How a different Ohio State football team showed up for Clemson

Throughout the season, the Ohio State football team has looked good, not great, against their Big Ten schedule. All of that changed when the lights came on and the Buckeyes turned into an elite team against Clemson.

Going into the Sugar Bowl there was reason to be concerned based on how the Buckeyes had played their season. There were a few dominant performances, but against the teams who ended up being the best of the rest in the Big Ten (Indiana and Northwestern), Ohio State looked like they struggled. Especially after the Big Ten championship game against Northwestern, there were reasons to believe that the Buckeyes were not on the same level as the Tigers.

That narrative was quickly erased when Ohio State stuck with Clemson in the first quarter and scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a huge lead into the half. That lead stood the entirety of the second half to give the Buckeyes a huge win.

This team flipped the storyline. Clemson did not look like they belonged on the same field. Ohio State looked like the team that should have been favored. What happened to make the sudden shift?

While you will never hear anyone within the program say this, I think Ryan Day was been holding back during the entire regular season. Beating Clemson was always the goal of the 2020 season. That was the motivation and drive for each player, coach, and fan. This was the game that the team was preparing for.

In the last few years, the Buckeyes have clearly been waiting for Michigan before unleashing a higher intensity and more diverse play-calling. Without “The Game” this year, Ohio State put everything together for Clemson.

The defense looked more energized. Justin Fields did an incredible job hitting his check-down man when the primary option wasn’t there. The tight ends were used for the first time all season. Trey Sermon continued his transformation into a legitimately scary back.

So, the big question is if the Ohio State football team was just focused on beating Clemson, or if they have enough in the tank to dethrone Alabama and win a National Championship.