No. 3 Ohio State is bound for the College Football Playoff National Championship game after its 49-28 victory over No. 2 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.

The Buckeyes defense kept a lid on quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers offense, limiting Clemson to 444 yards of total offense, their third-lowest of the season.

Fifth-year senior linebacker Tuf Borland earned defensive MVP honors after his eight-tackle performance. There were several terrific performances on defense from start to finish, including an interception on what may have been Lawrence’s final game in a Clemson uniform.

RELATED: Buckeyes defense stifles Clemson after second quarter in defensive showcase

We take a look at each unit of the Buckeyes defense and compare them to that of all of college football, with a C grade representing average.

Although the box scores show just two sacks, the Buckeyes defensive line was very much present in the Sugar Bowl.

Without junior Tyler Friday and sophomore Zach Harrison, the Buckeyes defensive ends were lighter on depth. Jonathon Cooper (DE), Haskell Garrett (DT), Tyreke Smith (DE) and Tommy Togiai (DT) started against Clemson.

Clemson began averaging 8.8 yards per play after its first three possessions, and running back Travis Etienne ran three yards up the middle to score the Tigers’ second touchdown. Things slowed down rapidly.

Head coach Ryan Day said he thought the defensive line played awesome after holding the Tigers to 44 rushing yards, their second-fewest of the season, and ran for less than 22 yards in three of the four quarters.

Ohio State did an outstanding job limiting Lawrence from making quarterback runs, and he had -8 yards on the ground. The Tigers rushed for just four first-downs and averaged two yards per carry.

Early in the second quarter, Cooper and Smith pressured Lawrence on third down, forcing a bad throw to Etienne and resulting in a punt.

With 3:54 left in the third quarter, the Buckeyes defensive line blew up Clemson’s protection, and Smith and Togiai forced Lawrence to fumble. After review, the call stood and Ohio State took over.

Smith made a big tackle at the line of scrimmage near the end of the third quarter, and wrapped up Lawrence on fourth and eight mid-way through the fourth to give Ohio State possession. He finished with a tackle and pass breakup.

Early in the fourth quarter, Cooper sacked Lawrence and got his hand on the football, forcing the quarterback to fumble but the Tigers recovered. Cooper forced Lawrence to fumble again, this time about three minutes later and the Tigers recovered.

Garrett broke up a pass mid-way through the fourth quarter. He recorded one tackle but continued to pressure the pocket and Clemson to force a play.

Grade: A+

Baron Browning returned after he was deemed unavailable for the Big Ten Championship game.

Tuf Borland started the Sugar Bowl tasked with covering Etienne, and it didn't quite work out as the latter caught 37 yards on the opening drive and added 19 more alongside a rushing score on the third possession.

The fifth-year senior and captain recorded eight tackles, and his leadership earned him the game's MVP distinction on the defensive side of the ball.

On another Clemson third down, Pete Werner pressured Lawrence into overthrowing wide receiver Davis Allen down the middle. Werner came up big again when Clemson ended the first quarter with the football, recording two tackles and forcing the second Tigers three-and-out of the game.

Werner was called for a facemask early in the fourth quarter and a questionable blindside block during a punt. The facemask occurred early in a drive when Clemson scored its fourth touchdown. The senior had nine tackles to tie for the team lead, and also had a QB hit.

Justin Hilliard made a tackle for loss with less than five minutes left in the first half that set up third and long, and another Tigers punt followed. Hilliard also stopped Etienne for no gain as the third quarter ended. The Buckeyes captain recorded eight tackles, including one for loss, and a fumble recovery.

Clemson completed 12 passes of between three-and-nine yards. Buckeyes linebackers tallied three of the top-four tackle totals and contained the Tigers from advancing on dink-and-dunk plays.

Grade: B+

Ohio State was tasked with its most dynamic and talented passer to this point in its season, and Lawrence relied on throwing downfield to keep Clemson's drives going.

Sevyn Banks (CB), Josh Proctor (safety), Shaun Wade (CB) and Marcus Williamson (safety) started the game as Bryson Shaw and Lathan Ransom saw game time.

Clemson was faced with a third-and-five play early, and Lawrence found wide receiver Cornell Powell, who was covered by Banks, on a 27-yard pass that got them inside the Buckeyes 5-yard line. The Tigers followed with a rushing touchdown soon after.

Banks pressed tight coverage with about eight minutes to go in the third quarter to break up a potential touchdown throw to wide receiver E.J. Williams.

Williamson added three tackles and a pass breakup. On what may have been Lawrence’s final play in a Clemson uniform, the play went down as an interception. Williamson batted the football from the Tigers receiver in the end zone, and the ball landed in Banks’ hands to give Ohio State possession in the game's final 1:30.

Wade was near Powell during the latter’s 29-yard reception in the third quarter that later saw Powell score. Wade also had a pass interference penalty during Clemson’s fourth-quarter drive that later allowed Powell to catch his second touchdown of the game, where Wade slipped on the turf.

The junior defensive back made nine tackles to lead the Buckeyes and stop Clemson from continuing to move the ball.

Proctor nearly had an interception with 11:47 to go in the game, just slipping through his hands for the pass breakup.

Lawrence completed six passes of at least 23 yards, and six Tigers receivers caught at least 35 yards. Clemson converted more first downs via the pass than Ohio State, 17-15, and its 400-yards passing were the second-most allowed by the Buckeyes this season.

The Buckeyes secondary allowed space between themselves and Clemson receivers, but pressure up front forced Lawrence to make several errant- and over-throws. Lawrence completed 68.8% of his throws, fourth-fewest of this season.

Grade: C+

Ohio State got the defensive stops when it needed them most. When quarterback Justin Fields and the offense wasn't on the field, the Buckeyes defense worked quickly to get Lawrence and Clemson off it.

The Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage and made their presence known. They surrendered the second-most total yardage of the season, but forced four 3-and-outs and two turnovers that paved the way for the offense to score.

Clemson had to earn each one of its 28 points, and Ohio State came away with the confidence it can build on as it enters the national championship game against No. 1 Alabama on Jan. 11.

“Throughout the whole year, we’ve always had confidence in ourselves,” Borland said. “Some weeks we’ve put out a better outlook than other weeks.

“The character of this group of guys, staying confident, sticking together, and we got the win.”

Grade: A-