Ohio State right guard Wyatt Davis didn’t shy away from admitting it on Monday: The Buckeyes have been hearing what people are saying about them in the days leading up to this week’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson.
“Clearly what we’ve seen all week and I’m sure all of you have seen this week, we’re going into this game not respected at all,” Davis said. “So that adds a lot of motivation.”
Davis didn’t directly reference Dabo Swinney in his comments, and while Swinney ranking Ohio State 11th and saying he didn’t think Ohio State belonged in the CFP has dominated the headlines, that’s far from the only bulletin-board material available to the Buckeyes. Ohio State is going into this game as an underdog – as of Monday, Clemson was favored to win the game by 7.5 points at most sportsbooks – and you don’t have to look hard to find predictions that the Tigers will win big.
When Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson was asked directly about what Swinney said, though, he made it clear that the Clemson coach’s comments did not go unnoticed by the Buckeyes.
“We definitely heard about it, so I’m not going to sit here and say we didn’t hear about it and we didn’t react to it,” Wilson said. “But with us, it was just fuel to our fire. We had a good week of practice so far. And I think that he kind of fueled it a little bit. So it’s been a lot easier to go out there and put the work in and know that we’re preparing for Clemson.”
Other Buckeyes, like tight end Luke Farrell and running back Trey Sermon, said they’re not wasting much energy thinking about what Swinney or others are saying about their team.
“Obviously we’re gonna see that kind of stuff, but I mean, we’re really just trying not to let it affect our preparation for this game,” Farrell said. “We know what we’re capable of, so that’s all that matters, and what matters is winning this game, so that’s all we’re focused on.”
Added Sermon: “We’re not really focusing on it. We’re well aware of it, but our mindset is just to continue to practice and get better and be ready come Friday.”
Truthfully, Ohio State shouldn’t need any additional fuel to be motivated to play its best this week. After all, this is the game the Buckeyes have wanted all year long after they lost to Clemson in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinals – Davis said Wednesday that Ohio State “had a whole winter/offseason program dedicated to this game” – and the combination of the chance to play for a national championship, along with the way last year’s game ended, should be all the Buckeyes need to push them to give everything they have this week.
“This is exactly where we wanted to be,” said Ohio State center Josh Myers. “It’s no secret that we wanted to win that game really badly last year, and it was extremely rough the way that we left that field, so yeah, it’s definitely good to be back in this position, and this is where we wanted to be, and thank God we’re here after the crazy year we’ve had. And I think we’re just excited to get another shot at them.”
Ryan Day has chosen not to respond directly to Swinney’s comments when asked about them, preferring to praise his players for what they’ve done to get to this point rather than engage in a war of words. He believes the primary motive for his Buckeyes should be to make good on all the work they’ve put in all year long to give themselves a chance to compete for a title.
“I really would love for these guys to have something at the end of the season, a big ring to show for everything they've done because they've sacrificed so much,” Day said. “That's really the story to me.”
Clemson wants to end its season with national championship rings, too, so the Tigers aren’t worried about the Buckeyes wanting to win any more than them.
“When you have an opportunity to play in a game like this, you shouldn’t have to need any extra fuel or motivation,” Clemson safety Nolan Turner said. “Postseason play against another top team in the country, doesn’t get any better than this, so that’s all the motivation I need.”
That said, it’s only human for criticism and a lack of belief from others to drive someone – especially a high-level athlete – to want to prove those critics and doubters wrong, and based on comments like those from Davis and Wilson, that appears to be the way many Buckeyes are responding.
Whether that will actually make a difference in how Friday’s game plays out is uncertain, but if Day and his staff believe it can give the Buckeyes any extra edge at all, there’s little doubt they’ll continue to remind their players about what Swinney and others have said about them.
