The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Finding success on the ground first comes with how well an offense can handle the defensive front of its opponent. For Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, getting to the second level of Clemson's defense is going to be essential to the Buckeyes moving the ball.
“Every team is going to have a weakness or a soft spot, and I feel like once you get past their defensive linemen it’s up to us to make plays,” Ohio State running back Mike Weber said.
Dabo Swinney's program saw nine players become draft picks this past spring, the second-most in the 2016 NFL Draft behind only Ohio State. Of those nine, only two played offense. Defensive end Shaq Lawson was the highest pick at No. 19 to the Buffalo Bills, while outside linebacker Kevin Dodd came off the board 14 picks later.
Like Ohio State, the Tigers reloaded and their 2016 defensive line rivals what Urban Meyer, Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes deploy in terms of depth and variable skill. Nose tackle Carlos Watkins, tackle Dexter Lawrence and ends Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins are the ringleaders, each with a different dominant trait that gives offenses fits. Combined, they have 23.5 sacks and 40.0 tackles for loss, outrageous numbers that belong in the conversation with Alabama and Ohio State's four starting defensive linemen for best in the nation.
| OPPONENT | ATTEMPTS | YARDS | TOUCHDOWNS |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ AUBURN | 41 | 87 | 1 |
| TROY | 33 | 141 | 1 |
| S. CAROLINA STATE | 32 | 48 | 0 |
| @ GEORGIA TECH | 38 | 95 | 1 |
| LOUISVILLE | 55 | 273 | 3 |
| @ BOSTON COLLEGE | 48 | 155 | 0 |
| N. CAROLINA STATE | 32 | 128 | 1 |
| @ FLORIDA STATE | 28 | 163 | 4 |
| SYRACUSE | 28 | 105 | 0 |
| PITTSBURGH | 33 | 156 | 1 |
| @ WAKE FOREST | 36 | 71 | 1 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | 29 | 111 | 0 |
| VIRGINIA TECH | 35 | 102 | 4 |
Defensive coordinator and Broyles Award winner Brent Venables is the crazy scientist behind Clemson's schemes and various blitz packages, of which you can read more about in Kyle Jones' Film Study earlier this week. Getting to the second level hasn't been easy for teams that played the Tigers this year. But like Weber said, should Ohio State get there, it is on players like him, Curtis Samuel and J.T. Barrett to then make plays.
“I think defensive line is really the heart and soul of the team,” Weber said. “They put the team on their back, and if we control their defensive line it could be a big game for us.”
“The truism is that they are gigantic,” Meyer added. “They are real big at the defensive end, 310 pounds, inside they are 310, 315, they are big, highly recruited athletes, you can see that.”
Clemson's defensive line hasn't been controlled in too many games this season. Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner and quarterback Lamar Jackson, Louisville tallied the highest rushing total against the Tigers this season with 273 yards on 55 attempts. The Cardinals found the end zone three times on the ground in that game, more a product of Jackson's brilliance than anything. He ran 31 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns in that game.
No other team eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark against Clemson this season. So it took a Heisman Trophy-winning and an extremely special player for it to happen. Unsurprisingly, that was one of the toughest victories the Tigers earned this season, a 42-36 decision that came down to the final possession.
On the flip side, there were only two games this season that Ohio State did not rush for more than 200 yards—the overtime win at Wisconsin and its lone loss of the season to Penn State a week later. The Buckeyes ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries against the Badgers and only 168 yards on 40 tries in the loss to the Nittany Lions.
Curtis Samuel ripped off a 74-yard touchdown run in that game too, so nearly half of Ohio State's rushing total that night came on one play. But the big boys up front got Samuel to the second level which allowed him to make a play. The group responsible for protecting Barrett and creating running lanes for him, Samuel and Weber struggled at different points during the regular season. It can't against Clemson.
“Just being consistent. At times we’re inconsistent, at times we are consistent. It’s not whether we’re physically able to do that,” center Pat Elflein said. “We just have to lock in and do that every play. But sometimes we look like the best O-line in the country and sometimes we look the opposite of that.”
Can these three find space to run against Clemson?
Doing that against Clemson will determine how well the Buckeyes can run the ball on New Year's Eve, something they love to do.
“I think Coach Meyer does a good job of calling the right plays, and Coach [Ed] Warinner and Coach Tim Beck. And getting me more downhill and just getting contact after yards. The little stuff,” Weber said. “J.T. is a good runner. Curtis is really good. And me on top of that, it’s kind of hard to stop.”
Not many teams have been able to stop it this season. The chess match between Clemson's deep defensive front and how Venables deploys run blitzes and other pieces to his unit against Greg Studrawa's offensive line, Warinner, Meyer and Beck's running play calls to create space for talented runners like Barrett, Samuel and Weber could decide the game.
“We did all the stats against the teams they are supposed to beat and then the big games, and they are No. 1 in interceptions and tackles for loss,” Meyer said. “So those kind of defenses create major issues, but every once in a while one will be given up.”
“They’re hard to move. Physical. They plug the holes up,” Weber added. “I feel like if we get a good game plan and good blocking schemes that we can block them.”
