Last season the battle between Ohio State and Clemson came ultimately to the battle of the coaches. For every move Ryan Day made, Dabo Swinney had an answer. For every adjustment Dabo Swinney made, Ryan Day was looking to make another. Swinney walked away the victor and Day went home to learn from the loss.
This year, Ryan Day and Dabo Swinney meet up again, however this time in the Sugar Bowl with the same reward on the line that results in a chance to go to the College Football Playoff championship game. After a rocky season for both teams due to COVID, this game seemed like it may not happen.
For Ryan Day, he and his staff underestimated the running ability of Trevor Lawrence last year. As the game wore on, and by the time Day made adjustments, this became a problem for the Buckeyes. Early in the game Day and the Buckeyes’ defense had done well to slow down Lawrence and the Tigers’ offense.
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This year, Day needs to have learned from his mistakes last season and respect Lawrence’s ability to use his feet. Trying to contain Lawrence will be paramount to an Ohio State victory. Day may decide to use the run game to keep Lawrence off the field and then force Swinney to have to adjust. If Day decides to use this strategy, then making sure Justin Fields is only taking what is given until there is a shot downfield should keep Clemson off-balance.
Swinney is no stranger to coaching in these types of games. For Swinney, the goal will be to get Ohio State into longer third downs to pressure Justin Fields into making mistakes. On offense, Swinney will use a heavy dose of Travis Ettiene to try to create room for Lawrence to operate in. Ohio State has had some issues this season on defense that Swinney will certainly look to exploit.
We can talk all day about the matchups on the field, but the real matchup will start between the two head coaches. Swinney and Day will be the biggest key matchup this year. If Day can adjust a little faster than Swinney, Ohio State could walk out Sugar Bowl winners.
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