It’s been a topic of intrigue ever since Ohio State drew Clemson for the second-straight season in the College Football Playoff semifinal this past Sunday.
Is there a rivalry brewing?
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said as much on Sunday, and those flames were stoked when the public saw that he had voted Ohio State No. 11 in the country in the final coaches poll, but it seems Swinney’s players are buying in as well.
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The Tigers’ graduate center Cade Stewart weighed in on the topic Wednesday as the Clemson offense discussed the impending rematch with the Buckeyes.
“I think that’s one of the reasons you come to Clemson is because you know you have a chance for the playoffs every year, therefore you get a chance to play Ohio States and LSUs and Alabamas,” Stewart said. “That’s something you dream of as a little kid. So yeah, it’s kind of turned into a little rivalry. We like it.”
It’s the fourth postseason meeting between the two programs in the past eight seasons, but meeting in the semifinal in consecutive years has only seemed to exacerbate the tension between them.
Still, Stewart and company are playing it cool when it comes to questions about how they’re preparing for Ohio State. The Tigers aren’t doing any more or any less work to get ready for the Buckeyes than they would any other opponent, if they are to be believed.
“Every team has its own little flavor, own little twist, and that’s where the separation is preparation, because you got to prepare for everyone’s own flavor of how they’re gonna attack Clemson,” Stewart said. “And so, we think we have a good feeling of how we’re gonna play them and how they’re gonna play us and we’re just ready to just execute.”
When it comes to the group that Stewart himself will be going up against, he said Larry Johnson’s Ohio State defensive line is talented enough to take a meat and potatoes approach against a team like Clemson.
“They’re physical guys, they line up and they play football –– they’re good at what they do and they’re not gonna try to trick you that much,” Stewart said. “They’re just gonna line up and they’re that good at what they do that they can play physical, sound, fast football, and so that’s something we gotta lock in these next couple days, week-and-a-half or so.”
Clemson freshman wideout E.J. Williams will be new to the matchup, but he’s studied last year’s tape enough to know how the Buckeye secondary will be different in the 2020 meeting.
“They had a lot of different first-rounders last year,” Williams said. “They got a lot of prospects this year too, but they moved Shaun Wade [to outside corner], and that should be a big difference in the game. But he’s a great, athletic guy, it’s gonna be a good competition, good matchup with our wide receivers.”
Wade, the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, was ejected from last year’s Fiesta Bowl after a sack on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was reviewed and flagged for targeting.
Wade cited the controversial moment as a primary reason for returning for a fourth season in Columbus, but the upcoming Jan. 1 contest will likely be the most daunting task of the season for his Buckeye secondary.
Clemson opened as a 6.5-point favorite over the Buckeyes, but if the game is as close as it was last season, it’s possible –– if not likely –– that any number of 50-50 situations could flip the advantage from one team to the other.
