CFP participants remember the best advice they have received - ESPN
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


CFP participants remember the best advice they have received
ESPN
Ohio State junior linebacker Raekwon McMillan said that former Buckeyes linebacker James Laurinaitis told him, "Don't let the media [define] what they think you should be. As long as you're doing the right thing for your university and your team, you ...
Ohio State Buckeyes hope to press all the right buttons against Clemson Tigers: Crowquillcleveland.com
College Football Playoff picks: It'll be the Buckeyes and 'BamaChicago Sun-Times
J.T. Barrett aims to make more good decisions for Ohio State BuckeyesWKYC-TV
247Sports -CBS sports.com (blog)
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Youth Movement Doesn't Slow OSU - Sports On Earth
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Youth Movement Doesn't Slow OSU
Sports On Earth
The Buckeyes have done this despite losing nine early departures to the NFL and having 12 players picked in the first four rounds of last April's NFL draft (five in the top 20 picks). They've done this despite having to replace eight of their top 12 ...
Nick Bosa's freshman year culminated with key sack vs. Michigan247Sports
Tyquan Lewis looks back on Joey Bosa's last game with BuckeyesMyDaytonDailyNews

all 5 news articles »

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Countdown to 2017: Top 10 Big Ten football games of 2016
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

We're one day closer to 2017, and today it's time to take a look at the top 10 Big Ten football games of 2016. See BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart's full list inside.

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How Ohio State can beat Clemson
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Let’s take a closer look at the math.

The Fiesta Bowl has maybe the best matchup that college football fans could have hoped for.

Clemson’s strengths — Deshaun Watson, an incredible collection of wide receiver talent, and a fierce pass rush on defense — go up against Ohio State’s, including their absurd rushing efficiency, Curtis Samuel’s explosiveness, and a defense that stuffs the run and forces turnovers better than anyone in the country.

But these two consistently elite teams also have their weaknesses. For Ohio State, those are widely known. The passing game has struggled, or at least been hot-and-cold, for two years now. If the offense gets off schedule and forced in to too many passing downs, then holes begin to appear in the offensive line — like eight sacks allowed to Michigan and six to Penn State. Clemson, on the other hand, can get one-dimensional on offense, as the run game can disappear and the turnovers pile up.


Ohio State is consistently rated slightly higher than Clemson in the advanced stats. However, if the Buckeyes’ S&P+ is equivalent to their mean performance, their high volatility score represents the standard deviation of their possible performances. Ohio State is one of the most volatile teams in the country, with a high ceiling, but also a slightly lower floor the Clemson. The range of potential outcomes for Ohio State’s performance is wider than Clemson’s.



The S&P+ margin, volatility, ceiling, and floor numbers in the chart above can be read as the expected point margin against a theoretical average college football team. So Ohio State, at its worst, is essentially average — Clemson’s worst is about a field-goal victory over an average football team. Playing at their respective bests, Ohio State would beat an average team by nearly two touchdowns more than Clemson would.

Clemson’s volatility — at 20.3, over a touchdown less than Ohio State’s — is despite close games against teams like NC State, Pitt, Florida State, and the relatively poor performance against Wake Forest. Clemson’s worst performances were due to three main factors:

• Shutting down Wayne Gallman, forcing Deshaun Watson to carry the load on offense
• Turnovers due in large part to the resulting one-dimensional passing offense
• A strong opposing rushing attack combined with taking advantage of matchups against linebackers and certain members of the Clemson secondary

The Herman Theory


Clemson and Ohio State split Tom Herman’s two stats — turnover margin and explosive play margin. Ohio State has a significantly higher turnover margin at +16, while Clemson is sitting at even turnovers allowed and gained. This is mostly due to the Tigers’ high interceptions — both lost and gained. For explosiveness, I added a few new numbers — offensive and defensive explosiveness rate. These are the number of 10+ yard plays produced and allowed divided by the total number of offensive and defensive plays.

Ohio State generates a 10+ yard play on a little more than a fifth of their offensive snaps — Clemson manages one on roughly a quarter. Ohio State’s defense allows opponents 10+ yard plays on 16% of defensive snaps compared to 17% for Clemson.

In bulk, Clemson has a higher rate of explosive plays, but also turns the ball over far more often than Ohio State does.

Finally, Ohio State’s average team talent is higher than Clemson’s. The Tigers are a little less talented than Michigan, but they’re the best comparison.

When Ohio State has the ball


The key for the Ohio State offense is clear: establish the run and don’t get forced to pass.

• For College Football Playoff teams, and Clemson is no different, weaknesses are all relative. That means that it’s rare for the Tigers (or Buckeyes) to have a low ranking in any advanced metric (at least opponent-adjusted advanced stat), so it’s more about finding small statistical advantages than exploiting glaring weaknesses. That’s the case with the Clemson defense. The Tigers rank sixth overall in defensive S&P+, so there aren’t too many big problems.
• Despite the obvious quality, Clemson has been a little volatile on defense. The Tigers have seven games with an S&P+ defensive performance of 75% or below (Ohio State has three). Two of those games were performances in the 40%s — against Florida State and Pitt. These games are the ones to look at for a template for the Ohio State offense.
• Ohio State should have a small but notable advantage on the ground. Just pulling out the rushing stats in the table above, Ohio State has sizable advantages in nearly every rushing category — from overall rushing S&P+ (2nd to 32nd) to adjusted line yards (1st to 22nd), stuff rate (2nd to 39th), and even explosive plays (72nd to 107th). Ohio State hasn’t been known for explosive runs this season — they have just ten runs of 30+ yards — but Clemson’s defense is even more vulnerable to big plays on the ground.
• Ohio State’s offensive identity is built on that efficient run game, divided between Mike Weber, Curtis Samuel, and J.T. Barrett. It’s difficult to stop the run game altogether both due to numbers at the point of attack — when a quarterback read or carry is involved -- and because each one of those three runners is so good at their specialty. The archetype game here is Florida State, where Dalvin Cook had 19 carries for 169 yards, including a 70-yard run. Curtis Samuel is the most explosive and Cook-like runner, but Cook’s performance against the Tigers also demonstrated their (relative) weakness to efficient running as well -- besides his two 40+ yard runs, he still had a 58% rushing success rate (and FSU is just 13th in rushing success rate overall compared to Ohio State at 2nd). If you argue that even Curtis Samuel doesn’t match Dalvin Cook’s breakaway ability, Pitt’s James Conner is an example of efficient running — he had 20 carries for 132 yards, a 60% success rate, and a 50% opportunity rate. Those efficiency numbers should be achievable for any of Ohio State’s three primary ball carriers.
• Clemson’s defensive focus will likely be first on stopping that base run game while also bringing a lot of pressure on J.T. Barrett. That’s not only due to Ohio State’s weaknesses (79th in adjusted sack rate, 90th in passing success rate with just 38%), but also Clemson’s defensive strengths — they create havoc better than almost everyone in the country (4th in overall havoc rate), primarily due to their pass rush (4th in adjusted sack rate). With Clemson’s explosive offense, Ohio State can’t afford another game where they allow 6+ sacks. Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins have combined for 63 quarterback pressures this season, via CFB Film Room.
• This is a real advantage for Clemson. The template for opposing defenses has been to try and stop the run first so that Barrett is forced to pass to move the ball. Passing downs haven’t been good for Ohio State this season (38th in passing downs S&P+), and the Buckeyes’ deep passing game is very inefficient. According to CFB Film Room, Barrett is completing just 35.3% of passes thrown 20+ yard downfield.
• It’s possible that Ohio State’s offensive staff doesn’t really try to change things up or worry too much about the lacking vertical threat. Clemson’s pass protection has mostly struggled in the middle of the field when their linebackers are forced into coverage mismatches. Expect Curtis Samuel to be obvious focal point of the passing offense, but don’t be surprised to see other H-Backs, tight ends, and running backs get involved to target the middle of the field -- especially if that area is vacated by by Clemson’s defense sending extra pass rushers on J.T.
• Ohio State’s gameplan will likely emphasize early runs for J.T., passing on standard downs, efficient runs to Weber inside, Samuel outside, and J.T. everywhere, and passes 5-12 yards downfield. The key will be for the Buckeyes to win standard downs, where they have a 6th to 39th advantage in standard downs S&P+, while avoiding as many passing downs as possible, where the advantage is reversed — 38th to 2nd.
• Finally, this one likely won’t be over until the very end of the game -- Ohio State is 28th in defensive S&P+ in the first quarter but averages 3rd for the last three quarters, but Clemson’s defense averages 9th for the first three quarters then ranks 53rd in the 4th. If Ohio State is behind but within striking distance starting the fourth quarter, don’t be too shocked.

When Clemson has the ball


Just like Clemson’s defense against Samuel, Weber, and Barrett, the key is shutting down the Clemson run game.

• Clemson’s offense is prolific, but can be prone to turnovers. The key to forcing those turnovers is to first stop Wayne Gallman and make the Tigers’ offense one-dimensional. Overall Clemson is 17th in rushing S&P+ and 7th in adjusted line yards, but they’re also 50th in opportunity rate and 38th in stuff rate (with 17% of runs going for no gain or a loss). That means that the Tigers’ ground game hits a fair number of mid-range gains, but is susceptible to losses and is relatively inefficient. To me, the key is the opportunity rate, where just 41.3% of Clemson’s runs are for 5+ yards. For comparison, Ohio State ranks 2nd in opportunity rate at 47.8% of runs. Clemson doesn’t really have an explosive threat either, with Gallman leading the way with just 4.1 highlight yards per opportunity and the 3rd-worst overall rushing IsoPPP rating. Ohio State, meanwhile, ranks 1st in the country in stuff rate (with nearly 29% of opposing runs going for no gain or a loss!) and 3rd in opportunity rate. Essentially, Clemson’s offensive weakness meets one of Ohio State’s main defensive strengths.
• If Gallman is a non-factor, Deshaun Watson will be forced to pass. He’s an incredible quarterback and the central reason for Clemson joining the group of elite college football teams this season and last, but the double edged sword is his turnovers. Again going back to CFB Film Room, he has 9 interceptions on 121 attempts of passes 15+ yards downfield. The other side of the sword is when he’s passing to Deon Cain — on 22 passes of 20+ yards to Cain this season, roughly a third have gone for a touchdown. Mike Williams is their biggest pure receiver and leads the team in targets and receiving yards, but Cain (third on the team in receiving yards and targets) averages 5.5 yards per catch more than Williams. Clemson has mostly been an efficiency-based passing attack this season — 6th in passing success rate and 74th in IsoPPP — but Watson can definitely stretch the field with Deon Cain. And without creating turnovers, Ohio State’s secondary is still great (5th in passing S&P+), but somewhat vulnerable to big plays (45th in passing IsoPPP).
• Don’t expect many sacks by the Ohio State defense. Clemson ranks 4th in adjusted sack rate to Ohio State’s 92nd. Ohio State may create pressure, which wouldn’t necessarily show in these numbers, but Watson likely won’t be taken to the ground many times.
• Finally, Ohio State has to force field goals or stalled drives from drives inside their 40 yard line. They look to have an advantage in finishing drives, ranking 4th to Clemson’s 30th (averaging 3.33 points allowed per scoring opportunity to Clemson’s 4.91). Ohio State may allow Watson to rack up passing yards, and that will be fine as long as they lock down the red zone and force an interception or two.

The four most important stats

1. Rushing opportunity rate. Ohio State has to maintain its biggest offensive advantage — efficient rushing. Without an efficient run game, Ohio State will be forced into obvious passing situations, heavily benefiting Clemson.
2. Ohio State’s sacks allowed. The biggest mismatch for the Ohio State offense -- outside of the passing game overall — will be the offensive line in pass protection against Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins. It’s unlikely that Ohio State will win allowing 6+ sacks again.
3. Interception margin. Deshaun Watson will find some success passing -- he’s too good not to, no matter what secondary he’s facing — but the key will be creating at least one interception. Malik Hooker, Marshon Lattimore, and Gareon Conley have to play their absolute best against this loaded Clemson passing offense.
4. Wayne Gallman’s rushing success rate. For Ohio State to slow the Clemson offense down, they’ll need to completely remove Gallman from the offensive gameplan. As good as Watson is, stopping the run should be the first goal. Ohio State has to force Clemson to doubt whether they can rely on Gallman to pick up critical short yardage -- and as it is they’re 86th in power success rate.

Picks


S&P+: Ohio State 29, Clemson 25. OSU win probability 61.2%

F/+: Ohio State by 4.2

Power Rank: Clemson by 1. OSU win probability 53%

My pick: Ohio State 27, Clemson 24

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Why are Ohio State's defensive linemen afraid of Santa Claus? - ESPN (blog)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Why are Ohio State's defensive linemen afraid of Santa Claus?
ESPN (blog)
... in the profession, and his results speak for themselves. Under Johnson, the Buckeyes have developed stars such as Joey Bosa, and Ohio State has developed one of the most fearsome pass-rushes in the nation. And the Buckeyes hang on his every word, ...

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Here’s why Clemson’s Deshaun Watson is so dangerous for Ohio State
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Clemson quarterback is good. Really good. And when he’s on, he’s unstoppable.

Deshaun Watson is very good at football. He’s arguably the best second-best dual-threat quarterback in the country and he’s borderline unstoppable when he’s on. With that said: Watson can be stopped.

Well...stopped might be a strong word. Let’s go with contained. Watson had seven games this season with three-plus passing touchdowns, but he also threw multiple interceptions in four games. Clemson is not afraid to stretch the field and this philosophy combined with a fearless signal caller has resulted in some bad decisions from time to time. Still, like Ohio State, there is so much talent on the offense that Watson and company are often able to turn nothing into a big play.

Clemson has several different weapons on offense that are more than capable of making game-changing plays. Artavis Scott is a shifty receiver that will attempt to make life difficult from the slot. Running back Wayne Gallman combines tackle-breaking ability with the speed to go the distance. Mike Williams may be the best wide receiver in the country. Still, stopping Clemson’s offense comes down to one goal: contain Deshaun Watson. Let’s take a look at a few different qualities that make him one of the best quarterbacks in America.

Running ability


The first attribute that separates Watson from a lot of other great quarterbacks is his ability to run. He’s dangerous as a scrambler, but Clemson has really relied on his ability to pick up yards on designed runs during big games. Watson only ran the ball more than 13 times during three games this season and they came against Louisville, Florida State and Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.

Much like J.T. Barrett, Watson does an excellent job at letting his blocks develop before taking off on designed runs:


Watson stares down his three receivers in the pocket which freezes the linebackers. This hesitation is enough to allow his running back and center to get up to the second-level and secure blocks. Watson then displays his elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability, before ultimately hitting the gas and exploding through the secondary. He nearly loses the ball at the end of the run, but the damage has been done.

Deep-ball ability


Clemson loves to take shots down the field, especially to their stud wide receiver Mike Williams. Watson has the arm to make any throw on the field (his highlights versus Alabama demonstrate this again and again), but if he spots his No. 1 wide receiver in man-coverage, there’s a good chance that’s where the ball is going.

Against Georgia Tech, Watson releases a deep ball for Williams the second he sees the safety jump the underneath curl:


Watson has all day to throw, but he still does a good job at giving Williams a chance to go up and get the ball. He’ll also take deep shots to Jordan Leggett and Deon Cain, who both average over 16 yards per catch. Watson will get into trouble when he locks onto a receiver and forces a throw into double coverage, but his willingness to give his receivers chances downfield is troubling for the Buckeyes considering the talent of Williams.

Ohio State watched Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant consistently sky over their corners during the 2014 Orange Bowl and this is a strategy that Clemson will hope to replicate again. The Buckeyes’ secondary has come a long way since then, but there’s still a good chance that Clemson will look to test the Buckeyes deep considering how often Ohio State doesn’t give their corners help over the top.

Playmaking ability


As previously mentioned, Watson is essentially unstoppable when everything is clicking. He has the arm to make any throw on the field and his running ability is good enough to buy him extra time. The finished product is a scary sight:


This is the element of his game that is especially scary for the Buckeyes. Ohio State plays a lot of man coverage because their corners are so good, but this play selection is also dependent on their defensive line creating consistent pressure. If Watson is able to continuously break the pocket and buy extra time, it’s going to put a lot of pressure on the back-end of the defense to stay with the talented Clemson receivers.

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kinch said:

It's nice to read uplifting crap in a bad year. Whenever I hear of the USO, I think of a Billy Joel line from Allentown, from my childhood, that I have always found sweet: "And their mothers with the USO, ask them to dance, dance with them slow."

Click to expand...

Whenever I hear of USO, I think of Bob Hope.....



https://www.uso.org/stories/154-bob-hope-the-uso-s-one-man-morale-machine

Buckeyes and bucks: What would a college football team cost? - Chicago Tribune
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes and bucks: What would a college football team cost?
Chicago Tribune
This long weekend is ideal for college football fans, with some of the season's best games playing out. Partisans have plenty of grounds to argue over whose team is best — and a few days before the Bowl Championship Series finale Jan. 9 puts an end to ...


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BM5: Players that need to step up for OSU; Dropping Fine-bombs - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


BM5: Players that need to step up for OSU; Dropping Fine-bombs
247Sports
With the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl tomorrow (and yes it feels nice to say that) between Ohio State and Clemson, who are backup players for the Buckeyes that really need to step up? Heath Schneider aka Heater joins Dave Biddle to discuss that, plus:.

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BH: Still second? | Players under pressure - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


BH: Still second? | Players under pressure
247Sports
Both the Tigers and Buckeyes enter this game with just one loss on the year, and are pretty evenly matched as the number two and three seeds respectively. It should be a great game between two national powers and two great coaches in Dabo Swinney and ...

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Fiesta Bowl | Urban Meyer seeks 'nine strong' as Buckeyes take on Clemson - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Fiesta Bowl | Urban Meyer seeks 'nine strong' as Buckeyes take on Clemson
Columbus Dispatch
But as Meyer indicated, that should not have been perceived as a sign of overconfidence as his Buckeyes prepare to face their toughest opponent of the season so far, the victor to move on to meet the Alabama-Washington winner in the championship game ...

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What the Ohio State offense can learn from the Louisville- Clemson game
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Louisville was able to carve up the Tigers on the ground.

The Ohio State offense has had its ups and its downs in 2016. They’ve played two of the better defenses in the country and somehow found a way to score 30 points on both of them — albeit one in double overtime.

The Buckeyes will face a very talented Clemson defense, who has allowed a lot of points against good teams. Clemson let up 36 to Louisville, 34 to Florida State, 43 in a loss to Pittsburgh and most recently 35 to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship. Don’t be fooled by the scoreboard though; this defense is legitimate and is stacked with future NFL guys — especially on the defensive line.

The defensive line is led by Dexter Lawrence (6’5”, 340 lbs), Christian Wilkins (6’4”, 310 lbs), Carlos Watkins (6’3”, 305 lbs) and Clelin Ferrell (6’5”, 265 lbs). Lawrence, who’s only a freshman, leads the Tigers with 20 quarterback hurries and is second on the team with 7 sacks. He is a 19 year old freak who could probably play on Sundays right now and will cause major issues for the interior of the Buckeye offensive line.


Lawrence isn’t the only one who makes an impact, it’s the entire defensive line. As a team, they are second in the nation with 46 sacks. Watkins leads the team with 8.5 sacks, while pressuring the quarterback 12 times. Wilkins leads the team with 12 tackles for loss and has pressured the quarterback 17 times. Meanwhile, Farrell has registered 19 pressures on the season. Their defensive line is massively disruptive and Ohio State fans should be worried about how their offensive line will hold up.

Even though they excel at rushing the passer, they are susceptible against the run. This was proven a few times, such as Dalvin Cook’s 169 yards and four touchdowns, Lamar Jackson’s 162 yards and two touchdowns and James Conner’s 132 yards and a score against Clemson’s defense. This plays into Ohio State’s favor. The Buckeyes were able to rack up 291 yards on the ground in Oklahoma, 185 rushing yards against Wisconsin and 206 yards versus the Wolverines vaunted rush defense. No matter the opponent, the Buckeyes will stick with their bread and butter.


When Louisville traveled to Death Valley, most knew it would be a shootout between two great quarterbacks — and it was well worth the price of admission. The game tallied 78 points, eight (!) turnovers, 57 first downs, a whopping 1,075 total yards and a Louisville receiver deciding to take a business decision on fourth down, in a 42-36 Clemson victory. But, even with an overall talent discrepancy favoring the home team (besides Lamar Jackson), Louisville was able to gash Clemson for 273 yards on the ground and 295 yards through the air.

Here’s what the Buckeyes can learn from Bobby Petrino’s offense when they put up over 568 yards of total offense on Clemson that night:

Clemson’s linebackers flowing too quickly


Louisville used an Urban Meyer staple to get Lamar Jackson into the endzone here. Above, they ran something Buckeye fans see a bunch of times on Saturdays — the outside zone read. Jackson takes the snap, holds the ball at the mesh point while the defensive end flows with the running back, keeps the ball and finds the seam in the defense. Louisville began to get some good yardage out of their running back, so you can see Clemson’s linebacker flow with the running back, leaving a seam for Jackson to exploit. Ohio State runs this in their sleep with J.T. Barrett and Curtis Samuel (see above) and Barrett is one of the best in the game at reading the read defender at the mesh point. If Samuel and Mike Weber start to gain positive yardage on the regular, expect Barrett to take advantage.

Establish the run to open up play action


As mentioned, Louisville began to gain positive yardage with their running game, and Clemson’s linebackers decided to go all out to stop that. Bad decision. Louisville’s offensive coordinator saw the perfect time to dial up play action, and Jackson hit his tight end down the seam for an easy touchdown as both linebackers on that side of the field bit for the fake. Ohio State does a great job doing just this once they get on a roll running the football.

Here is a good example of how Ohio State manipulates the defense off the power read:

Attack them horizontally


What’s the best way to beat a big and disruptive defensive line? By attacking them horizontally. We saw the Buckeyes do this after the 2014 Virginia Tech debacle and they executed this to perfection against Oklahoma this season. I mentioned that the Sooners had a big defensive line — that stuffed Houston in the A and B gaps 14 times — but were susceptible on the perimeter. Fast forward to the game and we saw Barrett, Samuel and Weber shred the Sooners on the edge. Lamar Jackson and co. were able to exploit the Tigers on the perimeter (especially the right side of the line of scrimmage) and most should expect a heavy dose of Samuel and Barrett. Barrett’s supreme execution at the mesh point should leave the Tiger defense out of position and guessing.

***

Overall, Clemson is a very talented, yet sometimes lazy and flawed defense. On paper they’re right up there with Alabama and Michigan as a top defense in the country, but offensively, Ohio State matches up pretty well with them. What the Buckeyes do the best on offense is what Clemson had serious troubles with against Louisville in Death Valley. As Buckeye fans know by now, the offense will ultimately rely on Barrett and his arm if the defense starts to stack the box, and he needs to be up to the challenge. Get Barrett in a groove early and the offense should have its way.

Will Isaiah Prince be more reliable than he was against Penn State? Can the Buckeyes take advantage of Clemson’s over-flowing linebackers? Can a receiver not named Curtis Samuel get open? Will Clemson’s frightening pass rush dominate Ohio State’s inconsistent offensive line?

Saturday will be a chess match between two of the better coaching staffs in the country and there will be a boat load of future NFL talent on the field. The team that takes advantage of the opposing team’s weaknesses the most will advance to play Alabama or Washington.

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Ohio State proves it's when you lose that really matters in the CFP era - ESPN
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State proves it's when you lose that really matters in the CFP era
ESPN
The "what ifs?" simmered gently in the Ohio State locker room after the 2016 BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes, fresh off a methodical and businesslike takedown of No. 8 Notre Dame, knew who they were after finishing a 12-1 campaign. They had tied a ...
Ohio State Buckeyes hope to press all the right buttons against Clemson Tigers: Crowquillcleveland.com
College Football Playoff picks: It'll be the Buckeyes and 'BamaChicago Sun-Times
J.T. Barrett aims to make more good decisions for Ohio State BuckeyesWKYC-TV
The Players Tribune -UPI.com
all 780 news articles »

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Ohio State Buckeyes hope to press all the right buttons against Clemson Tigers: Crowquill - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Buckeyes hope to press all the right buttons against Clemson Tigers: Crowquill
cleveland.com
To avoid Clemson's defense daring the Buckeyes to pass by teeing off on the run, Ohio State's offense is going to need to hit the pass button a little more consistently and hope they can score enough points to keep up with Deshaun Watson and the ...
College Football Playoff picks: It'll be the Buckeyes and 'BamaChicago Sun-Times
J.T. Barrett aims to make more good decisions for Ohio State BuckeyesWKYC-TV
Ohio State proves it's when you lose that really matters in the CFP eraESPN
The Players Tribune -Landof10.com
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Ohio State vs. Clemson, Fiesta Bowl 2016: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 6 things to know
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


A trip to the College Football Playoff Championship Game is on the line.

Ohio State became the first non-conference champion to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, where they’ll square off with Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday night. The Buckeyes were able to solidify their playoff spot with a dramatic victory in double overtime last month against Michigan. Ohio State rallied from a 10-point second half deficit to force overtime. The Wolverines and Buckeyes traded touchdowns in the first overtime period before a Curtis Samuel 15-yard run gave Ohio State their fifth consecutive win over their rival. The win allowed Ohio State to improve to 10-2 under Urban Meyer in games where they trailed at halftime.

The Ohio State head coach has just five losses during his five years in Columbus, with one of those losses coming to Clemson in the 2014 Orange Bowl. Ohio State held a nine-point lead in the second half against Clemson, but in the end Sammy Watkins and the Tigers were just too much for the Buckeyes to hold at bay. Watkins was named Orange Bowl MVP for his performance, as he caught 16 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes and Tigers had met one other time prior to the 2014 Orange Bowl, with Clemson squeezing by Ohio State 17-15 in the infamous 1978 Gator Bowl, where Woody Hayes punched Clemson’s Charlie Bauman.

After losing a big chunk of last year’s starters to the NFL, Ohio State entered this year with just six returning starters, which was fewest among FBS teams. The Buckeyes got off to a hot start this year, handling a road test against Oklahoma in the third week of the season. Ohio State went through the first six games of the season unscathed before blowing a fourth quarter lead to Penn State in State College. The Buckeyes took care of business in the final five games of the season, and the College Football Playoff committee felt Ohio State’s resumé was worthy of being a part of the four-team playoff.

Much like Ohio State, Clemson survived an upset by a team from Pennsylvania but still did enough in the eyes of the committee to be a part of the third College Football Playoff. The Tigers opened the season with a road win at Auburn, and added wins over Louisville and Florida State during the regular season before thwarting Virginia Tech’s upset attempt in the ACC Championship Game. Now after making it to last year’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game and falling to Alabama, Clemson has unfinished business as they try to take home this year’s title.

How to watch, stream, and listen


TV: 7 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN. The announcers are Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Samantha Ponder

Radio: 97.1 The Fan or The Ohio State IMG Radio Network. Also available on ESPN3.

Online streaming: WatchESPN

Spread: Ohio State opened as a 3-point favorite. The line’s stayed pretty static with OSU as much as a 3.5-point favorite at a few books.

Know your enemy: SB Nation’s Shakin’ The Southland covers the Tigers.

Ohio State’s biggest advantages


Defensive mindset. It’s hard to single out a part of the Ohio State defense which has performed better than the others this year since all three levels have played exceptionally well. The defensive line has created the pressure needed to allow the linebackers and defensive backs the opportunities to make some plays and create some turnovers. Ohio State is second in the nation with seven defensive touchdowns, with three of those coming from Malik Hooker.

The Ohio State secondary faced many questions coming into this year after losing Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, and Tyvis Powell from last year’s squad. The defensive backs who were tabbed to replace the trio have exceeded all expectations this year. For his performance during the year, Hooker was named a unanimous All-American. It wasn’t just Hooker who carried the load for the Ohio State secondary this year, as Gareon Conley consistently made big plays for the Buckeyes when they were needed.

Clemson’s defensive line gets a lot of publicity for their play this year, but Ohio State’s defensive line is just as talented. After Joey Bosa won Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year the last two seasons, Tyquan Lewis followed in Bosa’s footsteps and took home the award this year. Joey’s brother Nick Bosa had a productive first season in Columbus, getting five sacks in the regular season.

Where the Buckeyes are at their best is when they are able to force their opponents into obvious passing downs and they can unleash their “Rushmen” package to create pressure in the backfield. The extra pressure allows the linebackers and defensive backs a greater chance to force a turnover, and with Deshaun Watson having thrown 15 interceptions this year, the Buckeyes will do everything they can to get the “Rushmen” package out onto the field.

Urban intelligence. Urban Meyer will be looking to improve on an impressive 10-2 record in bowl games in his head coaching career. The only time Meyer has suffered a loss at Ohio State in a bowl game came in the 2014 Orange Bowl against Dabo Swinney’s Clemson team. In fact, Meyer is 45-3 with more than a week to prepare for his opponent, but that loss to Clemson is one of the three losses Meyer has suffered during extra time.

The brighter the stage, the better the result for Meyer’s teams. In the last 10 games against Top 10 teams, Meyer has won seven of his last eight games. Overall, Meyer is 19-6 against Top 10 competition, and 8-3 while he has been at Ohio State against teams ranked in the Top 10.

The last time against Clemson, Ohio State was coming off a loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, and didn’t have a lot of motivation. In this meeting motivation won’t be a factor at all since both teams will be doing everything in their power to make sure they can move on to face the winner of Alabama and Washington. There will also be a little bit of a revenge on Meyer’s mind since there aren’t many coaches who can say they hold a winning record against Meyer, but Swinney is one of those coaches.

Ground warfare. When it’s clicking, Ohio State’s rushing attack is among the best in the country. The Buckeyes averaged 258 yards per game on the ground, which ranks ninth in the country. The success Ohio State has rushing the football also allows for the Buckeyes to keep the ball out of their opponents hands, with the 33:55 Ohio State averages in time of possession ranking fifth in the country.

Many thought it might be a bit of a rocky transition at running back after Ezekiel Elliott left for the NFL, but redshirt freshman Mike Weber quickly quieted any doubts. The redshirt freshman became just the third freshman running back to rush for over 1,000 yards, with the other two backs being Robert Smith and Maurice Clarett.

While Weber brings the power in the running game, h-back Curtis Samuel brings the home-run capability. This year Samuel averaged 7.7 yards per carry and he scored eight rushing touchdowns. What has been a criticism of the Ohio State offense is they don’t get the ball to Samuel enough, with the junior averaging just eight carries per game. Whether it be rushing or in the passing game, when Samuel gets the ball he makes his touches count.

Clemson’s biggest advantages


Orange crush. If Ohio State’s offensive line plays anything like they did against Michigan, it could be a long night for the Buckeyes in the desert. Clemson’s defense posted 46 sacks and 112 tackles for loss this year, with both ranking third in the country. What makes the Clemson defense tick is the pressure that their defensive line is able to create, which has forced their opponents into mistakes throughout the year.

All four of Clemson’s defensive linemen have been impressive throughout the year, with each of the four registering at least five sacks on the season. Defensive tackle Carlos Watkins leads the defense with 8.5 sacks, which were the most sacks by a Clemson defensive tackle since 1990. Watkins may be a senior, but the future is still bright at defensive tackle for the Tigers, as freshman Dexter Lawrence was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year after racking up seven sacks in his first year with the Tigers.

At defensive end, Christian Wilkins will grab most of the headlines after being credited with 12 tackles for loss this year and being named one of the finalists for the Nagurski Award. With all the talent Clemson has on the defensive line, Ohio State can’t sleep on the other defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who had five sacks during the season.

The pressure Clemson’s defensive line creates could leave things looking a lot like how most of the Michigan game did for Ohio State. With the Buckeyes still struggling to have some of their wide receivers step up, backfield pressure could give Ohio State fits when they try to execute the run-pass option, which has been their bread and butter all year long. The Buckeyes will not only need the veteran leadership of Pat Elflein and Billy Price on the offensive line to rub off on linemen like Isaiah Prince, since all five Ohio State linemen will have to be at the top of their game on Saturday night.

Deshaun the great. There were some who thought this was a down year for Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson this year compared to the numbers he put up last year. In terms of passing the ball, Watson’s numbers were almost the same as they were last year. Last year as a sophomore, Watson completed 67.8% of his passes for 4,104 yards, 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. This year Watson completed 67.6% of his passes for 3,914 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.

Where critics might have perceived a fall-off from Watson is when it comes to running the football. Last year Watson ran the ball 207 times for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns, as opposed to the 529 yards and six touchdowns Watson gained on 129 carries this year. Clemson just didn’t ask Watson to do as much this year on the ground as he did last year, which actually could help Watson in the Fiesta Bowl and beyond since he didn’t take as much punishment this year, which could leave him fresher for later in the season.

There are plenty of similarities between Watson and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, with both being able to beat you on the ground, as well as through the air, with Watson having an even better arm than Barrett. All both quarterbacks do is win, with Watson posting a 26-2 record at Clemson over the past two seasons. Watson will be the most versatile quarterback Ohio State has had to prepare for all year, and his ability to do just about everything for the Tigers on offense will be a tough challenge for one of the nation’s best defenses.

Pitch and catch. Ohio State has to be happy that they don’t have to try and cover Sammy Watkins like they did in the 2014 Orange Bowl, but that doesn’t mean that Clemson doesn’t have a talented group of receivers that could give Ohio State fits. Mike Williams came back from a neck injury he suffered early last year to haul in 84 passes for 1,171 yards, and 10 touchdowns. The junior wide receiver made some highlight reel catches throughout the season, and it’ll likely take the efforts of the whole secondary to slow down Williams.

The Buckeyes can’t just focus all their resources on Williams though, because Watson has a number of other options he is comfortable with getting the football to. For the second year in a row, tight end Jordan Leggett was a finalist for the Mackey Award, given annually to the country’s best tight end. Leggett nearly matched his output from last year despite playing sparingly early in the year due to injury.

Aside from what Williams brings to the table, Deon Cain might just be Clemson’s best big-play threat, as evidenced by his team-leading 19.4 yards per catch average. Artavis Scott is one of Watson’s most trusted targets, who the quarterback always seems to find in key moments. Add in Ray-Ray McCloud and Hunter Renfrow in the passing game, and the Ohio State secondary will certainly have their hands full throughout the game as they try to keep Watson and his targets in check.

Summary


F/+ Projection: Ohio State 29, Clemson 25

Win Probability: Ohio State, 61.2%

Much like Ohio State’s most recent outing against Michigan, the Fiesta Bowl could go down as a classic. Both teams are stacked with talent on both sides of the football. You couldn’t ask for a better quarterback matchup than we’ll get with J.T. Barrett and Deshaun Watson in Glendale.

This game will probably be a back-and-forth affair that doesn’t see either team lead by more than a touchdown. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Ohio State try and get Curtis Samuel involved a little earlier in the game to see if the junior can break some big plays against a Clemson defense that holes can be found against. No matter the result, watching this game is a great way to spend the last few hours of 2016.

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Buckeyes' Trevor Thompson finding role as inside presence - BT Powerhouse (blog)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes' Trevor Thompson finding role as inside presence
BT Powerhouse (blog)
The Ohio State Buckeyes frontcourt has been a revolving door of lackluster production and wasted opportunities in the past few years, but junior center Trevor Thompson is looking to make that an after-thought. For some teams conference play has already ...


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Ohio State commits shining in All-America events
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


A Buckeye 4-star DB is impressing in Orlando.

It’s almost time. Tomorrow night, the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. The long awaited matchup between two of the top four teams has been brewing throughout the week as some “barking” by Clemson has given Ohio State a little extra motivation–– if that is even possible. With many players on both rosters recruited by both opposing staff’s in the past, the game tomorrow night is sure to be one of the best semifinals in the College Football Playoff’s short tenure.

But before the game takes place, there are some notes from the never ending recruiting trail.

OSU DB commit shining


It seems that nearly every single Ohio State commit in the 2017 recruiting class is playing in a post-season competition honoring the top senior football players in the country. Between the US Army All-American game played in Texas and the Under Armour All-American game played in Florida, the Buckeyes are more than well represented with 2017 recruits.

The Under Armour All-American game in Florida currently has two Ohio State 2017 commits playing in the competition. The two are none other than Isaiah Pryor and Marcus Williamson, who are also roommates at Florida’s IMG Academy.

So far, the pair have been nothing but impressive, but Pryor is the one making serious conversation as of late. The nation’s fifth best safety in the country and ninth best prospect in the entire state of Florida is turning heads and proving why he was a key piece for Urban Meyer and Ohio State’s 2017 class.

With Pryor’s 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame, he possesses the body-type that can not only defend the pass as a ball-hawk, but also has the bulk to be a serious run-stopping threat for the Silver Bullets in the near future. With Pryor’s speed and athleticism, look for him to come in and compete right away for a spot in the two-deep at safety for the Buckeye defense.

OSU among the top recruiting programs


In college football, recruiting is one of the key aspects that a program must be successful in to reach the pinnacle of the 128 FBS schools. A national championship is the ultimate goal of each team at the start of every season, but before each season starts, the players in the football program are directly the ones besides the coaches that will be the factors on whether or not a program reaches its final goals.

Fortunately for Ohio State, the Buckeyes have had nothing but success in the recruiting business ever since Urban Meyer has been at the helm of the Buckeye football program.

That same success continued this year in the 2017 class as Nike’s premier recruiting event “The Opening” dawns more than impressive host of future Ohio State players. Among Ohio State, the Alabama Crimson Tide are right at the top with the Buckeyes as the team with the most commits that were invitees to Nike’s headlining circuit. With Alabama and Ohio State, the first two winners in the College Football Playoff and back once again this year, recruiting once again cements its importance.


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Heat Check: Our Final 2017 Buckeye Recruiting Board Following a Busy Month of December - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Heat Check: Our Final 2017 Buckeye Recruiting Board Following a Busy Month of December
Eleven Warriors
The Buckeyes added a pair of linebackers as five-star Texan Baron Browning became commitment No. 16 and four-star Pete Werner hopped on board shortly thereafter. Ohio State also got some great news when five-star defensive back Shaun Wade ...
Rob Oller column | CFP coaches linked by hatred of losingColumbus Dispatch

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College Football Playoff picks: It'll be the Buckeyes and 'Bama - Chicago Sun-Times
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


College Football Playoff picks: It'll be the Buckeyes and 'Bama
Chicago Sun-Times
The Buckeyes (11-1) are favored by a field goal, which is a bit of a surprise considering they aren't the most experienced squad and Clemson (12-1) made it to the national title game last season. I love Watson, but I believe in coach Urban Meyer and ...
J.T. Barrett aims to make more good decisions for Ohio State BuckeyesWKYC-TV
Buckeyes, Let's Hold the LineThe Players Tribune
Sports bars adjust New Year's Eve for BuckeyesCanton Repository
247Sports -UPI.com
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Preview: Ohio State (11-1, 8-1 BIG) vs Clemson (12-1, 7-1 ACC) Part 5
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



The huge day is almost upon us and I am nearly complete with my preview series of the Ohio State versus Clemson matchup in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. It was a blast getting back into the swing of things, but sadly, the College Football Season is drawing to a close. The thought of life without College Football makes me cringe, and the anticipation when awaiting the beginning of a new season will seem to drag on. Now I am certainly not chalking this contest up as a sure loss, just like the Penn State defeat, anything can happen, so I will stick to that until this next game is completed. The beauty of College Football is anyone can take down the big bad giant, at any given moment. The passion is unmatched and you could see it in each individual players eyes and in the way that they carry themselves on the field. Ohio State is already being counted out by everyone who is paid to talk about it, and I wouldn’t have it any other way than that. The Buckeyes thrive when playing the underdog role. Ohio State is favored by a mere field goal, but they are already being counted out before the game even begins. We will see what they do when the opening kickoff commences.

Defensive Backs:


Each team has strengths and advantages in certain areas. Clemson has a dominant and stout Defensive Line that loves to get to the opposing Quarterbacks. Both teams, in my opinion, are equal when comparing the Line Backing Core’s, as they are both rangy, athletic, sure-tacklers, who can play from sideline to sideline. Ohio State has an advantage at Defensive Back and their defenders have shown a knack for making clutch plays during crunch time. The Silver Bullets have 19 total interceptions for the season, 3 of which were takeaways from Line Backers, so the Scarlet Curtain accounted for 16 of the 19 interceptions for the season, and 6 of the 7 interceptions for scores for the defense. They have the ability to flip the field and score on that end as well because they have 7 pick six’s for the season. Clemson’s Defensive Backs aren’t terrible either, as a defense they have 18 total interceptions, with 2 being taken back for scores. 14 of them were due to the Defensive Backs on their roster, 4 of their interceptions were from their Line Backers and their backs took both picks to the house. I will give the Buckeyes the slight edge, due to the production of their unit and their ability to turn the tide in the ball game, but for now, I will go over each key player.

Ryan Carter, CB:


Ryan Carter is a Redshirt Junior who will be most likely be matched up against Noah Brown during this contest. Clemson tends to blitz, a lot, and that leaves their Cornerbacks on islands with opposing pass catchers. Carter is listed as being 5-9, 180 lbs and he comes from Grayson, Georgia. Carter has 28 tackles for the season, with 18 of those tackles being solo tackles. He also has one interception, one sack and he has 5.5 tackles for loss for the season so far. Carter will be charged with locking down the outside receivers. Size is always a concern, but he plays up to his competition as he has tallied 7 total pass break-ups to date. He will contend with unproven and young receivers this game, who routinely struggle to get separation from defenders. The blitzing and the constant pressure will be leaned upon to prevent big splash plays from occurring as Carter will be tasked to shut his man down.

Cordrea Tankersley, CB:


Cordrea Tankersley is one of the Senior leader’s of the Defensive Backs as he looks to finish out his career at Clemson with another shot at the Championship, and hopefully against Alabama. They have to go through the Buckeyes prior to that, and with the media counting them in the Championship Game already, why not share the same mindset. Right? Tankersley is second on the team in interceptions with 3. He has made 43 tackles and 32 of them were solo tackles. He leads his team with 10 pass break ups and he has 6 tackles for losses. He will be shadowing Curtis Samuel for the majority of the game. His leadership will be needed as that, by no means is an easy assignment. He will need to be ready for whatever the Buckeyes throw at him because in the Pitt loss, he was not playing up to his ability and the team suffered their first and only defeat of the year.

Van Smith, FS:


Van Smith is the starting Free Safety for this Clemson squad replacing T.J. Green, who now plays in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts. He has big shoes to fill, but he has filled the void. Smith is listed as being 5-11, 195 lbs and he has grown up this past season. He leads the Defensive Backs in tackles with 87 and 59 of them were of the solo variety. He has 5 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles and pass break ups. He will be roaming the backfield with reckless abandon, to attempt to make plays on the inexperienced receivers that Ohio State has on their roster. Smith plays aggressively and tends to over pursue, but more often than not, he makes the play. He is rangy as he looks toward this matchup against the Buckeyes.

Jadar Johnson, SS:


Jadar Johnson is the starter at Strong Safety and he replaced Jayron Kearse after he left for the pros. Johnson is listed as 6-0, 210 lbs and he is the hammer on the defense and the other Senior on the roster. Johnson leads his team with 5 interceptions for the season and is second in tackles with 49 and 34 solo tackles. He has 1.5 tackles for loss with 7 pass break ups. He is the leader on the back end and he has a ton of confidence prior to this game as he has been talking about J.T. Barrett during media days. Although he is correct about Barrett’s lack of statistics in the throwing department, he cannot discount the fact that he is just as capable as the “better” Quarterbacks that he has faced this season. Lamar Jackson is a beast and I know this, and that is why I am not completely disagreeing with him, but to throw a Buckeye under the bus prior to the game? Think Oklahoma. But this should be a fun matchup to see how Barrett responds to the chatter. If he is able to find the time to make the correct throw, watch out.

Gareon Conley, CB:


Gareon Conley, from Massillon, Ohio was on the cusp of becoming a hated rival for the Buckeyes, but a last minute offer turned him toward the Scarlet and Gray, and the rest is history. Conley turned out to be a suitable replacement for Eli Apple after he left for the New York Giants. Conley is 6-0, 195 lbs and he is the one of the older members of this secondary being in his Junior season. Conley has 3 interceptions this season, 20 total tackles, 16 solo tackles and 8 pass break ups. He takes on the opposing offenses best receiver, which will be Mike Williams, who is a projected First Round lock in the upcoming draft. This will be one of the most anticipated matchups in this game as Williams is projected to go in the first round and Conley is floating around in the Late First Round to Second Round. With a good showing, I could see him shoot up draft boards prior to the combine, but that is assuming that he shuts down Williams during the game. Conley will looks to advance against a loaded receiving corps that can score at will.

Marshon Lattimore, CB:


Marshon Lattimore has finally beat the injuries to live up to the expectations from when he first set foot onto the campus. After lingering injuries prevented him from playing, he broke into the College Football scene after 2 years of waiting. It has been a sight to see as he is second on the team in total interceptions with 4 for the season. He brought one to the house against Tulsa to break the game wide-open for the Buckeyes. He could have had two, but a penalty erased one from existence, but he shows the playmaking ability with his speed and man to man skills, which will be needed against a loaded offense that Clemson possesses. Lattimore is also a sure tackler with 38 and 27 solo tackles. He has 9 pass break ups as he and Conley are usually placed on islands during games and they will look to shut down whoever they both face.

Damon Webb, FS:


Damon Webb, a player plucked from Michigan is the starting Free Safety at Ohio State who is replacing Vonn Bell. Webb is the smallest member of the secondary, but he plays with a lot of heart and fire. At 5-10, 195 lbs the Junior will look to shut down this talented Clemson Offense. Webb has 53 tackles for the season with 29 solo tackles and he has 2 tackles for a loss with an interception for a score and 3 pass break ups. He will be tasked with stopping the Tight End and the Slot Receivers during the game. Ward has the ability to tackle, but he often relies on big hits to dislodge the ball away from the receivers and he will need to wrap up this game. Coverage will be key as the Clemson Offense can put up points in a variety of ways. Discipline will be key in this matchup as he will face the most potent offense this season.

Malik Hooker, SS:


Malik Hooker is the star of this Ohio State Defense as he leads the team in interceptions with 6 and 3 of those went for touchdowns. Hooker, a Redshirt Sophomore will look to make plays against a dangerous offense that Clemson will attempt to unleash. Hooker will be one of the obstacles in their way, because he has shown his ability to make key, timely plays in the clutch. Hooker nearly left the Buckeyes after being unable to obtain a starting position, but family and the coaching staff made it happen and look what they have unleashed. Hooker was a three star recruit out of New Castle, Pennsylvania coming out of high school and he is one player where stars did not matter. Hooker is 6-2, 205 lbs and he is a threat on the field. He is the ball hawk of the secondary and he can do it all from sideline to sideline. Hooker has 67 tackles, 38 solo, 5 for loss, he has half a sack and 5 pass break ups. His stats aren’t gaudy in those categories, but he can hurt you in a variety of ways. He will hover around the field to make plays. Hopefully he could add to his stats at the end of the game.

Specialists:


Special Teams is important when fighting for field position. Both teams will look to unleash their respective Special Teams members when needed to flip the field and kick field goals and extra points. They, like everyone else, needs to bring their A Game and as we inch closer, their kicks and punts will play a role during this contest.

Greg Huegel, K:


Greg Huegel will be the primary kicker for the contest. Huegel is a Redshirt Sophomore who stands at 5-11, 195 lbs. He will be the primary kickoff man as well. He has 86 kickoffs for the season and 36 of them were touchbacks. He has kicked 17 field goals this season, making 13 of them for a 76.5% field goal success rate. For extra points, Huegel is 62 of 64 for a 96.9% success rate. This will be key in this game as every point matters and is of great importance.

Andy Teasdall, P:


Andy Teasdall is a Redshirt Senior who is looking to cap off his Clemson career on top of the College Football mountain, but he will need two wins to do it. The first battle to the top will be against Ohio State and he will be asked to pin the Ohio State Offense deep within their territory to unleash the hounds. Teasdall has 48 total punts for 1808 yards and he is averaging 37.67 yards per punt and 150.7 yards per game. Teasdall will try to pin J.T. Barrett deep the entire game to give his defense a chance to make plays.

Tyler Durbin, K:




Tyler Durbin, a former walk-on, earned his starting gig after Sean Nuernberger was injured. He has been quite the asset, but his most recent performance against Michigan before coming up clutch to force overtime was a much needed confidence booster for him. For the season Durbin is 17 for 19 with his two misses and last make coming in the overtime thriller in Columbus. Durbin hit 89.5% of his field goals and 63 out of 65 of his extra point attempts, which sits at 96.9%. Durbin is also in charge of kickoffs and out of 92 kickoffs this season, 35 of them were touchbacks for a total of 38.04%. He like the Clemson kicker, will be used to score whenever called upon to extend the lead or earn points to pull a little closer. Coach Meyer has been alongside him whenever he practices kicking field goals and he will need ice in his veins to keep up with this Clemson Offense.

Cameron Johnston, P:


Camerson Johnston is a Senior Punter from Australia who is also looking to cap off his Buckeye career on top of the College Football mountain, but Clemson will be a tough task with the Athletes that they have at every position. Ohio State has the same quality and quantity of athletes, but it makes it very hard to choose who would win. Johnston will be looked at to flip the field on Special Teams with his patented rugby style kick. He has been effective when utilized for punts. He has punted the ball 49 times for 2266 yards and he is averaging 46.24 per punt and 188.8 yards per game which is absurd. He has one rushing attempt, that if properly blocked, would’ve been enough for a fourth down conversion, but it was not meant to be. He will be needed to give the Buckeyes a chance on defense.






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Sports bars adjust New Year's Eve for Buckeyes - Canton Repository
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Sports bars adjust New Year's Eve for Buckeyes
Canton Repository
3-ranked Buckeyes battle the No. 2 Clemson Tigers at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Fiesta Bowl, which is being played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. And locally, crowds of Buckeye fanatics are expected to pack sports pubs and ...

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Meyer using doubters to motivate Buckeyes? - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Meyer using doubters to motivate Buckeyes?
247Sports
For example, while preparing for the 2006 national championship against Ohio State when he was Florida's coach, Meyer had one of his staff members compile a video cutup of several media figures predicting the Buckeyes would blow out the Gators.

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Updates on Marvin Wilson, Markquese Bell and Xavier McKinney from Under Armour game, Billy Davis' challenge and ... - Landof10.com
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Updates on Marvin Wilson, Markquese Bell and Xavier McKinney from Under Armour game, Billy Davis' challenge and ...
Landof10.com
On Wednesday, SEC Country LSU recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman spoke with Wilson about his trip to Ohio State, which happened to be the weekend the Buckeyes hosted Michigan in late November. “I actually took that with a lot of guys I know,” Wilson ...
Marvin Wilson, a five-star DT and top Ohio State target, includes Buckeyes in top fivecleveland.com
2017 5-star DT puts Ohio State in his top 5Land-Grant Holy Land

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2014 Orange Bowl forced Ohio State to change its entire defense - 247Sports
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2014 Orange Bowl forced Ohio State to change its entire defense
247Sports
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Chris Worley didn't play that day, but he sure remembers the feeling. It was Jan. 4, 2014 at the Orange Bowl. The Buckeyes were less than a month removed from a loss to Michigan State that ended their undefeated season and a ...

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Tigers and Buckeyes babies gear up for Fiesta Bowl - WSPA.com
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Tigers and Buckeyes babies gear up for Fiesta Bowl
WSPA.com
The Tigers and Buckeyes will play in the game in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday starting at 7:00 p.m. The winner will face the victor of the Alabama vs. Washington game to be played earlier in the day in Atlanta. The National Championship game is ...

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