2021 Sugar Bowl

2021 Allstate Sugar Bowl
2021 Allstate Sugar Bowl
College Football Playoff Semifinal; 87th Sugar Bowl
Ohio State Buckeyes	Clemson Tigers
(6–0)	(10–1)
Big Ten	ACC
49	28
Head coach: ; Ryan Day	Head coach: ; Dabo Swinney
Date	January 1, 2021
Season	2020
Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
MVP	Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State); Tuf Borland (LB, Ohio State);
Favorite	Clemson by 7
Referee	David Alvarez (Big 12)
Attendance	3,000
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Chris Fowler (play-by-play); Kirk Herbstreit (analyst); Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi (sidelines)
Nielsen ratings	(19.15 million viewers)
International TV coverage
Network	ESPN Deportes; ESPN Brasil
Announcers	ESPN Brasil:; Matheus Pinheiro (play-by-play); Weinny Eirado (analyst)
Sugar Bowl
< 2020	2022 (Jan.) >
2 vs. 3 Seed CFP Semifinal Game
< 2019 Fiesta	2021 Orange >

The 2021 Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2021, with kickoff at 8:00 p.m. EST (7:00 p.m. local CST).^[4] The Sugar Bowl was one of two College Football Playoff semifinal games, it featured two of the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee—Ohio State from the Big Ten and Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Rose Bowl, Alabama, in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. It was the 87th edition of the Sugar Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020 FBS football season. Sponsored by insurance provider Allstate, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The game was carried by ESPN, with its lead college football broadcast team of Chris Fowler on play-by-play and Kirk Herbstreit on color commentary. Three days before the game, Herbstreit announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would work the game from his home.^[5]

Background

College Football Playoff

The four teams competing in the Playoff were chosen by the CFP selection committee, whose final rankings were released on December 4, 2022. The committee selected No. 1 Alabama from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), No. 2 Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), No. 3 Ohio State from the Big Ten Conference, and No. 4 Notre Dame, an FBS independent playing as an ACC member for the 2020 season.^[6] Alabama entered the playoff with an undefeated 11–0 record, Clemson and Notre Dame both entered 10–1, and Ohio State entered 6–0.^[7]

Semifinals			Championship

January 1 – Rose Bowl AT&T Stadium, Arlington^[a]
1	Alabama	31
4	Notre Dame	14	January 11 – National Championship Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens

			1	Alabama	52
January 1 – Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans			3	Ohio State	24
January 1 – Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
2	Clemson	28
3	Ohio State	49

^ The 2021 Rose Bowl was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in California.

Teams

The 2021 Sugar Bowl was held between the Clemson Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference. The game was a rematch of the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, where Clemson defeated Ohio State to advance to the 2020 National Championship Game. It was the 18th Sugar Bowl featuring a matchup of two teams ranked in the top 5.^[8] The teams were announced by College Football Playoff selection committee on December 20, 2020.^[9]

Only 3,000 ticketed spectators were permitted because of the coronavirus pandemic.^[10] There were 728 tickets for family members of Ohio State players and coaches and 728 tickets for family members of Clemson players and coaches. The remaining 1,544 tickets were for sponsors, business partners, and local Sugar Bowl season ticket holders.^[10]

Clemson Tigers

Clemson entered the game with a record of 10–1 (8–1 ACC) after defeating Notre Dame in the 2020 ACC Championship. Clemson's only loss was to Notre Dame earlier in the season, a double-overtime loss in a game the Tigers played without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.^[11] Other than Notre Dame, Clemson's only win over a ranked team came against Miami (FL). The Tigers were ranked No. 2 entering the game.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State entered the game with a record of 6–0 (5–0 Big Ten) after defeating Northwestern in the 2020 Big Ten Championship. In addition to Northwestern, Ohio State defeated two ranked teams during the season, Penn State and Indiana. Due to a six-win campaign, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney stated that the Buckeyes "weren't a Top 10 team", voting them at No. 11 prior to the game.^[12] The Buckeyes were ranked No. 3 entering the game.

Game summary

The game's officiating crew, representing the Big 12 Conference, was led by referee David Alvarez and umpire Rob Richeson.^[2] The game was played indoors at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1, 2021, with a start time of 7:20 p.m. CST.^[13]

The pregame coin toss was won by Ohio State, who deferred their choice to the second half, thereby giving Clemson possession of the ball to begin the game.^[13]

First half

Clemson began the game with possession of the ball following Blake Haubeil's opening kickoff.

Scoring summary

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 2021 Allstate Sugar Bowl

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Ohio State	14	21	7	7	49
No. 2 Clemson	14	0	7	7	28

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: Friday, January 1, 2021
Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST (7:20 p.m. CST)
Game weather: n/a (game played indoors)
Game attendance: 3,000
Referee: David Alvarez (Big 12)
TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi (sidelines)
ESPN game summary

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	Ohio State	Clemson
1	12:10	8	82	2:50	Clemson	Trevor Lawrence 2-yard touchdown run, B. T. Potter kick good	0	7
1	7:59	3	77	1:12	Ohio State	Trey Sermon 32-yard touchdown run, Blake Haubeil kick good	7	7
1	5:01	7	75	2:58	Clemson	Travis Etienne 3-yard touchdown run, B. T. Potter kick good	7	14
1	1:36	6	75	3:25	Ohio State	Luke Farrell 8-yard touchdown reception from Justin Fields, Blake Haubeil kick good	14	14
2	10:35	9	84	4:16	Ohio State	Jeremy Ruckert 17-yard touchdown reception from Justin Fields, Blake Haubeil kick good	21	14
2	5:12	9	75	4:25	Ohio State	Chris Olave 9-yard touchdown reception from Justin Fields, Blake Haubeil kick good	28	14
2	0:11	12	80	3:09	Ohio State	Jeremy Ruckert 12-yard touchdown reception from Justin Fields, Blake Haubeil kick good	35	14
3	7:56	9	80	3:49	Clemson	Cornell Powell 10-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Lawrence, B. T. Potter kick good	35	21
3	4:55	7	91	3:00	Ohio State	Chris Olave 56-yard touchdown reception from Justin Fields, Blake Haubeil kick good	42	21
4	14:03	2	59	0:49	Ohio State	Jameson Williams 45-yard touchdown reception from Justin Fields, Blake Haubeil kick good	49	21
4	10:42	10	75	3:21	Clemson	Cornell Powell 26-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Lawrence, B. T. Potter kick good	49	28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							49	28

Statistics

Team statistical comparison^[13]
Statistic	Ohio State	Clemson
First downs	26	23
First downs rushing	10	4
First downs passing	15	17
First downs penalty	1	2
Third down efficiency	5–12	5–12
Fourth down efficiency	0–0	0–2
Total plays–net yards	72–639	70–444
Rushing attempts–net yards	44–254	22–44
Yards per rush	5.8	2.0
Yards passing	385	400
Pass completions–attempts	22–28	33–48
Interceptions thrown	1	1
Punt returns–total yards	2–14	0–0
Kickoff returns–total yards	0–0	2–41
Punts–average yardage	4–47.2	5–47.4
Fumbles–lost	1–0	3–1
Penalties–yards	9–95	3–20
Time of possession	34:05	25:55

Ohio State statistics^[13]
Buckeyes passing
	C–A	Yds	TD–INT
Justin Fields	22–28	385	6–1
Buckeyes rushing
	Car	Yds	TD
Trey Sermon	31	193	1
Justin Fields	8	42	0
Miyan Williams	3	21	0
TEAM	2	−2	0
Buckeyes receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD
Chris Olave	6	132	2
Trey Sermon	4	61	0
Jameson Williams	3	62	1
Jeremy Ruckert	3	55	2
Garrett Wilson	2	52	0
Jaxon Smith-Njigba	2	12	0
Luke Farrell	2	11	1

Clemson statistics^[13]
Tigers passing
	C–A	Yds	TD–INT
Trevor Lawrence	33–48	400	2–1
Tigers rushing
	Car	Yds	TD
Travis Etienne	10	32	1
Lyn-J Dixon	2	20	0
Trevor Lawrence	10	−8	1
Tigers receiving
	Rec	Yds	TD
Cornell Powell	8	139	2
Travis Etienne	4	64	0
Amari Rodgers	8	54	0
E.J. Williams	5	45	0
Braden Galloway	2	38	0
Davis Allen	2	35	0
Brannon Spector	2	16	0
Frank Ladson Jr.	1	9	0
Lyn-J Dixon	1	0	0

References

^ "Ohio State-Clemson odds". Oddsshark. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Austro, Ben (December 23, 2020). "2020–21 bowl officiating assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
^ "CFP semis hit New Year's Day low, but top non-NFL events in year". www.sportsmediawatch.com. Sports Media Watch. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
^ "College Football Bowl Schedule | 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ "ESPN star Kirk Herbstreit to call Clemson-Ohio State from home after getting COVID". New York Post. December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
^ McCollough, J. Brady (December 20, 2020). "College Football Playoff: Alabama vs. Notre Dame in Rose Bowl, Clemson vs. Ohio State in Sugar Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
^ Staats, Wayne (December 20, 2020). "College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame lead rankings". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
^ Team, WDSU Digital (December 20, 2020). "Clemson and Ohio State to Meet in College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl". WDSU. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
^ Dinich, Heather (August 5, 2020). "College Football Playoff selection committee moves final ranking release to Dec. 20 from Dec. 6". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Rowland, Kyle - Sugar Bowl among the most expensive college football games ever. Toledo Blade, December 29, 2020.
^ Selbe, Nick (November 8, 2020). "Ian Book, Notre Dame Outlast No. 1 Clemson, D.J. Uiagalelei in Double-Overtime Victory". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
^ https://sports.yahoo.com/le-bron-james-calls-out-dabo-swinneys-no-11-ranking-of-ohio-state-as-buckeyes-blow-out-clemson-052125651.html
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "2021 Sugar Bowl Final Game Book" (PDF). Sugar Bowl. January 1, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2025.

External links

Game statistics at statbroadcast.com

[8] The 2021 Rose Bowl was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in California.

[1] "Ohio State-Clemson odds". Oddsshark. Retrieved January 1, 2021.

[refs-2] Austro, Ben (December 23, 2020). "2020–21 bowl officiating assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved May 15, 2025.

[3] "CFP semis hit New Year's Day low, but top non-NFL events in year". www.sportsmediawatch.com. Sports Media Watch. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.

[4] "College Football Bowl Schedule | 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.

[5] "ESPN star Kirk Herbstreit to call Clemson-Ohio State from home after getting COVID". New York Post. December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.

[la-select-6] McCollough, J. Brady (December 20, 2020). "College Football Playoff: Alabama vs. Notre Dame in Rose Bowl, Clemson vs. Ohio State in Sugar Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 15, 2025.

[7] Staats, Wayne (December 20, 2020). "College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame lead rankings". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 15, 2025.

[9] Team, WDSU Digital (December 20, 2020). "Clemson and Ohio State to Meet in College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl". WDSU. Retrieved December 20, 2020.

[10] Dinich, Heather (August 5, 2020). "College Football Playoff selection committee moves final ranking release to Dec. 20 from Dec. 6". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.

[tix-11] Rowland, Kyle - Sugar Bowl among the most expensive college football games ever. Toledo Blade, December 29, 2020.

[12] Selbe, Nick (November 8, 2020). "Ian Book, Notre Dame Outlast No. 1 Clemson, D.J. Uiagalelei in Double-Overtime Victory". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 19, 2020.

[13] ttps://sports.yahoo.com/le-bron-james-calls-out-dabo-swinneys-no-11-ranking-of-ohio-state-as-buckeyes-blow-out-clemson-052125651.html

[finalstats-14] "2021 Sugar Bowl Final Game Book" (PDF). Sugar Bowl. January 1, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2025.

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v t e 2020–21 NCAA football bowl game season
Myrtle Beach (Dec. 21) Famous Idaho Potato (Dec. 22) Boca Raton (Dec. 22) New Orleans (Dec. 23) Montgomery (Dec. 23) New Mexico (Dec. 24) Camellia (Dec. 25) Cure (Dec. 26) First Responder (Dec. 26) LendingTree (Dec. 26) Cheez-It (Dec. 29) Alamo (Dec. 29) Duke's Mayo (Dec. 30) Cotton (Dec. 30) Armed Forces (Dec. 31) Liberty (Dec. 31) Arizona (Dec. 31) Peach (Jan. 1) Citrus (Jan. 1) Gator (Jan. 2) Outback (Jan. 2) Fiesta (Jan. 2) Orange (Jan. 2)
College Football Playoff games: Rose (Jan. 1) Sugar (Jan. 1) National Championship Game (Jan. 11)
All-Star Games Senior Bowl (Jan. 30) Hula Bowl (Jan. 31)

v t e Sugar Bowl
History & conference tie-ins	History Tulane Stadium Georgia Dome Caesars Superdome College Football Playoff New Year's Six Southeastern Conference Big 12 Conference
Games	1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 (Jan) 1972 (Dec) 1973 1974 1975 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 (Jan) 1995 (Dec) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 (Jan) 2022 (Dec) 2024 2025
Notes	The 2006 game took place in Atlanta, Georgia due to Hurricane Katrina. The game was also the national title game for either the Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, or Bowl Championship Series in 1993, 1997, 2000, and 2004. There was a Sugar Bowl in January and December in 1972, 1995 and 2022. The game was a College Football Playoff semifinal in its 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2024 editions.