It’s certainly not the bowl game (or the ACC opponent) they were hoping for, but can Ohio State take down Tajh Boyd and the Clemson Tigers?
Jan. 3, 8:30pm EST, ESPN
When Clemson Has The Ball
Senior quarterback Tajh Boyd is a dual-threat who completed 67.6% of his passes but rushed for just 273 yards, a big drop-off from his 514 yards in 2012. The Tigers lost a lot of talent to the NFL after last season, but new players stepped up nicely. Roderick McDowell is just 44 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark, having replaced Andre Ellington as the primary rusher. Receiver DeAndre Hopkins departed as well, but the duo of Sammy Watkins (1,237 yards, 10TDs) and Martavis Bryant (800 yards, five TDs) have done a nice job in that department. In fact, the entire receiving corps has stepped up- thirteen different players have at least one receiving TD this season. Boyd has thrown 29 TDs, but he does have nine picks to go along with them. One thing to keep an eye on in this game will be whether the offensive line can stand up to Ohio State’s pass rush and any blitzing they do. Boyd has been sacked a whopping 33 times, and the Buckeyes are tied for the fifth-most sacks in the country with 40.
Ohio State ranks 30th in total defense, but a much more Ohio State-like sixth against the run. Sophomore defensive end Noah Spence, one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school, did not travel to Miami with the team; ESPN is reporting that Spence has been suspended three games, starting with the Orange Bowl, by the Big Ten for breaking an unspecified conference rule. Spence has eight sacks, and the Buckeyes will definitely miss him. Of the guys who are expected to play, linebacker Ryan Shazier is someone to watch, and when the Tigers go to the air, keep an eye on safety C.J. Barnett and cornerback Bradley Roby, each of whom has three picks on the year. However, the Tigers’ passing game has a good chance to be successful when you consider that Ohio State ranks 103rd in the country in passing yards allowed with nearly 260 per game.
When Ohio State Has The Ball
Woody Hayes would be proud of (some of) the Buckeyes’ stats this season: 91st in passing yards per game, but 3rd in rushing yards per game and points allowed. Braxton Miller is the rare quarterback who has both passed and rushed for over 1,000 yards this season and was responsible for 32 TDs (22 passing, 10 rushing). Keep in mind, Miller only played 10 full games due to an injury suffered in early September. Carlos Hyde is among the best backs in the country, with 1,408 yards and 14 TDs despite missing the team’s first three games. As for the passing game, nine different players have caught a TD. Philly Brown and Devin Smith are tied for the team lead in yardage with 655, and have 10 and eight TDs respectively. Miller and his backup, Kenny Guiton, were sacked a total of seventeen times.
Clemson’s defense ranks 23rd overall, 51st against the run, and 16th in passing yards allowed. Not quite the disparity of the Buckeyes’ defense, but a significant difference nonetheless. The Tigers have a healthy 33 sacks or opposing quarterbacks, 12 of them coming from junior defensive end Vic Beasley- and Beasley is the only member of Clemson’s front seven who wasn’t a starter in 2012. They should be able to contain Hyde fairly well and force Miller to take more on his shoulders, whether throwing or running. The secondary is much improved from last season.
Prediction:
This is the toughest bowl game I’ve picked yet. Ohio State was so dominant most of the season, yet they allowed 35 points to a four-win Illinois team, and nearly lost to very average Michigan team. Tajh Boyd is an experienced quarterback leading an experienced offense, and ultimately I don’t trust a very inconsistent Buckeye defense to stop them. Clemson 31, Ohio State 23
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