The national Sugar Bowl semifinal between No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State got off to a wild start, and things got even hotter towards the end of the second quarter when Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields was brutally hit on the back by Clemson linebacker James Skalski.
Fields stayed on the floor for several minutes before going to the touchline for a move. The replay officers reviewed the move and confirmed that Skalski, the Tigers’ defense defender, committed a crosshair penalty and was disqualified for the rest of the game. Fields left for a move before returning and launching a touchdown pass to Chris Olave to put the Buckeyes at 28-14.
The coaches continued to look after Fields after the touchdown pass. When he left for the next series, he was clearly favoring his belly and seemed hesitant to make contact in running and climbing.
Skalski’s absence is a huge blow to the Tigers. He had 32 tackles coming into play and is responsible for aligning the rest of the defense from one game to another. This incident occurs a year after Skalski committed a lack of target selection in the second half of the National College Football Playoff Championship against LSU. Coincidentally, this penalty also occurred at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
The coincidences don’t stop there, however.
The Buckeyes and Tigers faced each other in the Fiesta Bowl national semifinal last season, and a lack of aim played a big part in that too. Buckeyes defender Shaun Wade was sacked by Trevor Lawrence of Clemson at the end of the first half with the Buckeyes 16-0. The Tigers, led by Lawrence, returned to win the 29-23 victory in one of the CFP’s most dramatic games since its inception in 2014.