Ohio State football: Trey Sermon’s emergence makes Bucks dangerous
By Ryan Stano
![Ohio State Buckeyes running back Trey Sermon (8) scores a rushing touchdown against Clemson Tigers defense in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.College Football Playoff Ohio State Faces Clemson In Sugar Bowl Ohio State Buckeyes running back Trey Sermon (8) scores a rushing touchdown against Clemson Tigers defense in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.College Football Playoff Ohio State Faces Clemson In Sugar Bowl](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5db98e8f35006cc8c903db8b8789de0fcf9d08f5aa2190b50911235db1fa8917.jpg)
A big reason why the Ohio State football team is playing in the National Championship is because of the emergence of Trey Sermon.
The Ohio State football team dismantled Clemson in the Sugar Bowl with a balanced offensive attack. Of course Justin Fields was amazing with his 6 touchdowns and amazing toughness. But Trey Sermon was also a big reason the offense was so successful.
Sermon has done a really good job of showing up in these big games. Starting with the Michigan State game, Sermon has rushed for at least 112 yards in every game. Those three games have seen his emergence prove crucial to Buckeye victories, especially against Northwestern.
Head coach Ryan Day knows how important he’s been to the team’s success. He had this to say about Sermon right after the Sugar Bowl, “It’s really remarkable what he’s done. Over 500 yards in two of the biggest games of the year, and he has a chance to go down in Ohio State history as one of the best runs ever if he can have another performance in this game like he did the last two.”
Day knows how important Sermon is to Ohio State’s chances of winning the title on Monday night. He knows he screwed up in the Big Ten Championship Game by not feeding him enough. He didn’t make that mistake against Clemson, and it doesn’t sound like he will against Alabama either.
With Fields more than likely playing with hurt ribs in this game, a strong running game will be more important than ever. Sermon had 6.2 yards per carry against the number two team in the country. Anything close to that should give the Buckeyes a fantastic chance at winning on Monday.
Sermon had 193 yards on Saturday. I think he needs to have at least 200 yards on Monday for the Buckeyes to get a victory. Him running well not only gives balance to the offense but keeps Alabama’s extremely potent offense on the sidelines.
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The Buckeyes will have to play their best game of the season to get the ultimate prize. Sermon plans to be a part of that big game.