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Sugar Bowl: #3 Ohio State 49, #2 Clemson 28, Jan 1 in New Orleans

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Jaxbuck said:
My first thought is that that IU and NU showed the blueprint to Venables and he has a lot more talent to work with.

Rush 3-4, drop 7-8 into zone and it really seems to bother Fields and the WR's. We also seem to stay in those deep routes no matter what, Fields takes too long to get the ball out and Clemson has top shelf DL talent. Something that IU and NU do not.

I have no idea about Clemson's secondary talent or, more importantly, their ability to disguise coverages but that's the first half of the game imo, Fields and the WR's are going to have to make better reads, quicker decisions and get the ball out. He won't have the time he had against IU/NU.
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Or if they blitz. That also seems to bother Fields. I feel like Fields is in his own head this year after being so loose last year. I think they can get him out of his funk.
 
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I wonder ... just thinking out loud here... we really haven’t found an identity for this football team yet, maybe we did in the 2nd half vs Northwestern or maybe we didn’t... now clempson has to game plan for fields going off and throwing for 300 yards or Sermon breaking a few off and running for 300 + yards.... what i’m saying is on Defense they have to account for a lot of things since we dont even know what team we are...
 
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Ryan36_1 said:
I think we can hang with them and this feels like a game that comes down to who makes one more stop/one less mistake.

I don’t see us doing anything more than slowing them down when they have the ball. 35-42 points is probably what I expect to give up if we play well.

When we have the ball, we need to take what they give. They can’t drop into the full out zone that gives JF fits and stop the run with just their front four. We also need to take the reins of of the JF run, both designed runs and with having him tuck the ball much quicker when his primary/secondary read isn’t there.
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Which the issue becomes can we score 45 against this Clemson defense to win the game?

The good thing is Hafley I bet is giving us the goods on Clemson too and they played them very hard early in the year.

For us to win we have to get back to what we were last year which is run the ball, stay ahead of the chains, and run play action. I have to say... JF has not had a great year overall. With less time in our system last year Justin threw 3 INTS all year in 13 games. This year he's had 5 INTs in 6 and has had struggles with accuracy surprisingly too at times

We have got to go back to using JF as a thrower when we have the advantage because simply dropping back and throwing every down will not get it done. Olave being back helps but again we've got to pick our spots.
 
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I sincerely hope Venebles doesn't throw both of his sons on the field at the same time against us like some games I watched this season. I mean, being one of the elite programs in the country that gets their pick of top players, it is incredible that both Veneble kids, including the young frosh, are talented enough to be on the filed while their 5 stars are watching from the sideline. They are a talented family evidently. Or miss Venebles holds the keys one or the other.
 
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Systems_id said:
One thing for sure, Coombs and Mattison are gonna have to come up with an all-timer of a game plan. Not sure what you do.
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Tough spot because Rogers is great and I like their bigger WR too #80 I think it is. Then you still have Travis and Trevor too running the ball.

Like you said... Coombs and Mattison will have to have an all time plan to slow down this Clemson offense.
 
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Well, it's on — 5 questions we have to ask now that Ohio State will face Clemson

Well, it’s on.

The game Ohio State has been wanting — for better or worse — for a year has been set up.

It’s Ohio State vs. Clemson. Again.

The Buckeyes and Tigers will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals, 8 p.m. Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. And let’s face it: Everything leading up to this moment was just the preseason. All the debate about the season, then the conference games, then the postponed games, then the rules changes, then the B1G championship.

It was all just the appetizer, right? This is what the players, coaches and fans wanted to see since Clemson defeated Ohio State last year.

“The way that game ended last year, there was some controversy,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. “There will be hype.”

Now let’s take a step back. I don’t want to minimize what this Buckeyes team has done, especially in a season that was ravaged by tragedy, social unrest and COVID-19. This season took a lot out of everyone, including student-athletes.

To show up and take care of business the way the Buckeyes did was historic. They won the B1G and beat every team they were allowed to play. They did all they could.

And now they have been rewarded. But, as we know, questions linger about this team. Here are 5 of them as we digest the CFP Committee’s decisions, and prepare for the hype of Ohio State vs. Clemson:

1. Will the real Justin Fields show up?
Which is the true Ohio State quarterback?

Is it the one who looked adversity in the eye against Michigan State and made it blink? Or is it the one who struggled in the 2 biggest games the Buckeyes have played this year? It is a fact that Fields did not look good when the pressure was on. He made poor decisions against Indiana, and — albeit without his best receiving weapon in Chris Olave, and with a possibly injured thumb — he struggled against Northwestern.

So who will Clemson see? Will Fields even be 100 percent when they play? It’s possibly the most-talked-about question as we head into the game.

2. Can the defense hang with the Tigers’ O?
When the Ohio State offense struggled against Northwestern, it was their much-questioned defense that stood tall. These guys have developed into a solid, bend-but-don’t-break force. They have definitely gotten better over the course of the season, and they have seemingly solved a few of their problems.

But they will never have a test like what they will face against the Tigers. The Buckeyes must get healthy, and they must play perfect ball against Clemson’s high-octane offense. It means no miscommunications. It means young players must play older. It means they have to get pressure, and they have to force turnovers.

Can they do it? We’ll have to wait to see.

3. How much does the revenge factor matter?
Yes, Ohio State is mad. They feel they got the shaft last season, and they’ve all said they want to face Clemson again.

You know what they say: Be careful what you wish for. But here we are, and now the Buckeyes will get their chance, on the biggest of stages. In something that rarely happens, Ohio State is the underdog in this game (Clemson is favored by 6.5 right now), and they will have emotion on their side. Will that motivation be enough to put the Buckeyes over the top?

If everything were equal, having that motivation could make a big difference.

4. Can the Buckeyes use the time off to get better (or healthy?)
Fields’ thumb should be monitored, as should all of those who have been in COVID quarantine. The B1G will tweak its 21-day quarantine protocol rules for athletes, decreasing it to 17, which will help. And having someone like Olave back will definitely make things easier for Fields. Of course, what we cannot predict is what happens if — or when — other players come down with the virus (or if they come into contact with others who have it).

It seems like this is the one wild card, and it has been the one that has been lurking in the shadows all season. We know players like Trevor Lawrence have already had it, and I guess that’s good news. But do we know he can’t get it again? Not really.

In short, there’s no way to know how this could affect these teams in the upcoming weeks.

5. Ultimately, do the Buckeyes belong?
It’s a question we can’t answer until we see these Buckeyes perform against the best. Clemson definitely fits that mold. But according to the analysts, the answer is simple.

“Absolutely justified,” ESPN analyst Joey Galloway said. “This team belongs. Nothing was given to them. They earned it and they deserve it.”

“They’ve not played their best football yet,” Herbstreit said.

And as always, if you want Ohio State out of the Playoff, whom do you put in? Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan reported on ESPN that Ohio State would be a 20-point favorite over Cincinnati and a 15-point favorite over Oklahoma. That’s how people feel about the Buckeyes in relation to other teams. Simply, they’re 1 of the best 4 teams, so they’re in.

“They’re undefeated, they’d beaten 2 ranked teams throughout the year and they won the B1G championship,” said Gary Barta, Selection Committee Chair of the College Football Playoff and Iowa’s Director of Athletics.

That may be the best way to put it.

Now there’s nothing left but to play.

Entire article: https://saturdaytradition.com/ohio-...-L7qSsUBM66yPFDfgT1LIb1nvIgHlRfPxQMAJ2zUJlm8g
 
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