Sugar Bowl rewind: re-visiting our five bold predictions for Ohio State vs. Clemson

We’re taking a look back to see how we did in our five bold predictions we had for Ohio State against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.

Trey Sermon will have a big game again

Watch: Ohio State RB Trey Sermon rips off 32-yard TD run vs. Clemson
Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Prediction:

Ohio State found something against Northwestern, and we still don’t know if Master Teague has cleared concussion protocol. Either way, Sermon showed he’s a difference-maker against a good defense, and OSU will need to be balanced in this one against an athletic Clemson squad.

Look for Sermon to have some running lanes on the ground, and to be present in the passing game out of the backfield. With the aggressive tendencies we’re likely to see from the Tigers, hitting the running back out in the flat is going to be there. Sermon is ready to continue his climb with confidence in this one.

How we did:

Bingo. I have to admit, I really thought Clemson’s defensive line would be able to slow down OSU’s running game just a wee bit. I did, however, think Sermon would get loose a few times and still get his yards with some big plays. Turned out, Sermon went for 193 yards on the ground, and 61 more as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. So yeah, again, I undershot here because the Ohio State running back wracked up 254 all-purpose yards.

NEXT … Bold Prediction No. 4: Trevor Lawrence will throw two INTs