5 things we learned from Clemson’s Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State
Clemson’s season came to a sudden end Friday night against Ohio State as the Buckeyes dominated on both sides of the ball in a 49-28 playoff victory over the Tigers.
Clemson now has a long offseason to evaluate what went wrong before the Tigers open the 2021 season against Georgia on Sept. 4 in Charlotte.
Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s season-ending loss:
Offensive line play must improve
Trevor Lawrence was sacked just twice against Ohio State, but he was running for his life on several other occasions. There were several instances when Lawrence was throwing off his back foot or while he was on the run, and it led to incompletions when there were open receivers.
Then there’s the running game, which produced only 44 yards on 22 carries. Ohio State has an elite offensive line that kept Justin Fields protected and helped the Buckeyes accumulate 254 yards on the ground. Clemson finished the season averaging 153.8 yards per game, its lowest mark since 2014.
Depth is lacking in Clemson secondary
Nolan Turner missed the first half Friday to serve a suspension for targeting during the the ACC championship game, and Clemson’s secondary looked lost without him. The Tigers allowed 394 yards of offense in the first half against the Buckeyes, with 223 of those coming through the air. Cornerback Derion Kendrick had his share of struggles, while safeties Joseph Charleston and Lannden Zanders were also reasons for the Buckeyes hitting on some big plays. OSU had five pass plays of 30 or more yards against Clemson.
It wasn’t much better for the Tigers in the second half, even with Turner. Freshman safety Tyler Venables played some critical snaps, and it’s not ideal if you’re having to rely on a true freshman former high school quarterback to play meaningful snaps in a playoff game.
Cornell Powell helped his NFL Draft stock
The senior wideout continued his incredible second half of the year, leading all receivers in the game with eight catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Powell found himself matched up with Ohio State’s top cornerback Shaun Wade on several occasions and consistently got the best of Wade.
Powell finished the year with 53 catches for 882 yards and seven touchdowns. He had 39 catches for 730 yards and five touchdowns over the final six games of the year.
Clemson tight ends didn’t make the leap many expected
The Tigers were expected to be much more dynamic at tight end this season with Braden Galloway and Davis Allen. While there was some improvement, it wasn’t a huge jump. Galloway finished the year with 27 catches for 369 yards, while Allen added 16 catches for 247 yards. They were regularly a part of Clemson’s offense, but not a huge part.
On top of that, Galloway in particular struggled at times blocking. Some observers thought Galloway and Allen were being saved for when Clemson really needed them in the postseason. But they combined for only four catches against Ohio State.
Buckeyes are closing in on Clemson and Alabama
Ohio State was clearly the better team on Friday, and the Buckeyes are closing in on the Clemson and Alabama programs at the top of the college football landscape right now. For the past five years it has been Clemson and Alabama at the top, and then a large gap. The Tigers and Crimson Tide have combined to win four of the past five national titles.
But Ohio State is recruiting as well as anyone right now, has reached the playoff in back-to-back years, barely lost to Clemson a season ago and dominated the Tigers in the latest Sugar Bowl. If Ohio State can beat Alabama in the national title game, the Buckeyes will have the same number of national titles as Alabama and Clemson over the last seven years. OSU doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon.
