Clemson pulls through to beat Ohio State and reach CFP Championship Game

GLENDALE, ARIZ. - Facing a serious challenger for the first time in months, Clemson and its perfect quarterback delivered championship plays when they needed them most.

Trevor Lawrence connected with Travis Etienne on a 34-yard, go-ahead touchdown with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter, capping a 94-yard march, and No. 3 Clemson beat No. 2 Ohio State 29-23 Saturday night in the Fiesta Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game.

The Tigers (14-0) will play No. 1 LSU on Jan. 13 in New Orleans, looking for their third national title in the past four seasons.

Clemson played only one close game this season, way back in September against North Carolina. Otherwise the defending national champions rarely needed to play a starter in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State (13-1) proved to be every bit Clemson's match, jumping out to a 16-0 lead in the first half and then responding to a Tigers rally to retake the lead, 23-21 in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers got the ball down two at their own 6 with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter. Lawrence, after being up and down for much of the game, suddenly turned into the Golden Boy who led Clemson to a national title as a freshman last year.

The Tigers went 94 yards on four plays in 1:18, with Lawrence completing all three of his passes and mixing in an 11-yard run. The sophomore quarterback, who has never lost a college start, passed for 259 yards and two scores and ran for a career-high 107 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown late in the first half.

Lawrence added a two-point conversion pass to Tee Higgins, but left plenty of time for Ohio State and Justin Fields to respond. The Buckeyes drove to the Clemson 23, but on second-and-7, Fields fired to the end zone and was picked off by Nolan Turner with 37 seconds left. Ohio State receiver Chris Olave had broken off his route and left Fields throwing to no one.