NEW ORLEANS – During Ohio State’s fight in the 2014 season to the national championship, Ezekiel Elliott took his game to new heights by 220 yards in the Big Ten Championship Game, 230 yards in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Sugar Bowl and 246 yards in the national championship game.
In the last two games of the state of Ohio to get the Buckeyes into the national championship game this season, Trey Sermon has taken his game to similar greatness equipment.
After rushing 331 yards against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game two weeks ago, Sermon followed it up by chasing 193 yards and hitting an attack on 31 and adding four catches for 61 yards in the win of 49-28 Friday night. over Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl.
After a quiet start to the season for Sermon, the transfer of graduates to Oklahoma is a legal star in the most important games of the year, and he certainly made a big impression on his head coach.
‘The last two games he has been excellent. He made a difference, ‘said Ryan Day. “He really was not early. I think he kind of found his way. But wow, I mean, whether it’s in the pass now, whether it’s protected now and that he’s of course running football, he was special. ”
Sermon says he has become “extraordinarily comfortable” over time because he has now played seven games in the offense in the state of Ohio.
“Just getting used to the flow of the offense and actually just getting on with the offensive line, I feel every week that I’m getting better at it,” Sermon said. “I know what I’m doing. I trust my ability. And I just let the game come to me and am just crucial. ”
Olave gets his salvation
There was perhaps no player who was hungry to win Friday night over Clemson, as Chris Olave, wide receiver from Ohio State, whose mistake in the last minute of the CFP semifinal against Clemson last year led to Nolan Turner’s match sealing. intercepted what ended the season of the state of Ohio.
In this year’s game against Clemson, Olave achieved redemption and played a key role in the Buckeyes’ 21-point victory, as he led Ohio State with six receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
After Olave tested positive for COVID-19 before the Big Ten Championship match, there was doubt as to whether he would be able to play in this week’s match, especially before the Big Ten changed its return-to-play protocol from 21 to 17. days. He could not practice much before Friday’s game. But just as he did in his three years in Ohio State in very big games, Olave got the opportunity against the Tigers to re-establish himself as the No. 1 receiver of the state in Ohio after being clearly missed against Northwestern .
“We were very nervous, when we went down with COVID, we would not get him back,” Day said. “He practiced, not really practiced. So it was a bit dark to go into the week, but by the end of the week, he started to get his legs back under him, and then he plays out like he’s playing in a big place.
‘One of the more couplers, I think, as a receiver in perhaps the history of Ohio State football when you think back on it. Wow, what a player is he? ‘
The chance to return to the CFP and make up for his season finale last year has served Olave as fuel all season long, and to make it happen on Friday, all the hard work in a challenging year is worth it. made.
“It was a difficult year. “But I just had to fight through adversity, and luckily I finally came out and had a great game today,” said Olave. “I’m just blessed and proud to be here to beat these guys and to have fun with my teammates.”
Chris Olave had reason to smile after being relieved against Clemson.
Three tassel pieces
The story that the state of Ohio did not use its tight end in the passing game, just as much as it could or should, was all-encompassing that had surrounded the Buckeyes for years. On Friday, however, Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert had a moment to shine on the biggest stage.
Farrell scored for the second time in Ohio State of the evening when he hit a pass from Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick for an 8-yard touchdown run. Ruckert scored Ohio State’s third and fifth touchdowns of the night, both in the second quarter, at passes of 17 and 12 yards.
Their three tackles matched the total number of deliveries the Ohio State mainland has had all season so far before Friday’s game, as Ruckert had three shots off in the Buckeyes’ first six games, while Farrell had none. Throughout the year, however, Farrell and Ruckert never complained about just doing their job and functioning as runners – for which they were excellent by the way – and on Friday they were rewarded with the opportunity to make great plays in a great game.
“Everything is week to week. “Coach Day is one of the best I’ve ever seen by just using defense and making sure he finds the open game,” said Ruckert. “Our tight end could always be a group to rely on whether it’s in the running game or to be able to play, and I think you saw it today that there’s no moment too big for us.”
Luke Farrell recorded his first attack of the entire season against Clemson.
Justin Fields was pleased to have had the opportunity to throw some important passes in their own way – five in total, as Ruckert had three catches for 55 yards and Farrell had two catches for 11 yards – Friday night – and admitted that he has not always done a good enough job in previous games to find it when it’s open.
“I think I missed a lot through a lot of plays all year,” Fields said. ‘So it was just going back to the basics and seeing the plays they were open to and using those guys. These are two of the best fixed points in the country, and I’m just glad we finally got to use them. ”
Defense steps up after shaky start
There were quite a few questions that led to Friday’s game whether the Ohio State defense could do the job against Trevor Lawrence and Clemson’s offense, and it appears the concerns were confirmed early on. The Tigers recorded two of their first three possessions of the game, with 82 yards on their first innings and 75 yards on their third innings.
From that point on, however, the state of Ohio allowed only two touchdowns on another 10 Clemson possessions. The Buckeyes forced three straight points after Clemson’s second round of the game, came up with two takeaways (a Justin Hilliard fumble recovery on a Tommy Togiai strip and an interception from Sevyn Banks) in the second half and also forced a turnover in the fourth discount. term.
Ohio’s defensive defense certainly still took its lumps against the Tigers, causing Lawrence to throw 400 yards. But the Buckeyes defense was dominant and kept Clemson at just 44 yards, and most importantly, they did what they had to do to limit the Tigers’ score in the last three quarters, which ultimately enabled the state of Ohio set the game.
The Buckeyes knew that Clemson’s offense would make plays on Friday, and that it would not be realistic to shut down or never give up plays. But the defense is responding as needed for the state of Ohio to still win the game with a comfortable victory.
“Look, we knew Clemson was one of the best offenders in the country,” Ohio linebacker Tuf Borland said. “We could not come down to ourselves. We could not lose confidence in what we were doing. And through this whole process, I think these guys show the character of this group to bounce back just like that. ‘
Day said he thinks Ohio State defense coaches put together an “excellent” game plan, and he is proud of the way the players performed.
“We knew they were going to make plays. However, we got stuck, “said Day. “We did not struggle when they got some touch points. We just kept going afterwards. Was it perfect? I do not know. But it was courageous. And they played really well. And we played complementary football tonight.
‘I thought our defense did a good job, and they did not give up the play. They keep it up. They kept going for another play, another play, another play. And that’s the idea. I think we learned our lesson from the Indiana game there. And so we could play as we did and finish the game as it should be. ”