We have started talking about this match-up already in the Tale of the Tape and will continue later today with the second installment but we are looking at this upcoming game from an Ohio State side of things.
Obviously we have watched all 13 Ohio State games and know more than a thing or two about the Buckeyes but how much do we really know about the 13 games that the Clemson Tigers have played.
Yes, most of the games are available to find on the internet if you know where to look but even watching all 13 of those games won't make us an expert on Ohio State's next opponent.
No, for that we turn to someone who truly is an expert on the Clemson Tigers by going to Cris Ard of TigerIllustrated.com to get his perspective of this game as we are just a little bit more than 24 hours away from kickoff. How does he see this game shaping up? What should we be looking out for? What is his pick? We get all of that information as we head behind enemy lines once again.
BuckeyeGrove: What changed for Clemson as the season went on? The turnover numbers dropped, the margins of victory grew and the Tigers went on to become one of the most dominating teams in the nation. Are there a few tangible changes or is it more of a case of a team just working out the kinks?
Cris Ard: Clemson has played very well all season with little resistance from its schedule, outside of the North Carolina game in the final weekend of September. Texas A&M did hold an early 3-0 lead in the second quarter in Death Valley, but couldn't do anything against Clemson's front-line personnel past the one-minute mark in the second quarter. Clemson got an initial punch from UNC when Dyami Brown successfully pulled off a double move out of his break. UNC, at home, had a great plan and was able to slow the the Tigers down. Clemson had just 61 offensive plays in the game, well below its season average of 73 per contest. That UNC played inspired football was not a surprise. What surprised me most was an obvious sub-par performance from Travis Etienne and a much better than anticipated showing from UNC's banged up offensive line, which was a serious concern for the Tar Heels going in.
No matter how good a team is, it's very difficult to play at optimum levels for 13 straight games. It's possible. It happens. It's just very rare that it happens. Regardless of how talented a team is, there are a lot of players involved, players who touch the football, you have an offense that takes risks and you have turnovers. It's going to happen. When it does, if you're a great team, you're usually in a position to overcome it.
I think every team has a period of adjustment. Trevor Lawrence, in terms of what he's being asked to do this season, has gone through that period of adjustment. Fortunately for Clemson, it was in the front end of the schedule because he has not thrown an interception since the first half of the Louisville game on October 19.
It's a big deal to beat Clemson now. It's a big deal because this is a team that has lost just four games over the last half decade. During that stretch it has gone to five consecutive CFPs and won two national titles. So if it endures a closer-than-expected outcome, particularly against an unranked opponent, it's going to draw headlines and there will be more discussion about Clemson and "what's wrong with Clemson" versus the other team, its accomplishments and how it was able to successfully compete in a game most people thought would be a blowout. That's just football.
