3 Reasons Ohio State Will Get Boat Raced By Clemson
The Clemson Tigers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes for the second straight season in the College Football Playoff semifinal, and meet for the third time in the semifinals dating back to 2016.
The first time the Tigers met the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal it led to one of the most lopsided wins in the short history of the playoffs — a 31-0 shutout by the Tigers in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.
Last season, in No. 3 Clemson’s 29–23 win over Ohio State, Lawrence knifed through the Buckeyes' defense, running for a career-high 107 yards and one touchdown. He added 259 passing yards and two scores through the air.
This season, as much as the Buckeye faithful would like to think that their squad is equal to the 2019 team that took the Tigers to wire, they are a far different team. Because of that fact, here are three reasons the Tigers will boat race the Buckeyes on their way to the 2021 CFP National Championship.
1: Their competition has been awful:
The Clemson Tigers played the 36th toughest schedule in the nation, highlighted by two games over then-ranked No.4 and No.2 Notre Dame, and a dominant win over Miami.
The Buckeyes schedule, which featured only two wins over teams with winning records (Indiana and Northwestern), ranked 70th in the nation.
When the Buckeyes have faced somewhat competent competition, they have looked pedestrian on offense and defense.
Which leads us to the second reason...
2: Ohio State's defense has not been good:
The pass defense allowed 260.8 yards per game this season, they are allowing 21 points per game (ranking 25th in the nation) and they are allowing 358 yards per game—which ranks 34th nationally.
The Tigers rank 7th nationally in pass offense (343.8 yards per game), fourth in scoring offense (averaging 44.9 points per game; second nationally behind Alabama for teams that played more than six games) and 11th nationally in total offense (averaging 507.6 yards per game).
3: Justin Fields is not the same player he was last season:
Fields threw five interceptions combined in games against Indiana and Northwestern. In 14 games last season, he threw only three interceptions. With an injured throwing thumb, and a propensity to turn the ball over in big games this season, the Buckeyes will be struggling if he continues to complete passes to the wrong team.
