#2 OSU vs #3 Clemson National Semi Final

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I'm ready county.

[TRENCHFOOT]

Ahhhh. No excuses already for crying out loud. Ohio State wins anyways, IMO.

you won't hear any excuses from me trench. I may tell ya what I thought of the game. what I think we did right or wrong. but not excuses. crazy it was over 60 degrees yesterday. I cleaned windows that I could reach with windex and a cloth. and had on flip flops, a sleeveless tee shirt and shorts. meanwhile in arizona where the buckeyes are they had over a foot of snow nearby. just crazy.

Day said everyone is ready and healthy, so no excuses there. Yeah it was warm ole bud. I even seen a few of them stink bugs inside my back door. Seen a few nats as well. Crazy! But I'll take it over brutal coldness.

Go Ohio State! Gotta get through these guys some how. I hope LSU wins also so OSU/LSU crack heads for the NC. It should happen, but we will see soon for sure.

[Omega]

This may surprise people, and Clemson has obviously outplayed these rankings, primarily because of outstanding QB play IMO (and Ostarine anyone?), but look at the 4 playoff teams, plus PSU and Michigan, when it comes to top 100 ranked players signed in recruiting (according to 247 composite) during 2016 through 2019 (the primary makeup of the current rosters).

OSU - Top 100 Prospects Last Four Years: 35

LSU - Top 100 Prospects Last Four Years: 21

PSU - Top 100 Prospects Last Four Years: 16

Michigan - Top 100 Prospects Last Four Years: 15

Clemson - Top 100 Prospects Last Four Years: 13

OU -Top 100 Prospects Last Four Years: 12

The B10 has obviously underperformed overall for decades based on recruiting prospect numbers when talking Nat'l championships. It could be all the conservative play calling when it counts most. There have been very few gamblers in the B10 during my lifetime on the big stage or final game and it's becoming more pronounced to the national audiences here lately with 2 shutout blowouts and 2 non-appearances in the CFP the last 4 years for the B10. Maybe Day is different, we'll see here shortly.

FOS, there is indeed some unidentifiable difference between football in the Midwest versus the game in the South. I have been blessed to have attended many Big10, SEC, and ACC games over the years, and I have found the Southern product to be better and more fun to watch. As you point out, maybe Coach Day can lead the Buckeyes past the Midwest football stereotypes. In my estimation, OSU has over achieved all season, especially in statistical dominance over their opponents. Maybe the Bucks can replicate 2002 and 2014 and shock the world. I will be ecstatic if they do, but will not be bitterly disappointed if they do not as long as they give Clemson a fight.

[vladimir]

According to a wierd stat on TV, Clemson win 80% of games when they score first. The Buckeyes need a few big stops on defense and Chase Young will get into Clemson's QB head. Last time we met, Clemson D-line had JT Barrett running for his life and just manhandled the Buckeyes. I think the shoe will be on the other foot this time around.

[I-TownFanatic]

Let's go Bucks

Time to sack Trevor Lawrence's sexy a$$

[countywide35]

wht a run by dobbins,,,,straight at ya and plenty of speed there.....keep workin bucks

[Raider6309]

OSU was better but choked that away

[Poo Bear]

OSU was better but choked that away

Yep

Burrow would
Shred either team

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

Buckeyes lost this game because they played like the Dallas Cowboys, when they were in the red zone. Yes, the refs did not help but it should have never gotten to the point where they had a hand in it.

[Omega]

The telling stat from the game was that Ohio State had four trips to the red zone and only scored nine points. The Buckeyes had the opportunity to win in spite of the crucial targeting call and the reversals on the Dobbins touchdown pass and the scoop and score six. Clemson made the crucial plays when it mattered, the Buckeyes did not. All in all it was a exciting game to watch. Despite the outcome, it was a great game and great season.

[FANOSPORTS]

The telling stat from the game was that Ohio State had four trips to the red zone and only scored nine points. The Buckeyes had the opportunity to win in spite of the crucial targeting call and the reversals on the Dobbins touchdown pass and the scoop and score six. Clemson made the crucial plays when it mattered, the Buckeyes did not. All in all it was a exciting game to watch. Despite the outcome, it was a great game and great season.

Agree. Great game. My biggest takeaways in this game: Redzone defense by Clemson to keep them alive in the first half, Chase Young not a factor for 3rd straight game, Lawrence's running ability while both Higgins & Ross were either out or gimped up all night , Ohio States conservative play calling for 2 + qtrs. after the big lead early and finally the 94 yd. drive in 4 plays taking :46 seconds running and the dump pass by Lawrence to Etienne to seal the deal at games end to take the lead. Then and only then did OSU feel a sense of urgency to move the ball for the first time since the 1st qtr. without using & looking at clock time but it was too late. Why Olave cut off his post route at games end for the interception is beyond me because he had scored on that same 1 on 1 matchup with the safety earlier. Bottom line, a deep South team will win the championship for the 13th time in 14 years in 2 weeks. The B10, PAC12 & B12 better figure out what the aura is.

[VetteMan]

Inches, I could get on here and give all kinds of excuses and reasons as to why the Buckeyes did not win the game. When you get in the Red Zone 3 or 4 times, against a team like Clemson, you cannot afford to settle for field goals. Also when you have that opportunity, and are not able to take advantage of it, 90% of the time it will come back and bit you in the behind. There were also a few calls that did not go the Buckeyes way, but being a Buckeye fan, I'm always going to probably feel that way. I think the biggest disappointment of the day to me was when the Buckeyes had Clemson backed up to there 6yd line, with mayby a little over 3 min left in the game, and in 4 plays they went the length of the field and scored the go ahead touchdown. Plain and simple, they just didn't play well enough at times to come away with the win.

[TRENCHFOOT]

Not what I was hoping for, but hats off to Clemson on the win. Better football team than I thought. Just goes to show that thinking a teams schedule was weak is not an accurate gauge sometimes. Credit is very much due for Clemson. Going to be a jewel to see them go at it with LSU for the NC.

[Bleeding Red]

Disappointing game for sure. I agree with a lot of the comments above.
*red zone dropped TD passes came back to bite us
*Play calling got really conservative (ala Penn State and other games)
*Up temp was GUTTING Clemson's defense. Yet we went away from it for 2 quarters
*Had a chance to bury them 28-0 in the first half which would have played right into our defensive strength of pass defense and pass rush. Our backend on D was playing exceptional until Wade was ejected
*Cant let a team like Clemson hang around or they will figure out a way to make you pay

I will tell you that I was really impressed with how Fields and JK played the first half. The O line was owning Clemson's D line. Actually all game when they were up temp.

First half Coach Day was really outcoaching Dabo and Venables. They had no answer. The conservative play calling and penalties were the difference. OSU extended 4 Clemson drives that were 3rd and long and 4th down from penalties.

Very impressed with how Lawrence ran the ball when Clemson had no way of moving the ball on the OSU defense. He took some BIG shots and kept getting back up.

The game should have never came down to officiating, but I will say that was a sham of an overturn on that fumble returned for a TD. Day was clearly upset about it after the game. It was called a fumble on the field and they literally reviewed it for like 30 seconds and found "Indisputable evidence" that it was an incomplete pass in that small amount of time? BS.

Game should have been in hand at halftime with a big lead.

Coach Day I am sure learned a few hard lessons Saturday night. This team will be back next year and will be hungry. I think this lights a fire under Coach Day that we havent seen in a head coach at OSU for quite some time.

[Raider6309]

Once Day went away from Dobbins, Clemson was able to get back in the game. Clemson defense was so bad but OSU settled for field goals. OSU looked like they were the better team

[TRENCHFOOT]

Pulling like heck for an LSU win, but Clemson can be vicious in big games. They play well under big time pressure. I'm going with LSU by 16. GO LSU!!!!

[cbolt]

Glad to see there is not a lot of excuses about the officials losing the game for them on here. Shows we have true knowledgeable fans on this board. It makes me want to puke some of the whining I am seeing on other social media. There was one bad call that went against us and that was it. The targeting was absolutely the right call. I don't like the rule of throwing players out of the game but you simply cannot lower your helmet on a defenseless player like that even if he was ducking esp. a star QB. Now the fumble reversal was a different story. I actually thought the play itself could have gone either way because I am not sure he was making a "football move" being pushed backwards by the defender, even though he took some steps. I thought it was incomplete in live action. The refs on the field called it a fumble and that's where the big boo boo started when they reversed the call. That was a sham to reverse a call that close. It happens a lot in college and pros when they use this replay stuff, they still make the wrong calls and it drives me nuts! Even with that terrible decision the Bucks have nobody to blame but themselves. They had tons of chances to put them away. The roughing punter, Dobbins dropped screen was sure touchdown and also the other dropped or juggled ball for a TD he had. The last pass I don't think would have been completed to Olave anyway, Clemson got burned on the same route earlier and they were ready for it this time. The safety had good position, was zeroing in on Fields eyes and was ready to pounce on it. Might have been why Olave broke it off although he said in post game he thought Fields was scrambling that way. Oh well, it was a tough pill to swallow but at least they made it a game this time around. I bet Miami fans have been rejoicing since Saturday night after they thought they got screwed in the 2002 championship.

[Bleeding Red]

OSU slowing down offensively instead of continuing to gut Clemson's D with the up tempo offense was when it started to unravel. It gave Clemson a chance to adjust instead of pouring it on

[OHHS old timer]

I looked at that scoop 6 play at least a dozen times and I come to the same conclusion...

" After further review, the call on the field is CONFIRMED. Fumble...recovered by the defense resulting in a touchdown."

The receiver caught the ball and made a "football move", taking 3 steps. Okudah had his right arm between the receivers body and hands. He stripped the ball free.

The only thing, as a buddy told me today, was maybe in the view of the guy upstairs...the receiver did not have complete control of the ball. We looked again at lunch and that has to be why the call was reversed. Only thing else we could think of.

But as others have mentioned...it shouldn't have had to come to that. Buckeyes had the game..why they went conservative is beyond me.

Clemson won...hats off to them. Buckeyes gotta remember to keep your foot on the floorboard until there is no doubt about the victory.

[cbolt]

The head ref said after the game they did think it was moving. I didn't see it moving myself. I wish we could get a clarification on what a "football move" is. There are so many interpretations of the rule. I thought I heard somewhere the player has to be turned and moving up field before the steps are counted. That's why I said said that in my earlier post because that didn't happen as he was being pushed by the defender backwards and not moving up field. Maybe that's the rule for the NFL and college is different. I wish they would make all these rules uniform at all levels so it wouldn't be so dang confusing. Yesterday there was a play very similar in the Dallas vs Redskins game. Zeke Elliot of all people caught a pass in the flat about where the Clemson receiver would have been, defenders corralled him right after he caught the ball held him for a second or two then ripped the ball out and they recovered. The officials ruled no fumble saying his forward progress was stopped. The Redskins were not happy!