NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The numbers have driven the state of Ohio throughout the year.
There 29-23, the score of last season’s painful playoff loss to Clemson.
Sixth, the number of games the Buckeyes played this pandemic season, which many felt were too few to deserve a playoff back to school.
Then there’s number 11, where Clemson’s coach, Dabo Swinney, placed the state of Ohio in his poll in the last regular-season coaching poll.
In a rematch with the Swinney Tigers at the Sugar Bowl, Justin Fields and the Buckeyes had Clemson’s number.
Fields threw six landing passes to eclipse Trevor Lawrence, and the No. 3 Ohio State buried the Tigers 49-28 in position in the Sugar Bowl semi-finals on Friday night.
“Everyone who doubts us pushed us a little bit more,” Fields said.
The Buckeyes (7-0) head to the game by the name of the PSC for the first time since the opening playoffs to face No. 1 alabama on January 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida. The state of Ohio beat Crimson Tide in the semi-finals. at the 2014 national championship.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day called it a game for the show.
“I think this performance, not only from Justin, but also from this team, will remain in Ohio State history as a historic game,” Day said. “Because we have to keep winning the national championship. But there have been many difficult days, many difficult days over the last six months.
In a clash between Georgia prodigy quarterbacks, Fields may have given the Jacksonville Jaguars something to think about with that first-round pick in the NFL draft. Lawrence is the presumed No. 1, but Fields surpassed him that night with 22 28-to-385-yard records. He set a Sugar Bowl record for TD passes and made him play more than part of the game after making a vicious shot to the side that forced him to miss a game and spend time in the medical tent.
Lawrence finished 33rd out of 48 for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns in total in what is expected to be the best game in high school.
“We were sure of ourselves and prepared,” he said. It’s just one of those nights. “
Lawrence’s last pass was intercepted, but Clemson (10-2) finished 34-2 in his openings and gained a national name when he was just leaving.
The third playoff game between Clemson and Ohio State and the fourth bowl game since the 2013 season, all of Clemson’s victories, a game the Buckeyes had been playing since the 29-23 defeat at the Fiesta Bowl last year.
That score was the Buckeyes’ shot at Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus last year.
A chance of revenge almost derailed when the Big Ten canceled fall football in August due to the pandemic. An abbreviated season of Big Ten caused more headaches, and the Buckeyes had three games canceled due to COVID-19 problems, adding their own epidemic.
The playoff committee still enjoyed the state of Ohio enough to put the Buckeyes in the last four, despite many complaints from parts of the country, adding Clemson.
Day has been talking all week about the remarkable story that it would be for the Buckeyes to spend the roller coaster season while achieving their goal.
“It’s a moving season,” Day said, “and to come back and have a chance to play Clemson and win like we did: incredible.
Clemson took a 14-7 lead in the first quarter with Lawrence and Travis Etienne in the race for scores.
From there, all buckeyes. Fields threw landing passes at closed wings Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert to give Ohio State a 21-14 lead at the beginning of the second.
Operating without offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, who did not take the vacation while at COVID-19, Clemson’s offense may simply not respond. The Buckeyes continued to ride Fields, but not without wonderful fear.
Fields ran in a third and long and fired hard to the right of Clemson supporter James Skalski, who put the Buckeyes star in the fetal position before rolling on his back in apparent pain.
The game was thought of as a aiming error that resulted in the expulsion of Clemson’s most sensible supporter and a first purpose for the Buckeyes.
Fields left to play and returned to throw a 9-yard landing pass to Chris Olave that took the score to 28-14.
“My body is quite defeated, but I’m happy,” Fields said. “I know I’ll feel it tomorrow, but I value it. “
Fields went to the injury tent with Ohio State medical staff at Clemson’s next possession. He later said he had won an injection for pain, but that it still hurt after almost every single pitch.
He just returned to the Buckeyes’ next walk. Fields moved cautiously, but with Trey Sermon running hard and the line providing smart protection, Fields continued to cut the Tigers.
He hit Ruckert for a distance of 12 yards with seconds to play in the middle.
A year after giving Clemson a 16-0 lead in the first half, the Buckeyes passed the Tigers their half-time deficit (21) from the 2012 Orange Bowl to West Virginia (29 points).
Part of the moment began with Clemson seeming to have some other return to the store. The camps intercepted in the Tigers’ finish zone and Lawrence returned with a landing pass.
Nerve time for the Buckeyes? Not for long. Fields dropped a perfectly placed bomb at Olave for a 56-yard landing pass that put the score 42-21 with 4:55 for playing in the third quarter.
“They were amazing, ” said Swinney. ” They probably ruled the coup line. You can’t win matches like this if you can’t avoid the race and the big games. “
THE WAY
Ohio State: Sermon followed his 331-yard school record in the Big Ten championship game with 193 on the court and 61 more. The Oklahoma movement is enjoying a season-ending escape from Ezekiel Elliott in 2014.
Clemson: Swinney complained about Ohio State’s six-game schedule, saying he could even give the Buckeyes an unfair advantage in the playoffs. Yes, he said the Buckeyes were smart enough to beat the Tigers, but he still placed Ohio State 11th in the poll. Swinney says it was nothing personal, but the Buckeyes seemed to take it that way.
“No, I don’t do any of this and the ballot has nothing to do with motivation,” Swinney said.
Only a few thousand enthusiasts were allowed in the Superdome due to COVID-19 restrictions. Another thousand or two people in the Buckeyes looked mockingly chanted “Daaa-boooo!Daaa-boooo!” Clemson’s season.
Gone
The Buckeyes did not feature Master Teague, second lead goalkeeper Harry Miller, and two defensive volleys for Tyler Friday and Zach Harrison. The state of Ohio gave the main points of their absences, but all four had played in the Big Ten championship two weeks ago. .
Following
Ohio State: The Buckeyes will make their moment in the Playoff college football championship game. They beat Oregon to win the 2014 national title.
Clemson: The Tigers will open next season with a dozen games outside georgia’s Charlotte conference.
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