SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Nobody has forgotten what happened the last time Clemson and Ohio State played in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Playstation Fiesta Bowl.
Even players who were not even on the roster at the time.
No. 3 seed Clemson beat No. 2 seed Ohio State 31-0 en route to the national championship in 2016. Three years later, the teams enter their game Saturday with the same seeds, making for any easy storyline to watch leading into their matchup.
“The last time we played Clemson, they totally embarrassed Ohio State and the state of Ohio,” said Ohio State receiver Chris Olave, who was a junior in high school in 2016. “It was tough for us at that moment. We brought it up in the facility a couple of times, but we haven’t really talked about it. This is 2019 right now, and they’re still really good. We have to go out there and try to beat them.”
Both Ohio State and Clemson players and coaches point to the dramatic differences in the Buckeyes going into this game compared to 2016, starting with their offense.
“I feel like they’re a better team overall,” Clemson safety K’Von Wallace said. “I feel like they’re deep. They don’t have that one person that can just kill you. They’ve got multiple people that can kill you. You’ve got to be ready for everything they do. They don’t have a weakness. I feel like in ’16, they had a little bit of a weakness with some packages they were doing and we exploited it and that’s why we came out 31-0.
“But this year we have to bring it. We’re not looking for no shutout. We’re hoping we can keep it close in the fourth quarter and come out with the win.”
The addition of Justin Fields has made Ohio State dramatically improved, starting with their downfield passing game, which was essentially nonexistent the last time these teams played. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett threw for 127 yards in the 31-0 loss. Going into this game, Fields is averaging 227 yards passing per game.
Combine his ability to run, plus the dimension J.K. Dobbins brings to the running game, and Ohio State is a vastly improved team. Not to mention Ryan Day joining Ohio State as co-offensive coordinator in 2017 before taking over as head coach this year, changing the offense to make it more balanced.
“When you look back, they were more one-dimensional in 2016,” Clemson safety Tanner Muse said. “Now they’re so good at everything, run game, pass game, short game, long game, all of it. it’s tough.
“You’ve got to stop the run everything comes with the run so if you can stop the run and make teams one dimensional it helps you out a little bit but they’re so good at passing the ball, it’s tough to take one thing away.”
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables pointed to Ohio State’s success on third-down as a major difference as well. The Buckeyes lead the nation in third-down offense, converting 57 percent of the time.
Defensively, Ohio State is a different team across the board, too, with difference makers like Chase Young and Jeff Okudah leading the way. Whether that means there will be a different result remains to be seen.
“It’s two different teams,” Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette said. “Completely different players. They got us they got that one, but if they’re looking in the past, then that’s not going to be good for the future. There’s nothing we can do about that score but there’s something we can definitely do about it this Saturday.”