Ohio State has not had the same success defending the rush away from home, and that could be a bit of an early red flag for their Fiesta Bowl matchup with Clemson.
The rush defense for the Buckeyes has been a tale of two stories in some ways. While at home, they’ve thrived; on the road, they’ve failed to match that same elite success found at Ohio Stadium.
The numbers speak for themselves. Ohio State gives up 73.4 rushing yards at home and 130.7 on the road. At-large, that makes them a top-five rush defense in the nation, but by taking the effort away from Columbus, it would make the Buckeyes an average No. 37 in the country.
Oddly enough, Ohio State’s home performances have seen names like Jonathan Taylor and have included top-tier teams like Penn State and Cincinnati.
On the road, it’s been a completely different story.
The second time facing Jonathan Taylor the Buckeyes allowed him to let loose with 148 yards, as the Badgers notched 200 as a team. They even gave up 150-plus rushing yards to Northwestern in a 52-3 blowout victory.
Traveling to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes will have to face Travis Etienne and a potent and balanced Clemson offense. With an elite combination under center, on the edge and in the backfield, Ohio State must be ready for a lethal attack.
Etienne, the 5-foot-10 junior back, is experienced. He has eight 100-yard performances with two of them being for over 200 yards. He has over 1,500 yards on the season.
He has the skill set, and although Clemson will try to do plenty of damage through the air, if the Tigers can use him to expose some chinks in the armor on the defense, it could hinder the undefeated Buckeyes from moving on to New Orleans.
Knowing what’s at stake, expect Ohio State’s front, led by Chase Young, to be ready on December 28. It has better be.
