What a ride this Ohio State football season has been. From almost having no season at all, games being canceled, rule adjustments, and players having to sit out, well… it’s been quite the roller coaster of a year. Now the finish line is in sight with only one obstacle remaining – the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide
Since December 28 of 2019, this OSU football team has had one thing on its mind – redemption and rewriting a story that felt unfinished. The Buckeyes have the opportunity to do just that and as head coach Ryan Day has said on several occasions, this team has the chance to write one of the greatest stories in college football history.
It won’t be easy, especially facing the 17-time (depending on who’s counting) national champion Tide. Nobody gave Ohio State a chance against Clemson and it seems like more of the same from the national media. And I think that’s just the way the Buckeyes prefer it.
NEXT … Records and broadcast information
Records
Ohio State (7-0), Alabama (12-0)
Broadcast, TV, Game Time
Date: Monday, Jan. 11
Game Time: 8 p.m. EST
Network: ESPN
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida) Capacity: 65,326 (Limited fan attendance permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions)
All-Time Series: Alabama leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Alabama 42-35 in 2015 (College Football Playoff semifinal, Sugar Bowl)
Next … The game plan
Ohio State game plan for victory
Ohio State played just about a flawless game in their 49-28 beat down of Clemson. They’ll need to play just as well to bet the No. 1 team in the country come Monday — maybe better.
There are many questions to answer before we get to the actual game. And the first item on that list will be how is Justin Fields’ health? I had said in the preview and prediction for the Clemson game that Fields needed to be at his best to beat the Tigers. And he did just that, cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats to wear scarlet and gray.
However, we all witnessed Fields take a violent shot to the lower back area during the second quarter that resulted in the ejection of Clemson linebacker James Skalski. Every throw thereafter saw the quarterback wincing in pain. There have been no reports as to the extent of the injury, but collisions like that don’t typically just go away after a week. Count that as a wild card in this game.
If Fields is healthy and can put together a similar performance as he did in the Sugar Bowl, there is no doubt that Ohio State can move the ball on this Alabama defense. If you look at the numbers, this is one of Nick Saban’s worst defensive units in his time in Tuscaloosa. Ohio State had its way with Clemson, mainly because the offensive line played out of this world. They gave Fields time to work as well as opened gaping holes for Trey Sermon to run through.
Speaking of Sermon, he’s been running like a man with his hair on fire. He finally seems to be trusting his surgically repaired knee, breaking tackles and looking for contact. And if Master Teague is still out due to concussion protocol, Miyan Williams looked every bit capable of spelling Sermon and being effective.
Defensively, the Buckeyes have their work cut out for them. Although, I would argue they faced just as good of an offense in Clemson. Overall, Alabama has a better offensive line but will be missing starting center Landon Dickerson after sustaining a knee injury earlier in the season. That doesn’t bode well for the Tide facing the heart and soul of the Buckeye defense in Haskell Garrett and Tommy Togiai.
Ohio State has been best against the run defensively, but the secondary has lacked its usual dominance in recent years. And this is where Alabama could exploit the OSU defense. Mac Jones runs the run/pass option about as well as anyone in the country and he’s a Heisman finalist for a reason. Jones is accurate, almost always makes the right decision, and has the Heisman winner DeVonta Smith as his go to guy. On top of that, there are rumors that Alabama’s top receiver, Jaylen Waddle, who was injured in October, may be back for the game on Monday.
The Ohio State defense will need to do as it’s been all season long… stop the run and get pressure on Mac Jones. Najee Harris is a bigger, stronger version of Travis Etienne and won’t be as easy to contain. However, this is the strength of the Buckeye defense and it will be the best that Alabama has seen all season as well.
Here’s the deal… both teams are going to score. The offensive weapons on both sides of the ball are just too dominant. The game will ultimately come down to who can limit mistakes and who can get a couple of stops at key moments.
Next … The key players for Ohio State
Two Key Players For Ohio State
Justin Fields – Quarterback: We have to go with Justin Fields as the key player for OSU again. Fields played out of this world, leading the Buckeyes to victory over Clemson despite being in a great deal of pain. Will the Ohio State QB be able to heal up and be back to 100 percent before Monday? Maybe not, but something tells me there is nothing that would keep Fields from suiting up for a championship run and give everything he’s got. During his weekly press conference, Ryan Day said he expects his quarterback to play. That’s good news because the Ohio State offense runs through Justin Fields.
WATCH: Justin Fields comes back from injury and promptly hits Chris Olave for TD pass https://t.co/sQSU8JmwxE
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) January 2, 2021
Justin Hilliard – Linebacker: Justin Hilliard has been hit hard with what seems to be a long streak of bad luck. He faced injuries early on in his career and even this year had to sit out the Penn State game after a false positive COVID-19 test (thanks Kevin Warren). But since then, Hilliard has stepped in and been huge for the Buckeyes. With missing players in games against Michigan State and Northwestern, the Cincinnati native came up with play after play including a momentum-swinging interception in the endzone in the Big Ten Championship game. And against Clemson? Well, Hilliard made his presence known making several key tackles on swing passes to Travis Etienne. Hilliard will again be needed to keep Najee Harris in check and make Alabama one dimensional.
OLB Justin Hilliard been playing good football for @OhioStateFB over last month
6'1 231lbs outstanding mix of length/athleticism. Only played 263 snaps on defense coming into '20 w/ injuries early on – granted 6th year eligibility
Staggering 726 special teams snaps in career pic.twitter.com/3dFc7oYGex
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) January 3, 2021
Next … How it’ll all go down
The prediction
New week, same feel. Not too many are giving Ohio State much of a chance against mighty Alabama in the National Championship game. That’s actually good for the Buckeyes… they like to prove the so-called experts wrong.
This is a proud group of young men and they feel the disrespect. They took it personally when Dabo Swinney ranked them No. 11 in the country. And don’t think for one second they don’t know that Nick Saban didn’t think they belonged in the College Football Playoff either.
Although it’s been an up and down season for Ohio State, it finds itself one game away from the ultimate prize. And while there have been distractions aplenty during a COVID-19 plagued season, all it took was a lack of respect to wake this team from a sleepwalk.
Don’t listen to what the national media will tell you all week, that Alabama plays in the superior SEC and Ohio State just won’t be able to hang. The Bucks match up very well with The Tide.
As the disrespect mounts, the focus becomes sharper. Ohio State goes toe to toe with the bully of college football in what will be a back and forth battle. And when the clock strikes zero, the Buckeyes end a most bizarre season in a most spectacular way… champions.
Final Score
Ohio State 45, Alabama 38
Line
Alabama – 7.5 (Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.)
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