Ohio State Spent Past Year Waiting for Rematch With Clemson
Clemson and Ohio State are set to face off in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's day in one of the most anticipated games in recent memory.
The Buckeyes saw their season abruptly ended in last years Fiesta Bowl when the Tigers overcame an early 16-0 deficit on their way to a 29-23 win. It was one of the most exhilarating games in the College Football Playoff to date.
However, for the Buckeyes, it wasn't just another loss, and it's very apparent that the program has been looking forward to another shot at Clemson since the moment Nolan Turner picked off Justin Fields' final pass of the night in the end zone to seal the win for the Tigers.
"It's pretty self-explanatory that game hurt us a lot last year," Fields told the media on Monday. "So that has kind of been our whole motivation this offseason. Just getting the chance to play those guys again is a great opportunity. Of course, we know Clemson is a great team. Great coaching staff, great players. So we're just excited to be on the same stage as them and getting another chance to play those guys."
Most of the offseason talk centered around some questionable calls in the Fiesta Bowl that didn't go the Buckeyes way. One was the first half targeting call that saw Sean Wade, one of the teams best defensive players, ejected after a hit on Trevor Lawrence. Another was a scoop-and-score of what looked like a Justyn Ross fumble that was overturned by replay officials.
Never mind the fact that the Buckeyes settled for field goals in the red zone three different times in that first half or the fact that they had the lead with less than three minutes to go in the game. Or even after falling behind by six points late, Fields was able to lead the offense to the Clemson 23-yard line with 43 seconds left, giving the Buckeyes another shot at winning the game.
It was a game that had a little bit of everything. The highs and the lows, fueled by huge momentum swings. Add in the fact that Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney ranked the Buckeyes No. 11 in his final coaches poll this season due to the team having played just six games and there is plenty of intrigue heading into the rematch on New Year's Day.
Ohio State offensive lineman Wyatt Davis says that the team went into the offseason with this rematch in mind and now with all the talk about whether or not they deserved to be included in this seasons playoff, he says that has been more than enough motivation for the Buckeyes.
"It's everybody. I mean, we had a whole winter offseason program dedicated to this game," Davis said. "Clearly what we've seen all week and I'm sure all of you have seen this, we're going into this game not respected at all so that has a lot of motivations as well."
