed the next week by a plane issue that kept them stranded at the Oklahoma City airport more than eight hours trying to get to a game at Kansas State.
“We had one conference room,” Stoops remembered. “So there were probably 40 of them in there, blaring music and chanting all the words and jumping up and down. I came in with two buckets of chicken, and it went crazy.”
The Sooners haven’t lost since, averaging 52 points over their last seven games.
“It’s been fun,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Orange Bowl 2 p.m. Thursday, ESPN
No. 4 Oklahoma (11-1) vs. No. 1 Clemson (13-0)
Line: Oklahoma by 4.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Clemson is seeking its first national title since 1981 and trying to become the first team in FBS history to finish 15-0. None of that happens unless the Tigers can get past Oklahoma, a team they routed 40-6 last season in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Sooners are perhaps the hottest team in the country, averaging 52 points over their last seven games, and eager to show just how far they’ve come since their last bowl appearance.
KEY MATCHUP
Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard vs. Clemson CB Mackensie Alexander. Last year, these two got into quite a verbal tussle during pre-game warm-ups before the bowl. Alexander got the best of things on the field, holding Shepard to one reception. In better health and having toned down his trash-talking, Shepard is looking to bounce back against one of the nation’s top cornerbacks.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Oklahoma: QB Baker Mayfield. A former walk-on, the swaggering transfer from Texas Tech won the starting job after sitting out a season and turned in some staggering numbers: 68.6 completions, 3,389 yards, 35 touchdown passes and just five interceptions. He reminds some of former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel with the ability to improvise and bail out plays with his legs.
Clemson: QB Deshaun Watkins. The other half of this much-anticipated quarterback duel, Watkins was a Heisman Trophy finalist who did it all for the Tigers. He completed 69.5 percent of his throws for 3,512 yards and 30 touchdowns, with just 11 picks. He is also the Tigers’ second-leading rusher with 887 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and leads the team with 11 TDs rushing.
