PHOENIX, Ariz. — Dorian O’Daniel was a part of the Clemson team that won an ACC Championship and made it to the College Football Playoff last season, but accomplishing the same feats in 2016 felt especially special to the linebacker this time around.

That’s because O’Daniel knows he has handled an increased role and been a key contributor as a redshirt junior, having recorded 53 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and six quarterback pressures heading into second-ranked Clemson’s playoff semifinal game against No. 3 Ohio State at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s definitely special, especially this time around,” O’Daniel said of repeating as ACC champs and appearing in the playoff again. “I feel like I contributed a lot more to the defense, and I’m thankful for that opportunity. It’s not easy to do, back-to-back ACC Championships. It says a lot about our program, how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. Really special, and proud to be a part of that.”

O’Daniel’s 53 tackles rank seventh on the team, while his nine tackles for loss is tied for fifth. The native of Olney, Md., has served as one of the Tigers’ most disciplined and dependable players.

“Just happy to see my hard work is finally paying off, and the coaches taking account of that and believing in me,” O’Daniel said. “Really excited about the strides I’ve made and the maturity as a player that I’ve seen in myself.”

O’Daniel, though, knows his job is far from done with the Tigers getting set to face a prolific Ohio State offense.

The Buckeyes’ attack enters the game ranked ninth nationally in scoring offense (42.7 points per game), ninth in rushing offense (258.3 yards per game) and 21st in total offense (479.5 yards per game).

“They’re a good offense,” O’Daniel said. “Run-base first team, powerful, athletic quarterback that likes to run the ball. He has playmakers that he likes to get the ball to on the edge. We know we’re going to have to set the perimeters. They do a good job of blocking on the edge, so containing our gaps and attention to detail is going to be important.”

In a high-stakes matchup with two talented, evenly matched teams, the margin for error will be slim. The game could come down to the outcome of a few plays, and thus, O’Daniel said the defense will have to do the little things right in order to win the big game.

“It’s all about the little things,” O’Daniel said. “We can’t make mental errors on day-one install stuff. On defense, we’ve been working since fall camp, and that’s what it comes down to is just doing the little things right. The big things are going to take care of themselves.”

Clemson has taken pride all season in focusing solely on each game and treating every game like the biggest one, a one-game season.

Now that it is win or go home in the College Football Playoff, that truly is the case.

“It’s a different type of football. It’s championship football,” O’Daniel said. “But it is a one-game season at the end of the day. We can’t get in the national championship until we win this game, so everyone’s locked in on doing what we can for this game.”