NEW ORLEANS -- The Buckeyes were given their dose of reality early in the Sugar Bowl, and had to work with their backs against the wall after opening kickoff.
Trevor Lawrence and Clemson came out firing on all cylinders in the game's first drive. The Tigers got up 7-0 early after an eight-play, 82-yard drive capped by Lawrence running into the end zone.
It wouldn't be too often the Tigers made the trip to pay dirt thereafter.
"We just played our game, did our job and hung in there," fifth-year senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett said. "We just had to settle down and get those guys boxed in and not get on the edge, keep leverage.”
Lawrence pounded the sidelines during the Tigers first drive, completing four passes for 72 yards.
After a three-and-out, Clemson completed all four pass attempts and drove 75 yards that followed with a 3-yard touchdown by running back Travis Etienne. Clemson was up 14-7.
Head coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes didn't start out great, but found a bit of a rhythm amid the anxiety.
"The defense started getting some stops," Day said. "We started to feel like maybe we got a chance to really roll in this game."
Ohio State stifled Clemson in the second quarter, forcing the Tigers to punt on back-to-back three-and-outs.
Lawrence was held to just 18 passing yards in the second quarter and completed only three passes. The Tigers were muzzled for 34 yards of total offense in the second quarter upon the break.
“I thought the game plan was excellent by our defensive staff," Day said. "We knew they were going to make plays; we stuck together, though. We didn’t flinch when they got a couple touchdowns.
"We just kept going after them. It was gutsy."
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Day said he felt the Buckeyes defense learned their lesson after the game against then-No. 9 Indiana on Nov. 21. Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. exposed weaknesses in Ohio State's defense following his 491-yard, five-touchdown performance.
Over five weeks later, the Buckeyes improved in several facets and limited Clemson.
"We couldn’t get down, lose confidence in what we were doing," fifth-year senior and three-time captain linebacker Tuf Borland said. "Throughout this whole process, I think that just shows the character of this group."
Etienne was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and rushed for 882 yards entering the Sugar Bowl, fifth-most in the ACC.
In last season's Fiesta Bowl, Etienne wasn't a factor as much on the ground as he was through the air. It was the same story, but to a lesser extent, on Friday night as he caught 64 yards and added 32 on the ground, including his score.
"We had to contain Etienne and Trevor," Garrett said. "Those dudes are great players and great playmakers for that team. They showed it on certain downs, like, Trevor can run the ball and Etienne is fast and elusive."
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Clemson averaged only two yards per carry against Ohio State and converted just four first downs via rushing.
Lawrence battled through the air, however. The potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft threw 400 yards and converted 17 first downs through the air - two more than the Buckeyes.
Borland said the Tigers had two of the best players in the country on offense, and Ohio State had to keep them away from punching their ticket in the red zone.
“Clemson is gonna get yards on anyone in the country," Borland said. "They got talent all over the place. What we couldn’t do was give up touchdowns in the red zone. We played complimentary football for the most part.”
Ohio State did an exceptional job limiting the quarterback run, which was something that plagued the Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Buckeyes also forced Lawrence to fumble three times, and luckily for the Tigers they only lost one. Fifth-year defensive end and captain Jonathon Cooper stripped Lawrence once and added a sack in several plays he thought were "crazy."
"All in that moment, all I was thinking was ‘I’m doing this for my brothers, I’m doing this for my team,’" Cooper said. "I celebrated with Haskell. That just meant the world to me that I was out there with my brothers playing this game. I wasn’t able to do that last year.”
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The Buckeyes now look toward the national championship on Jan. 11. They'll be faced with a challenge in No. 1 Alabama, which has the fifth-best offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 543.9 yards per game.
Cooper said the Crimson Tide has played dominant much like Clemson did, but his confidence isn't swayed.
“I feel like all of our players, we play with a chip on our shoulder," Cooper said. "We just have to go into there with the same mentality. I trust the players we got here, I trust this team.
"I know we’ll get the job done.”
