Ohio State Football: Linebackers will be difference against Clemson
Defense wins championships, and for Ohio State and Clemson, linebackers will be a major factor in deciding who wins on Dec. 28.
In one season at Ohio State, Al Washington came over from Michigan and completely transformed a linebacker unit that was the root cause of Ohio State’s defensive struggles last year.
Limited pass coverage, missed tackles and poor execution have changed into restrictive coverage, hard-hitting tackles and near-perfect execution for the linebacker unit.
Malik Harrison has picked up where he left off last season, leading the Buckeyes in tackles with 69 and bringing down opposing quarterbacks for 4.5 sacks. Along with Pete Werner (58 tackles), Tuf Borland (52 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Baron Browning (40 tackles, 4 sacks), the Ohio State defense has returned to Silver Bullet form with the leadership of its linebackers.
The production doesn’t end with the four starters, as the next four men up – K’Vaughn Pope, Dallas Gant, Justin Hilliard and Teradja Mitchell – have combined for 59 total tackles and three interceptions. If Harrison, Werner, Borland or Browning get injured against Clemson, the Buckeye defense will still have four viable options to challenge the Clemson offense.
For the Tigers, the linebackers are also the lifeblood of their defense. Many defenses in college football are set up for the safety to record most of the tackles, but the Tigers’ three leading tacklers are all linebackers – Isaiah Simmons (93 tackles), James Skalski (76 tackles) and Chad Smith (63 tackles).
Simmons also leads the team with six sacks and has grabbed two interceptions along the way. Along with Baylon Specter and Jake Venables, the Clemson linebacker unit has recorded 13 sacks and 152 solo tackles between the five who receive the most playing time.
Stats aren’t everything, but the simple fact that linebackers take up three of the top four leading tacklers for Ohio State and Clemson shows that both defenses make the play before the opposing offense can get a big gain.
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Whether its Harrison for Ohio State or Simmons for Clemson, or one of the supporting cast members who steps up, the linebacker units will be a major difference in the CFP Semifinal. Whichever unit executes and makes the plays they need to make will come out victorious and advance to play either LSU or Oklahoma in the national championship game.