Clemson Football: Reviewing the 5 Keys to Beating the Oklahoma Sooners
By Dan Kelley
Dec 29, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Trevor Knight (9) looks to pass the ball during the second half of the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Key #2: Force Trevor Knight to throw interceptions
Trevor Knight’s play has been fairly pedestrian this season, despite the Heisman hype surrounding him in the preseason.
Not only did Knight only complete 58% of his passes in 2014, his touchdown-to-interception ratio (14 total touchdowns to nine interceptions) was remarkably average.
Still, there were some nagging concerns that he might revert to the form that led to Oklahoma’s dominant win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in last season’s Sugar Bowl. Perhaps Knight could be a great quarterback—with a month to prepare.
But the Tigers defense simply embarrassed Knight. Not only did they capitalize on Knight’s tendency to throw interceptions by picking off three of his passes, Ben Boulware brought one of those interceptions back to the end zone.
For the game, Knight completed just 17 of his 37 pass attempts (that’s 46%) for 103 yards and zero touchdowns. He averaged a mere 2.8 yards per pass attempt, compared to 8.9 yards per attempt by Stoudt.
Knight’s struggles against the Clemson defense were the main reason for Oklahoma’s failure in this game. With what Perine did on the ground, the Sooners would have had life if Knight had played reasonably well.
But Knight’s three interceptions and inability to complete passes brought every drive against the Clemson starters to a screeching halt. Clemson might have pitched a shutout if not for Dabo Swinney’s classy decision to pull his starters off the field midway through the fourth quarter.
(Video courtesy of
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Next: Key #1