Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day shake hands at press conferences ahead of the teams’ Fiesta Bowl showdown. Credit: Cori Wade | Assistant Photo Editor
When 11 men play 11 others in the armored chess game known as football, the layers, moving parts and intricacies create a whirlwind that makes each contest an epic narrative.
But ultimately, most football games boil down to five or six plays.
That’s especially true when splitting hairs to find an edge for either side when No. 2 Ohio State plays No. 3 Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
“Clemson, they’re strong. They’re powerful. They’re tough. They’re fast. They have speed. We have speed. They have a really good quarterback. We have a really good quarterback,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “They have a really good running back. We have a really good running back. It goes back and forth. It is an equated game. It will be fun to watch.”
Clemson’s defense is No. 1 in the nation for points, yards and passing. Ohio State is No. 1 for yards per play and sacks and No. 2 in the three stats Clemson leads.
Ohio State’s offense is No. 1 in the nation for scoring, third-down efficiency and first downs. Clemson is the No. 5 scoring offense and No. 3 total offense, the latter of which edges out the Buckeyes at No. 5.
There’s no real statistical edge. Both teams are stocked with multiple All-Americans and projected first-round NFL Draft picks. When talent equates, the smallest swing can prove monumental.
It’s a matter of which side makes those handful of plays.
“It’s going to be a heck of a ball game, two great teams that I think really are kind of mirror images of each other in a lot of ways, and probably come down to a few plays,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.
The first place Ohio State can look for plays is from its defensive line.
Junior defensive end Chase Young collected an unbelievable amount of hardware following a nation-leading 16.5-sack regular season, with All-American nods and defensive player of the year awards abounding. Ohio State’s defense is tied for No. 1 in college football with 51 quarterback takedowns this season.
Clemson holds an All-American of its own on the offensive line in senior offensive guard John Simpson. Young will square off with sophomore and former five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman, an Ohio native who selected the Tigers instead of the Buckeyes. It’s a matchup Swinney called “must-see TV.”
“Usually people who are athletic specimens like [Young] aren’t necessarily the most refined in their technique, because they have the ability to rely on being better than everyone else physically,” Carman said. “He’s really done a great job in his technique and his coaching and being able to just work.”
Young said he’ll be using his whole tool box against Carman Saturday.
“He’s somebody you have to be a technician with,” Young said. “But that’s what I’m doing.”
Perhaps the most likely generator of game-breaking events in any game are quarterbacks, given they touch the ball every offensive snap.
Clemson sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2018. Ohio State sophomore quarterback Justin Fields was No. 2.
In their own words, the two mirror each other in more ways than their rankings.
“Seeing [Fields] every year, he’s more and more polished as a passer. Obviously, he’s always been athletic with his legs,” Lawrence said. “Just seeing how he’s adapted — he’s gotten so good at working the pocket. He really can be a pocket passer, too.”
Athleticism and cerebral pocket play are two things at which Lawrence also excels.
“Trevor is more of a dual-threat guy than people give him credit for,” Fields said. “I don’t think people give him enough credit for his running game. Of course, he’s a strong arm, great accuracy. I think what people forget about Trevor is his legs.”
Important skill matchups abound around the gunslingers. Ohio State junior cornerback Jeff Okudah, another All-American, will face off with dynamic Clemson junior Tee Higgins, a 1,000-yard wide receiver. Ohio State junior running back J.K. Dobbins, No. 3 in the country for rushing yards, will duel Clemson junior ball carrier Travis Etienne, No. 1 in the nation in yards per carry.
The Buckeyes’ offensive line will need to contain Clemson redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Simmons, the team leader in tackles, sacks and tackles for loss, while navigating versatile schemes and complex fronts from long-time Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
By winning one of those matchups or several that still haven’t been listed, one team will make the plays it needs to advance to the national championship Saturday.
That’s the why, how and what of a football game. The only questions now are, “Who?” and “When?”
All of college football will know the answers some time after an 8 p.m. kickoff Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
