Watch the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Clemson game time, TV schedule, live online streaming
Two teams that expected more from their seasons than they got finish up the campaign on December 29. Here’s how to see it.
The Oklahoma Sooners and Clemson Tigers bring their 2014 seasons to a close at this year's Russell Athletic Bowl, played at Orlando's Citrus Bowl on December 29 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Television coverage is available on ESPN, and a streaming service is on WatchESPN, or ESPN2 until the Liberty Bowl ends.
Clemson started its season with losses to Georgia and Florida State, but the Tigers managed to defeat every unranked opponent on their schedule. While Clemson’s offense has sputtered, the defense has been fantastic. The Tigers ended the season ranked seventh nationally in points allowed. Dabo Swinney and his team are attempting a third consecutive bowl win, having defeated Ohio State in last season’s Orange Bowl.
The Sooners have limped through an injury-plagued season with losses to TCU, Baylor and Kansas State. Oklahoma’s implosion against rival Oklahoma State in the season finale left a sour taste in fans’ mouths, but the Sooners mirror Clemson. The Russell Athletic Bowl participants are a combined 17-1 against unranked opponents and 0-7 against those that were in the top 25.
The Russell Athletic Bowl, formerly known as the Blockbuster Bowl, CarQuest Bowl and Champs Sports Bowl, has been played since 1990. It moved from Miami to Orlando in 2001, and Russell Athletic bought the naming rights in 2012. Clemson won the 2005 edition and lost in 2002, while Oklahoma has never appeared in the game.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: December 29, 5:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN (ESPN2 until the Liberty Bowl ends)
Radio: Oklahoma radio affiliates available courtesy of SoonerSports; Clemson affiliates from the Clemson Tigers Radio Network
Online streaming: WatchESPN
The numbers
Rankings and records: Clemson finished the regular season 9-3 and ranked 17th in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Oklahoma enters 8-4 and unranked, though the Sooners did sneak into the Amway Coaches Poll at No. 24.
Vegas: Oklahoma enters as a three-point favorite, with the over/under at 53 points.
Weather forecast: The skies could be cloudy, but rain looks unlikely in Orlando. Gametime temperatures should be in the high 60s.
Two things at stake
For the Sooners, the Russell Athletic Bowl is a salvage mission meant to rescue something from a disastrous season. Oklahoma was a trendy preseason pick, earning first-place votes in both the AP and Coaches preseason polls. But after a 4-0 start, the Sooners dropped games against every Big 12 team with a pulse, including defeats against TCU, Kansas State and rival Oklahoma State by a combined 8 points. A loss would leave the Sooners at 8-5 for the first time since 2009 and just the third time in Bob Stoops’ 16 seasons in charge.
On the other hand, Clemson is playing for a fourth consecutive ten-win season, a mark not met by the Tigers since 1987-90. Dabo Swinney would join Danny Ford as the only two Stanford coaches to record four ten-win seasons in Death Valley, and Clemson would be assured of a third straight top 15 finish.
One big matchup
Samaje Perine vs. Clemson's defense: It's obviously strength-vs.-strength when Oklahoma has the ball. Perine, the 5'11, 243-pound freshman halfback at the heart of Oklahoma's offensive attack, set the NCAA FBS single-game rushing record earlier this year with 427 rushing yards against Kansas. He broke 200 yards in two other games -- wins at West Virginia and Texas Tech -- but averaged just 87 yards in Oklahoma's four losses, including a five-carry, 21-yard game in a blowout loss to Baylor.
Perine has yet to face a rushing defense like Clemson’s, which ranks seventh nationally in rushing yards allowed at just 97.7 per game. In fact, the closest that Perine has come to the Tigers’ front seven is ninth-ranked Baylor. And we all saw how that went.
Further reading
Shakin the Southland covers Clemson, while Crimson and Cream Machine handles the Sooners.
See More:
