GLENDALE, Ariz. – Second-ranked Clemson punched its ticket to the national championship for the second year in a row with a 31-0 victory over No. 3 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff Semifinals.

The Tigers (13-1) advance to play top-ranked Alabama in the national championship game on Jan. 9 at Raymond-James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Here is what we heard:

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was thankful to leave Arizona with a win after losing to Alabama in the same stadium nearly a year ago.

“What a night. What a journey. I just can’t tell you how proud I am of our team, our staff. I mean, just incredible resolve, relentless pursuit to get back here and to try to find a way to win, just awesome. Man, I’m just happy to get a win in Arizona,” Swinney said. “Just really, really proud of our team. I’m so proud and happy for our seniors. Those guys got their 48th win tonight. And, I mean, just an incredible group to work with every day. I’m so proud of them.”

After losing the Heisman Trophy race to Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson knew he had to focus on only the things he could control, like ensuring a spot in another national championship game.

“All the Heisman stuff wasn’t on my mind,” Watson said. “Regardless if I would have won it or not I was still going to play hard and play Clemson football and try to be the best I could be. Lamar deserved the Heisman. That’s who won it. That’s who got it. Salute to him and best of luck to his career and future. But my main focus is getting a W here and moving on to the next one. And that’s what we’ve got and now my main focus is on Alabama.”

While Watson did throw two interceptions, he led the Tigers in racking up 470 yards of total offense on the Buckeyes while completing 23 of 36 passes for 259 yards. Ohio State came into the game ranked No. 4 nationally in total defense.

“I always keep a smile on my face and keep my poise and composure, and just go back out there and play football. You’re bound to make mistakes. We’re all human beings. And so sometimes bad luck just comes your way,” Watson said. “If I throw a pick or make a mistake I’m not going to shy away and not just going to throw it. I’m going to take my chances, take my shots. I feel like the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. I have guts and have that trust in my arm and my receivers I try to do that.”

Although the offense was rolling, it was the defense that really made the difference in the game, holding Ohio State to just eight rushing yards in the first half and 88 overall. The Buckeyes finished the game with 215 total yards after averaging 479 per game coming in, including 258.6 yards on the ground.

“Defensively, just, I mean, really indescribable. Only had seven first downs the entire game,” Swinney said. “That’s the season low for them. They had 200-something yards. That’s a credit to our staff and great preparation. Guys buying in. Extra film time. Guys just getting their tails prepared to go play and then winning the matchups. We were dominant up front. We had 11 tackles for loss. We had several sacks. Carlos Watkins, Clelin Ferrell, those guys were awesome. And outside of a couple of plays, we had a couple of really boneheaded plays on the back end, we really played a clean game.”

Swinney was mostly proud of the way Clemson shut out Ohio State.

“We knew that eventually they would get in the red zone, but let’s play great red zone defense. And we played great red zone defense,” Swinney said. “We got a turnover. We had a couple of interceptions in the end zone. But we got stops on downs and just really, when we were in the red zone we were at our best, and that was awesome to see tonight.”

One of the key contributors on Saturday was defensive end Clelin Ferrell who had one sack and three tackles for loss, earning him the Defensive MVP title.

“It’s kind of crazy. Last year I was a part of the team but I wasn’t playing,” Ferrell said. “And to see those guys like Shaq and Kevin Dodd, I look up to as big brothers having their opportunity and taking advantage of it last year, and then this year when we’re coming in being a starter playing against the Ohio State, it’s kind of crazy that I got to come out here and perform at a high level.”