Ohio State Football: Things to watch for when Buckeyes face Tigers

There will be plenty of interesting matchups when the Ohio State football team faces the defending national champions in the Fiesta Bowl.

There’s no doubt the Ohio State football team will face its toughest test against the Clemson Tigers. There will be interesting matchups to watch in this game.

Let’s begin with the two quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. They were the top two players in the 2018 recruiting class. Both are on a roll and if one has a significant edge on the other it could be the difference in the game.

Now for the guys they will be throwing the ball to.

Much of the talk leading up to the game has been the matchup between the talented receiving corps of Clemson going up against the talented defensive backs for Ohio State. How will Jeffrey Okudah, Damon Arnette and Shaun Wade cover outstanding receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross?

I think the Ohio State receivers are being overlooked though and they are a talented bunch. Pundits who think they aren’t deep threats haven’t watched Chris Olave, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill or Garrett Wilson play often.

Even though there are playmakers on the edge, the team that wins the battle in the trenches will win this game. And it will be a battle.

Even though Ryan Day is a young coach he is an old school guy. All season his priorities have been to run the football and stop the other team from getting anything going on the ground. That won’t change.

If J.K Dobbins has a big game I think it will be a long night for Clemson, unless Clemson’s Travis Etienne does too. While it will be fun to watch the talented receivers, the play by the big guys on both sides of the ball will probably determine the outcome.

In any event, it promises to be an exciting game when Ohio State and Clemson meet. It will be an interesting matchup between two very talented teams.