Ohio State had many reasons to go hungry in this year’s Sugar Bowl. After their heartbreaking loss in Clemson a year ago, this game was exactly what Ryan Day and his Team had been preparing for since the final whistle. Justin Fields had to find redemption after reaching the final in this competition and some disappointing performances in the 2020 campaign, and he should do so against one of the best Teams in the country.
The Buckeyes shocked the world on Friday night, sending the Tigers 49-28 to New Orleans. After allowing an easy Touchdown on the first drive of the Clemson game, the Silver Bullets locked themselves in and made Trevor Lawrence’s life difficult the Rest of the way. On the other side of the ball, Fields was unbelievable, throwing for 385 yards and six touchdowns despite playing the entire second half because of an injury. In a game that no one gave them a chance to win, Ohio State got all the sweet revenge they could ask for.
Shorthanded again
It has been a bit difficult at times to enjoy this College football season, especially when half the week has spent wondering if this weekend’s game will be played or not and which players would be missing under COVID-19 protocols. The Big Ten did Ohio State absolutely no favors this year with their dubious decision-making from the start, and as a result of poor planning and lack of critical thinking, the Buckeyes ended up playing only six games leading to the College Football Playoff.
Play through a pandemic would have its obstacles, and Ohio State was hit by another roadblock on Friday evening, when they discovered that they would be without several key players for the Sugar Bowl after covid-19 positive tests. Among those listed as unavailable against the Tigers included defensive halfbacks Zach Harrison and Tyler Friday, running back Master Teague, and offensive Lineman Harry Miller. In addition, Justin Fields had an envelope on the go that he wounded against Northwestern.
On the positive side, they saw the return of Chris Olave and Baron Browning. The losses of Harrison and Friday seemed to be quite large, because a Pass against Trevor Lawrence would be crucial for the success of the team. Ohio State has shown that the depth along the offensive line that has been missing most of Michigan State’s L ” unit during this season, and with Trey preaching as above, back in the game title B1G, are the Buckeyes could only have resisted the storm that could play those positions without
An ugly start
Clemson first started with the Ball, and the offense clearly read the detection report on that Ohio defense. The Tigers tried to attack the Buckeyes early in the open with a bunch of success. The High school continued to play its soft cover on the first sets of stockings, and Lawrence took them apart with fast throws and Outdoor racing. Having Tuff Borland in the man’s coverage against Travis Etienne was clearly not the move either, as the overworked Linebacker burned himself for a 26-Yard Pick.
After Cornell Powell made an impressive 27-Yard catch for Clemson over Sevyn Banks ‘ head, Clemson was quickly in the red zone. It wouldn’t take long for the Tigers to find worthwhile dirt while Lawrence has overtaken Baron Browning on the edge for a foot Touchdown. The big games have hurt the Buckeyes all season, and it was more the same on Clemson’s first practice of the night. With the Ohio State attack suffering from a quick three-and-out, Ryan Day’s Team found themselves in an early hole.
Big play Trey
It is hard to expect a performance similar to what we have seen from Trey preaching his last time. The Transfer from Oklahoma ran for an incredible 331 yards against Northwestern-a Big TEN Championship record and an Ohio State program record. The last time we saw a Buckeye RB drive like this into the Playoffs was Ezekiel Elliott in 2014, and we all know how this race ended. It seems unlikely that he will recreate what Elliott did in this race to the College Football Playoffs, but if sermon could even transmit a little of that magic last time in Friday night, the Buckeyes would be in great shape.
We had a little glimpse of this on the second Ohio State Road at night. After picking up their first first deep of the night on a short Pass to Chris Olave in the middle, sermon took a big gain on the field when he broke a Tackle and took him over the sideline for 34 Yards. On the next play, he followed with a 32-Yard scamper over the left side of the offensive line for a Touchdown, and just like that, the Buckeyes had everything tied at 7-7.
All in all, the sermon was spectacular against the Tigers, rushing for nearly 200 Yards with a Touchdown and adding four more caught for 61 Yards. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry against Clemson’s so much-vaunted defense that the senior has clearly found another gear in the Playoffs.
Tight End U!?
Here’s a shocking statistic for you-Ohio State hadn’t completed a Pass to a tight end entering tonight since the third game of the season against Rutgers. At the beginning of the year, it seemed that the often neglected group position was due to a much larger campaign than in the past. Every Offseason we’ll ask if it’s finally the year when the Buckeyes use the tight ends in the passing game, and with Luke Farrell and Jeremey Ruckert involved early, it seemed like it would be the case.
Obviously, this did not happen, but at the beginning of the sugar, the tight ends, both huge with touches. The first went to Farrell, who boxed his corner in the goal zone in a crucial third game to carry an impressive and seemingly improbable Touchdown catch. The second was a beautifully crafted play for Ruckert, while Ohio State sent everyone to the left, then reversed and hit it wide open on the right Hash for a score of 17 Yards. Since both also make big plays in the blocking game, the tight Buckeye ends were paramount to throwing things.
Ruckert caught his second Touchdown of the game later in the second quarter, while Day clearly made a concerted effort in his game Call to get his ends tight to the Ball. Clemson struggled a little to cover Notre Dame’s tight end earlier this year, and Ohio State tried to attack that potential weakness as much as possible.