Russell Athletic Bowl
Citrus Bowl Stadium - Orlando, FL
Kickoff: Monday, 5:30 p.m. ET
Line: Oklahoma -4.5, Total: 51

Clemson attempt to win its third consecutive bowl as the underdog when it visits Oklahoma Monday in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

The Sooners had a nice start to the season and went 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) over their non-conference schedule. They could not keep up the success once they faced Big 12 opponents though, and were a mere 5-4 SU (3-6 ATS) suffering all four losses as the favorite. Much of their problems stemmed from their inability to force turnovers as they did so just five times over their final seven games. The final contest was their biggest letdown as they hosted in-state rival Oklahoma City, as big 19.5-point favorites and wound up losing 38-35 in overtime. Oklahoma has played in some high-level bowls over the past two seasons as they first lost to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl by a score of 41-13 as 3-point underdogs in 2012 and then had one of the better wins in school history when they beat up on a strong Alabama team last year at the Sugar Bowl; winning 45-31 while getting 16.5 points from the lines. Unlike their opponent in this one, the Tigers earned most of their wins in conference play as they went 6-2 SU (3-5 ATS) in the ACC. Their schedule wasn’t too hard though, as they were at least 5-point favorites in all but one of their final nine contests, and in the one game that they were just 2-point favorites, they lost to Georgia Tech by a score of 28-6 on the road. They were lucky to do so well over their past five games, as the offense turned the ball over a total of 12 times while averaging a mere 23.8 PPG. Clemson has had strong bowl wins in each of the past two seasons as the school beat both LSU (Chick-fil-A Bowl) and Ohio State (Orange Bowl) while being the underdog each time. Some trends bettors may want to consider include that the Sooners are 10-2 ATS (83%) when the total is between 49.5 and 56 over the past three seasons, while the Tigers have gone 22-9 ATS (71%) in road games after gaining 475+ total yards in their previous games since 1992. Injuries could play a big factor in this one, as Oklahoma expects QB Trevor Knight (neck) and HB Samaje Perine (ankle) to start while WR Sterling Shepard (groin) is considered questionable. On the other side of the ball, Clemson QB Deshaun Watson (ACL) is expected to miss this game after being out in four games during the regular season.

Can Clemson pull off another bowl upset on Monday? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014-15 bowl season. StatFox Dave is heating up with a 62% ATS mark (8-5) in College Football Best Bets since Nov. 20, while StatFox Brian is 58% ATS (11-8) in Best Bets since Nov. 12. Brian is a strong 61% ATS (11-7) in all bowl picks, and StatFox Forecaster is 67% ATS (12-6) in all bowl picks.

Oklahoma has had no issues putting up some big offensive numbers this season behind its top-10 rushing attack (268.6 YPG, 9th in FBS) and 211.9 passing YPG, as they score 38.9 PPG (11th in nation). QB Trevor Knight (2,197 pass yards, 14 TD, 9 INT) is expected to start in this one after missing the final three games of the regular season and will be welcomed back with open arms as he threw for more than 300 yards three times in his nine starts and had eight TD passes in his three games before getting hurt. He will once again be able to add his speed to the mix as well after rushing for 340 yards (5.2 YPC) and five touchdowns in nine games. HB Samaje Perine (1,579 rush yards, 21 TD) made headlines this year with the best single-game rushing performance in FBS history as he dropped 427 yards (12.6 YPC) and five touchdowns against Kansas. He had four other performances of 110+ yards while surpassing 210 yards twice, and had multiple touchdowns in five games. WR Sterling Shepard (957 rec yards, 5 TD) may not be able to go in this one, and if he can’t, it will be up to WR Durron Neal (508 rec yards, 3 TD) to take over as the No. 1 receiver. Neal was not much of a volume receiver this season as he never went over 75 yards and scored all of his touchdowns in the final five games. The defense for this program did well in the regular season in allowing opponents to score 24.8 PPG (44th in FBS), as they specialized in stuffing opposing rushers (109.6 YPG, 10th in FBS). The trio of LBs Dominique Alexander (98 tackles, 1.5 sacks), Eric Stricker (7.5 sacks, 56 tackles) and DB Zack Sanchez (39 tackles, 6 INT, 1 TD) gives the team playmakers all over the field and should cause headaches for the Tigers.

Clemson did most of its offensive work through the air (257.1 YPG, 43rd in nation) as it added 153.0 rushing YPG and scored 30.1 PPG. QB Cole Stoudt (1,573 pass yards, 6 TD, 10 INT) has struggled with Watson out, compiling just 1 TD with 5 INT over the final three games of the year. He was able to connect on a solid 62% of his passes, but struggled to get many yards as he averaged a mere 5.9 YPA. HB Wayne Gallman (714 rush yards, 4 TD) earned 5.0 YPC while going over the century mark in rushing yards three times in the final five games. He had his best performance of the season in the season finale against South Carolina when he rumbled for 191 yards (7.1 YPC) and a touchdown in the victory. When approaching the end zone, this team has plenty of options in the run game, as four different rushers besides Gallman had multiple scores. WR Mike Williams (918 rec yards, 5 TD) provided the team with a big-play receiver, as he averaged 19.1 yards per catch while WR Artavis Scott (851 rec yards, 7 TD) was more of the possession receiver, as he led the team with 68 catches. On the other side of the ball, the defense was spectacular, as it limited opponents to 17.6 PPG (6th in FBS) behind 259.6 YPG of offense (best in the nation). DL Vic Beasley (11 sacks, 29 tackles) will be an early draft pick next season and will give the Sooners trouble all day on Monday.