What ‘weighed heavy’ on Ohio State before it got revenge against Clemson
In the run-up to their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup Friday, a fair portion of the pregame chatter between Clemson and Ohio State was focused on Tigers coach Dabo Swinney’s controversial choice to rank the Buckeyes No. 11 in his final coaches Top 25 ballot.
And when Ohio State proceeded to thoroughly dominate Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, 49-28, social media was ablaze with Buckeye fans gloating. Even the team’s official Twitter account got in on it.
At least publicly, however, OSU coaches and players mostly declined to say whether Swinney’s No. 11 ranking was a major motivation in their preparation.
“I’m not even going to comment on that. I’m just glad we won,” quarterback Justin Fields told ESPN.
Meanwhile, center Josh Myers said that outside comments and perceived snubs can add a little extra fuel to the team’s fire, but he didn’t dive into too many specifics.
“It’s really important to be gracious in victory and in defeat. That’s a good football team, respect to them,” Myers said. “That just gives us extra motivation, extra ways that we can get our guys going, get our guys pumped about this game.”
There was one thing that played a key role in pushing Ohio State though, the Buckeyes said. Clemson’s 29-23 victory over OSU in last year’s Fiesta Bowl to advance to the national championship game. That result “weighed heavily” on the team, coach Ryan Day said.
“Because of the way it all played out, because it was Clemson, just like we played them last year, I think that added flavor to it,” Day said. “And a lot of guys left that field (last season) feeling like they let one get away. And in life, you don’t typically get an opportunity to have a second chance, and you can’t miss the second time.”
It was a sentiment shared by Fields, who pointed to last year’s defeat as a core component of his motivation this season.
“I just think everybody doubting us just pushed us a little more, and like I said earlier in the week, I prepared for this game like I’ve never prepared for a game before,” Fields said. “So I think that showed on the field, and I’m just proud of my brothers, proud of my teammates and proud of the way they played.”
In the 2020 Fiesta Bowl, Fields was haunted by a late interception that sealed the game for Clemson, but he also pointed to a targeting call against Ohio State as the key difference in the game. This year, it was Clemson who lost linebacker James Skalski to ejection for a targeting penalty. But Fields, who was on the receiving end of Skalski’s hit, said he didn’t think that was the moment that changed the game..
“I don’t think this game really had that turning point,” Fields said. “I guess early on, we were both kind of scoring, going back and forth, but I think just our relentlessness throughout the whole game, I think that’s what pushed us through.”
And when the final seconds ticked away and the Buckeyes came out on top, finally winning a year to the day after that last disappointing defeat seemed to mean more to OSU than revenge for Swinney’s personal rankings.
“To come full circle against a great team in Clemson (and) Trevor Lawrence, one of the best quarterbacks to play in the history of college football, and against a great program, to come back and win after last year, with all the trials and tribulations we’ve been through in the last 12 months, just couldn’t be happier for this team,” Day said.
As for any bad blood between Day and Swinney, the Ohio State coach gave no indication that their postgame handshake was anything but cordial.
“Dabo’s never been anything but professional to me. He just said, ‘Great game, now go win it all,’” Day said.
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 3:15 AM.
