Ohio State enters its College Football Playoff semifinal match with Clemson as a 7 ½ point underdog. Being a distinct underdog is a new role for the State of Ohio, which entered its fight against Clemson last season as a two-point underdog.
The state of Ohio controlled much of that game last season, scoring points in four of the first five attempts. Ultimately, failures in the red zone, Trevor Lawrence’s legs and Travis Etienne’s dynamism catching the ball off the field ended up undoing Ohio State. (Buckeye fans will quickly remember that the officers did not help.)
So what can the state of Ohio do this year to pull the tide? We talked to 10 coaches and scouts familiar with the state of Ohio and Clemson to see how this version of the state of Ohio compares to this version of Clemson.
Here is a glimpse through the eyes of the experts on the main clashes, staffing problems and X factors that will determine the game.
1. Win up front in defense
In Trevor Lawrence’s three seasons at Clemson, this list has the least amount of talent from 1-44 in two deep. Nowhere is more blatant than the offensive line, which features a left-wing tackle Jackson Carman and four other pedestrian players.
The Ohio defensive front lacks a Bosa-like disruptor and certainly misses Chase Young’s advances, but the Buckeye front gives OSU a distinct advantage. The Buckeyes will try to stop the race as Notre Dame did by holding Travis Etienne in 28 runs over 18 yards in the teams’ first confrontation.
The key to the state of Ohio will be defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, who has fewer sacks and tackles than colleague Tommy Togiai, but has been more disturbing. “I thought Garrett was explosive and violent and he played with a big advantage,” said an opposing assistant. “He appeared in the film, people had a hard time blocking him.”
The state of Ohio plays more zone than in previous seasons, as they display cover 3, cover 1 and mix with some players, according to the coaches. But any path to victory starts at the front.
2. Stop the obvious
The top two players on the pitch on Friday will be in Clemson’s defense – Lawrence and Etienne. The key to the state of Ohio will be to limit them to the auxiliary roles they played during the game last season – Lawrence as a runner (107 yards, including a 67-yard TD) and Etienne as a pass receiver (three 98-yard receptions) and two TDs).
This is easy to write and much more difficult in reality. Ohio’s blatant defensive weakness is in security, and it will be interesting if the real freshman security guard Lathan Ransom gets more clicks after his key pass separation sealed the game against Northwestern. Does the OSU team trust him enough to put him in a bigger role?
So how do you slow down Etienne in the passing game and stop Lawrence from running? (And it is obvious that Clemson is more willing to lead Lawrence in high-leverage games like this than against, say, Furman.)
“You don’t want to put Etienne in parentheses, but to slow him down you need to put a security lock or nickel on him,” said an opposing assistant. “You don’t want to put a linebacker on him. Some teams went to cover 0 and put a lock on it. “
As for Lawrence, the important thing for the defensive front of the state of Ohio will be to stay on its race tracks. This will require discipline and potentially impact the power of the quick pass, but the Buckeyes learned the hard way last season what happens when he escapes.
Ohio also needs to perform better than Shaun Wade this season. Wade’s shares in the NFL plummeted as he struggled to adjust to outsiders. An NFL scout said that Wade is playing as if he is “afraid of getting hurt” instead of “letting go”.
The good news for the state of Ohio is that Clemson’s talent as a receiver is a big drop compared to Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins, which OSU’s defensive backs limited last season with press coverage.
3. Put Justin Fields on the right track
Simply put, Justin Fields did not play well in 2020. In the two games against teams that will end in the ranking, he made five interceptions and only two touchdowns.
Fields has been playing infrequently thanks to the OSU staccato schedule, and there has been difficulty getting into the rhythm because of all the changes in the offensive line and players missing from the wide receiver.
But Fields sometimes seems lost. His decision making has been suspect and he is subject to high-risk passes that would make a jayvee coach wince.
How can Fields get on the right track? Running the ball will be a start. (A safe prediction is that both defenders have double-digit rushes.) Fields had a 100-yard run game in six OSU games this season. OSU lacks depth and quarterback experience, which has always made OSU coach Ryan Day hesitate to command Fields.
But with Clemson’s defensive line a shield from the unit two years ago and the Tigers linebacking crew a generally average flock, look for OSU to take advantage of Fields’ legs. This could help open things up outside, as Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, who are returning from a COVID-19-related absence, have the ability to be dynamic game creators for Fields. “He hasn’t been on the pace,” said the opposing coach. “When he finds his rhythm, he is very scary.”
Can Clemson’s defensive coordinator, Brent Venables, get into Fields’s head and shake him? That will be the story of the early part of the game.
4. Will Trey Sermon continue to roll?
One of the most impressive performances of the entire season came when Sermon passed through the Northwestern defense for an Ohio state record of 331 yards in the Big Ten title game.
The fundamental tension for the state of Ohio is whether that performance was a speck or the beginning of a trend. “I think they finally found a running back,” said an opposing assistant coach. “Master Teague is a good player. But he is not like [Sermon]. “
Although Sermon does not have the productivity year after year for Etienne, who is the greatest defender of the ACC ever, he has problems.
Day often misses on the aggression side when calling. Can we see a game plan based on chasing three elite country strikers – guards Harry Miller and Wyatt Davis and central Josh Myers? (This could come with a little “sugar heap”, which would slow down, in order to prevent Ohio State signals from being stolen when we dived yesterday.)
5. Can the state of Ohio exploit Clemson’s secondary?
It is interesting that Clemson’s safety, Nolan Turner, will be out in the first half of the game in Ohio because of a penalty shot. If it weren’t for a communication error, Turner could have ended up like the goat in last year’s semifinal between Ohio State and Clemson.
But Olave ran the wrong way in Ohio’s last offensive move, and after he slipped to the ground, Turner ended up with an easy interception in Clemson’s 29-23 victory. Olave had already burned Turner for a touchdown of the fourth period, and Day seemed to be asking for this confrontation again. But Olave ran the wrong way, and Turner’s pick of the corn can ended up being one of the game’s decisive moves.
So without Turner, a second-team All-ACC security guard, wait for the state of Ohio to choose its replacement. Second Joseph Charleston or second Lannden Zanders are expected to enter the scene, and both are likely to be tested by Day’s plays many times in the first half.
Opposing coaches point to cornerback Derion Kendrick as the only surefire defensive choice for Clemson in the next draft. It is a light group compared to some previous editions of Clemson. But Venables’ creativity made up for the lack of talent, as one NFL scout pointed out.
“They rotate so many guys,” he said. “They play like 20 guys in defense and they all play 100 miles an hour and do a ton of blitz and throw a lot of stuff on the teams. That’s the style now in this 3-3-5. He has done more with less this year than ever before. He usually has more talent. “
Another coach added: “There are always guys open in the film. But the offense never sees them. There is always a [defensive] guy coming unlocked and free. When I see your defense, sometimes it doesn’t look good. But it is super efficient. “
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