COLUMBUS – This is the game the state of Ohio has been preparing for.
The lineups are not exactly the same and the season was certainly not the same. But the Buckeyes have called for a rematch with the Tigers since December 28, 2019, when Ohio State felt they defeated Clemson, despite being close to a semifinal victory and a chance to dispute the national title.
So, since then, everything has to do with returning to this game. And the Buckeyes are ready to enter the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
“Coming out of that game, we just didn’t beat it in one day,” said Ohio State coach Ryan Day on Sunday. “Delayed. When we entered the Spring Ball, we started to move on, and then the quarantine happened. The objective was to return to the situation. We were in the same situation a year ago. And as soon as the game was over, we wanted to come back here. “
Day will need to train his best game, and the Buckeyes will have to play at the highest level to defeat Clemson, who is at the top of college football alongside Ohio State and Alabama. And the Buckeyes are going to need massive performances from some of their stars to advance to the national title game.
Lettermen Row is breaking five Buckeyes that have to be big to finally defeat the Tigers in the College Football Playoff.
Trey Sermon had his best game in Ohio in the Big Ten title game. (Birm / Lettermen Row)
RB Trey Sermon
After struggling to find momentum on the ground in his first four games this season, Trey Sermon discovered everything in the last two Buckeyes outings, running 443 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan State and Northwestern. At the Fiesta Bowl last season against Clemson, the Buckeyes established the race with JK Dobbins and built an advantage in the first half. The sermon could be the key to doing this again because of Ryan Day’s offense. After a record-breaking performance in the Big Ten title game, the breakout has now arrived for Sermon. Now, he needs to take that momentum to the Sugar Bowl, where he will have to perform in style for the Buckeyes again.
DB Shaun Wade
Shaun Wade was one of the Fiesta Bowl’s biggest headlines against Clemson a year ago, when he was kicked out for target selection, a call that changed the game’s trajectory from the moment it happened. He returned to Ohio State for another shot at the national title, and now he has. Wade hasn’t played his best football so far this season, but the Buckeyes will need him to play at a high level as a cornerback against Trevor Lawrence, Clemson’s talented catchers and the passing attack that can easily break defenses. If Wade manages to play to his potential, the defense will have a chance to slow the Tigers down.
Chris Olave was devastated after Ohio’s loss to Clemson last year. (Birm / Lettermen Row)
WR Chris Olave
The grief of last season’s defeat to Clemson especially hurt Chris Olave, who interrupted his route in the final charge of the game in the final zone, resulting in an interception by Justin Fields that ended the game and hopes of a national title. Olave was crushed after that game and is now back to avenge defeat with another shot to take down the Tigers. After losing the Big Ten title game, Olave must be ready to go to the Sugar Bowl, where he will be needed to help the passing attack of the Buckeyes he fought in his last attempt. And with Tigers’ safety, Nolan Turner, out in the first half due to a lack of aim in the ACC title game, Ohio State may have an advantage in the first two quarters with Olave.
DTs Haskell Garrett, Tommy Togiai
The two defensive tackles were arguably the team’s best players throughout the season. Tommy Togiai and Haskell Garrett dominated the opposing offensive lines, filled the field and made life miserable for defenders trying to stay in their pockets to launch. Against Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, the best combination of quarterback-running back in the country, Togiai and Garrett will need to be run-stuffers as they always have been, while pushing and forcing Lawrence to feel uncomfortable – which is not easy. . Buckeyes must have the best versions of Togiai and Garrett.
QB Justin Fields
Fields, the leader of the Buckeyes’ attack, twice the best offensive player of the year and a possible top five in the NFL team, has not played his best football in two of Ohio’s last three games. After adding just three interceptions in his first 17 games in Ohio, Fields launched five in his last three times, causing him to fall out of the Heisman Trophy contest. If the Buckeyes are going to beat Clemson for the first time in the show’s history on their way to a national title show, Fields will need to be the best defender in the Superdome – better than Trevor Lawrence.