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THE LATEST: Fake punt helps Clemson take 10-7 lead at Orange
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) The latest developments from the College Football Playoff national semifinal game between Clemson and Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl (all times local):
5:02 p.m.
SCORING UPDATE: CLEMSON 10, OKLAHOMA 7
Clemson has taken a 10-7 lead over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl - and a fake punt was huge for the Tigers.
Deshaun Watson scored on a 5-yard run with 12:45 left in the second quarter, doing so after Clemson coach Dabo Swinney went to some trickery to keep a drive alive.
Clemson punter Andy Teasdall rolled right as if he was punting one rugby-style, then deciding to throw back across the field to defensive tackle Christian Wilkins for a 31-yard gain. Two plays later, Watson scored to put the Tigers on top.
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4:55 p.m.
There were only two first-quarter penalties in the Orange Bowl, but both were costly.
A pass interference call against Clemson helped Oklahoma on its touchdown drive on the game's first possession, gifting the Sooners 15 yards on a pass from Baker Mayfield that seemed uncatchable. And an unsportsmanlike conduct call against the Sooners late in the quarter knocked them back 15 yards, out of field goal range.
Penalties haven't been a big issue for either team this season. Clemson came in averaging 48 penalty yards per game, Oklahoma at 61 per game.
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4:50 p.m.
It's the end of the first quarter at the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma still leading Clemson 7-3.
And it looks like Clemson is in a bit of trouble.
Star defensive end Shaq Lawson has missed the majority of plays in the first quarter, now with ice on his left knee and walking with a pronounced limp when he tries to move. Oklahoma racked up 100 yards in the first quarter, compared to 47 for Clemson.
The Tigers trailed for 11 minutes, 16 seconds. That's already the third-most time they've spent playing from behind in a game all season.
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4:37 p.m.
SCORING UPDATE: OKLAHOMA 7, CLEMSON 3
Clemson is on the board in the Orange Bowl.
Greg Huegel's 26-yard field goal with 3:50 left in the first quarter has cut Oklahoma's lead to 7-3.
The Tigers took advantage of a short field. They got the ball at the Oklahoma 28 after Sooners' punter Austin Seibert shanked a punt from deep in his team's territory. After a pair of first downs, the Tigers had to settle for three points.
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4:31 p.m.
Clemson's Shaq Lawson is limping a bit, but still making plays for the Tigers.
He just sacked Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield on third down deep in Sooners territory, and then OU's Austin Seibert shanked a punt to set Clemson up at the Oklahoma 28 for its second drive of the Orange Bowl.
Lawson wasn't on the field for most of Oklahoma's first drive, when the Sooners scored for a 7-0 lead. He was out there for the second drive, and Oklahoma got nothing going.
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4:18 p.m.
SCORING UPDATE: OKLAHOMA 7, CLEMSON 0
That didn't take long.
Oklahoma's Samaje Perine plowed his way in for a 1-yard touchdown run, and the Sooners took a quick 7-0 lead over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. The Sooners took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in 10 plays.
Clemson sacked Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield on the first play, but the Sooners recovered quickly. Two big third-down conversions fueled the drive: a 17-yard run by Perine, and a 10-yard completion from Mayfield to Dede Westbrook.
Clemson didn't trail for a single second in eight of its first 13 games this season.
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4:10 p.m.
At long last, it's game time.
Clemson has won the coin toss and will kick off to Oklahoma to open the Orange Bowl.
For Oklahoma, this game is a chance to not just get to the national title matchup but finish avenging all that went wrong last season. The Sooners lost to five teams last year - Kansas State, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State and Clemson.
They've already beaten the first four on that list in 2015, and now get their shot at the Tigers in this CFP semifinal.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney looks more than ready to get this started, telling ESPN just before kickoff ''it's going to be a heck of a ballgame.''
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3:45 p.m.
If early arrivals into Sun Life Stadium are any indication, it's a Clemson home game in the Orange Bowl.
The Tigers are on the home sideline and are using the same tunnel that the Miami Dolphins use to enter the field, but they also have a decided edge over Oklahoma in fans - at least using the highly scientific method of people wearing Clemson colors versus people wearing Sooners colors.
Then again, it makes geographic sense. Clemson is about 750 miles from Miami Gardens, while Norman, Oklahoma is roughly 1,500 miles from South Florida.
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3:10 p.m.
The Gatorade coolers on the sidelines at Sun Life Stadium are already getting quite a workout, and kickoff of the Orange Bowl is about an hour away.
Put simply, it's hot in South Florida.
The temperature on the field was 83 degrees at 3 p.m., and factoring in the 71 percent humidity made it feel like 89 degrees outside when the Tigers and Sooners were going through their warmups. It is unseasonably warm, even for South Florida, with some weather stations around the area reporting record highs for this date.
So cramping very easily could be a factor in the first of today's CFP semifinals.
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AP College Football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org
