The Ohio State football team is looking to continue this unbelievable journey it has been on in 2019, but there is a whale of a team standing in its way out in the desert. The Clemson Tigers are the defending national champions and have won the title two out of the last three years.
There’s not many teams that match up athletically with this Buckeye squad, but Clemson is no doubt one of them. There are interesting storylines and matchups across the board, and there’s no doubt the Buckeyes will have to play their best game of the year to move on to New Orleans for a shot at a national championship.
But it won’t be easy. Here’s three reasons the Clemson Tigers could give Ohio State fits out in Glendale.
Next … Talent
Clemson has equal, if not better talent
Usually, when Ohio State gets off the bus you can see the difference in the type of athlete it gets to come to the banks of the Olentangy vs. the athlete the team on the opposite sideline brings in. There is almost always a talent gap and mismatches that can be exploited all over the field.
But not in this one. Clemson has just as much — if not more — talent when you start measuring up position by position. It is well documented the amount of NFL players on the Buckeyes’ roster this year, but it’s not much different with Clemson.
Ohio State can ill-afford to start slow, or make some of the mistakes it has made during this stretch run and still expect its talent to eventually take over. It has to get out quick, execute, and win against a team that is seemingly looking at itself in the mirror.
Next … Experience
Clemson has been there before
Man, there’s a lot that goes into this whole playoff thing. The media obligations, the practices and timing, and all that comes with trying to win a championship. Ohio State is no stranger to big bowl games, but it hasn’t been a part of the College Football Playoff since 2016.
That means there’s only a handful of guys that were around then. Clemson has been a staple of this thing though since year two and has been around the block a time or two. It’s one thing to have an experience as a reward, and another to keep on grinding.
It’s not the only thing that matters, but knowing the level of intensity, calming those jitters, and going through all the pomp and circumstance of this thing can provide a little edge to the team that’s done it before. Slight advantage to Clemson on that one.
Next … Defense in a pressure cooker
Clemson’s aggressive defensive tendency
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is one of the best in the business. He’s phenomenal at putting together a defensive game plan to stop opposing offenses. Not only that, but he’ll use varied looks with pressure from multiple spots to keep offenses guessing on reads.
It sure created havoc for Ohio State in 2016, and although it’s a different team with different players on both sides, it’s going to be extremely key for center Josh Myers and quarterback Justin Fields to be able to understand what the Tiger defense is doing to them in real-time. It’s a pressure cooker that I’m not sure the Buckeyes have faced so far in 2019.
As good as Fields has been this season, he’ll be put under the gun more than ever, and for a guy that’s really still understanding this offense, it could be a lot to handle.
We’ll see …
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.
We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.
