Ohio State Football: Buckeye Blitz, College Football Playoff Edition
With the College Football Playoff semifinals just one day away, the final preparations are being made as we give a look at what to expect in the two match-ups between LSU-Oklahoma and Ohio State-Clemson.
First, a look at the match-up at the Fiesta Bowl between the Buckeyes and Tigers.
#3 Clemson vs. #2 Ohio State — 8 p.m. ET on ABC at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
Line: CLEM -2.0
The previous three times the Buckeyes (13-0) faced the Tigers (13-0) they lost, the last of which was an historic 31-0 defeat in the 2016 CFP semifinal at the same venue as this year’s game.
Ryan Day’s team will try to reverse the “Clemson Curse” and beat the Tigers to advance to the national championship game, which would be their first appearance since winning it all in 2014.
The Buckeyes offensive attack will be led by Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins and one of the best receiving units in college football.
Ohio State will be facing one of the toughest defenses in the country against Clemson, whose units of the defensive line, linebackers, and secondary mesh together to form a defense that ranks first in several key defensive categories.
Clemson’s terrific trio of QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne and WR Tee Higgins will have their hands full against an Ohio State defense that is also in the top ten in multiple defensive categories.
On Saturday night, there will be three match-ups that will be key in determining who wins the game: Jeffrey Okudah vs. Higgins, Chase Young vs. Clemson’s offensive line and the battle on the sidelines between coaches Ryan Day and Dabo Swinney.
The game will be tight and I believe it will come down to the wire. The Buckeyes now have experience playing in a close game and have had to come back from 14 down this season. The Tigers’ only close game was back in their early season 21-20 escape win against North Carolina.
It’s not like this Tigers team hasn’t faced close games before, but with 28 straight wins, most of which were by double digits, they could stumble in a close game against the Buckeyes.
Fields throws for 250 yards and two TDs, while his counterpart Lawrence is pressured by Young and throws a late interception with the Buckeyes up by four. Dobbins runs out the clock to push his total yards over 150 as the Buckeyes celebrate their first trip to the national championship game in five years.
Ohio State 32, Clemson 28