SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Ohio State offense will look to crack a code that its 2016 counterpart could not.

Three years ago, an Urban Meyer offense led by J.T. Barrett was unable to find a point against Brent Venables and his Clemson defense. Now in Ohio State’s first return to the Fiesta Bowl since that fateful 31-0 defeat, Ryan Day and Justin Fields will look to avenge the last Ohio State team to make the playoff.

“I think with coach Day being here, it is a little different deal now,” Kevin Wilson said. “No disrespect. It was coach Meyer's staff at the time. We've had some changes, new defensive coaches. coach Day, a new head coach. Myself and coach Day, coach [Greg] Mattison, coach [Jeff] Hafley, we all go back to the game, because we saw it from afar. It is more about this team competing and preparing to play a great Clemson team.”

Since the loss against Clemson, the Buckeyes hold a 38-3 record with none of the three losses coming with Day in command. Clemson has gone on to a 41-2 record since defeating the Buckeyes in the desert. Along that stretch, the Tigers have also secured two National Championships.

While both teams have followed successful trajectories since their last matchup, the teams have done it in different ways.

Ohio State has rehauled their coaching staff and the offense has evolved since the last meeting to get back in the championship conversation, while Clemson has retained its coaching staff, most importantly Venables on the defense, to maintain its place as a premier program.

“I think Brent [Venables] has a great feel for the game, great feel for defense, great feel for gameday and he puts his guys in great situations,” Wilson said.

It was the Venables-led defense that was able to stifle Barrett and the Buckeyes back in 2016, and the defensive mastermind will try to cook up something against Ohio State this year.

The 2016 offense had its share of problems before the game against Clemson, however. Barrett struggled to dial in his accuracy all season, and it was Venables and the Tigers that dared him to beat them through the air, which he was unable to do.

Unlike the Barrett offense that was only averaging 6.7 yards per attempted pass, Day has more confidence in Fields, who is averaging 9.6 yards per attempt, to throw the ball accurately downfield.

Venables is known for his crafty blitzing schemes, so the offensive line will need to be executing at a high level in order to give Fields the time to make reads. There will also be times where the Buckeyes may see something unusual or unexpected, but Wilson does not want his guys to overthink it and play hesitant.

"So it’s not about being perfect,” Wilson said. “It’s take care of the ball. It’s take care of the quarterback. When you get the opportunity, you got to make the plays to stay on the field and move drives.”

J.K. Dobbins may also help alleviate some of the pressure if he can get it going early. He will have to fight through a player like Isaiah Simmons in order to have a breakout game, but like playing any great defense, it will be about making more plays at the right time than the opponent.

“They have tremendous players. We have tremendous players,” Wilson said. “They do a lot of good stuff. We’re going to try to do a lot of good stuff. Ultimately, our kids are going to have to make some plays for us and pull us through some pinches on some tough looks.”