Shaun Wade's Shot at Redemption is One of the Great Buckeye Stories of the Year
Every Buckeye that played in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl against Clemson has his own reason for wanting another crack at the Tigers.
But perhaps nobody wants to rewrite last year's story more than Shaun Wade.
Flashback to last year: there are five minutes left in the second quarter. Ohio State leads Clemson 16-0 and while the Buckeyes have thrice settled for short field goals, the Buckeyes look like the better team. It's third-and-5 from just on to the Buckeyes' side of midfield.
After bluffing before the snap, Wade came hard on a nickel-blitz from Trevor Lawrence's left hand side and delivered a lunging blow to sack the Clemson quarterback. The problem was, he lowered the crown of his helmet just enough for the officials to throw a flag for targeting and Wade was ejected from the game.
The momentum from that play really changed the course of the game. There were other notable plays, including an Ohio State defensive touchdown taken off the board on a blown call, but Wade's ejection changed the course of the game. From that point forward, things slipped away from the Buckeyes and Clemson eventually won the game, 29-23.
Once he was ejected, Wade was forced to watch the rest of the game in solitude in the Ohio State locker room. Hanging on every play, hoping that his team would come back and win, Wade watched the television broadcast by himself. The broadcast feed is delayed from real-time, so when the Buckeyes were trying to throw a game-tying touchdown, Wade heard the stadium erupt and thought his team had scored. Seconds later, he saw Nolan Turner intercept Justin Fields and the Buckeyes hopes of winning a national championship turned to dust.
And while that moment could have been the end of Shaun Wade's Ohio State career, fate has brought him back to the College Football Playoff with another chance to play the Tigers.
But it almost was.
As ESPN's Hallie Grossman so appropriately wrote, "Trevor Lawrence, referees, the lure of the NFL draft, the coronavirus, Big Ten leadership, the president of the United States -- these forces opened and shut the door to the possibility of winning a title so many times that Wade got whiplash."
Arguably Ohio State's best returning defensive player, Wade was so mentally fatigued that he didn't really know what to do a few months ago. He wanted to make the best decision for himself and take care of his future, and he thought leaving college football behind him was the best thing to do. But over the course of just a few days when the Big Ten un-paused and reinstated the season, Wade was given a second lease on his Buckeye life. He opted back into the season and has been working towards a moment like Friday's Sugar Bowl ever since.
Wade said this week that he doesn't feel a sense of pressure to play well after what happened last year. "At the end of the day, it's a team sport, not a me sport. ... It's a new team, new day, new us. I'm just looking forward to getting a chance to play."
Game Preview: No. 2 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes
He also wouldn't go as far as to call Ohio State-Clemson a rivalry, but he recognizes the importance of the game. "I characterize it as we've never beat Clemson. So we've gotta beat them. ... In our past history, we've never beat them so that's our goal and we'll go from there."
Over the last several months, the Ohio State secondary has been under a fair amount of scrutiny. They haven't had the same level of production this year that they did last season with NFL talent littered in all parts of the defensive backfield. Wade has been the steady presence for a group that is still finding its own. He is a consensus All-American this year and, both because its his duty as an elected captain and as a player trying to officially put the worst night of his playing career behind him for good, he's ready to lead the Buckeyes into battle on Friday.
While everyone that played in last year's game has a bitter taste in their mouth from how the season ended, nobody has more to prove or more to play for than Wade.
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