The Ohio State football team has arrived in Phoenix to begin prep for the Fiesta Bowl. Head coach Ryan Day spoke to the media upon arrival.
The Ohio State football team has arrived in Phoenix to begin preparations for the Fiesta Bowl Saturday against Clemson. Well, more or less. Some players have to fly from home and will be arriving later today. But head coach Ryan Day has definitely stepped off the plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.
After the team disembarked, coach Day and players Davon Hamilton and Josh Myers held a brief press conference to field questions from media member on hand to cover the arrival.
We don’t have the video, but we do have the complete transcript of all of Day’s comments. He discussed his team’s preparation, the health of everyone, what it means to be in the Fiesta Bowl, and more.
Former Ohio State head coach and his FOX College Football crew including each picked the winner of Clemson and OSU in the Fiesta Bowl.
We’re now less than a week away from the Fiesta Bowl that’ll showcase No. 2 Ohio State against No. 3 Clemson. And of course, as we get closer, you’re going to run into more and more predictions. We’re not immune to it, and in fact — we’ve already put together ours.
But guess what crew also did? How about the one that’s seen more than half of the Ohio State games this year — the FOX College Football crew. Brady Quinn wasn’t a part of it, but Matt Leinart, Joel Klatt, and of course Urban Meyer gave their thoughts individually on who wins the titanic clash in the desert.
You can probably guess who Meyer went with, but click on the below and see what the three individuals said, and ultimately decided to go with to move on to New Orleans.
Dabo Swinney sees a lot of similarities between the Tigers and Buckeyes.
As the No. 3 Clemson Tigers prepare to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl next weekend, Dabo Swinney’s biggest observation about his next opponent is a fairly obvious one: “A complete team in every sense of the word,” he told ESPN’s Marty Smith.
All season, the Buckeyes have been at or very near the top of the country in both total offense and total defense, and their leaders on both sides of the ball, quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young, were both 2019 Heisman Trophy finalists. They’ve dominated just about every opponent so far this season, and it wasn’t a question of if they’d make the playoff but whether or not they’d be the top seed. (LSU is and will face No. 4 Oklahoma.)
But the only other team that consistently ranked among the top five on both sides of the ball was Clemson. A week out, the Tigers are slight 2.5-point favorites.
“There’s just no weaknesses,” Swinney told Smith about Ohio State (just after the 22-minute mark in the video below).
“I mean, they’re really good. They’re a mirror image of us, to be quite honest with you. If you look at us statistically, we’re [No.] 1 in this, they’re [No.] 2 in this. We’re [No.] 2 in this, they’re [No.] 1 in this. We’re [No.] 3 in this, they’re [No.] 2. I mean, we’re literally mirror images of each other.
“So I really wasn’t surprised to see that statistical analysis, but when you watch the tape, they’re a complete football team just like we are. We’re one of the few teams out there top five in the country [in] total offense and total defense, and so are they. They’re just good.”
Going into the playoff semifinal, the Tigers are ranked No. 3 nationally in total offense (547.7 yards per game) behind LSU and Oklahoma, while the Buckeyes are No. 5 (531.0 yards per game). Tigers’ Trevor Lawrence and Buckeyes’ Justin Fields are two of the best quarterbacks in the game, and the same goes for running backs Travis Etienne and J.K. Dobbins.
When asked what comes to mind about Young, who leads the nation with 16.5 sacks this season (after missing two games), Swinney said:
“Speed, just a monster off the edge, man. He’s a fast, twitchy dude that can get to the quarterback.”
However, Lawrence is behind an offensive line that has limited his number of sacks to 12 so far this season, and although he has eight interceptions this season, he hasn’t thrown one since mid-October. But his counterpart, Fields, has thrown just one.
On the other side, Clemson is No. 1 in total defense (244.7 yards per game), and Ohio State is No. 2 (247.6 yards per game). They’re also both among the top-5 teams in scoring offense and scoring defense, defensive yards per play and first downs. On offense, Clemson is No. 4 with 7.51 yards per play, while Ohio State is No. 7 with 7.02.
Swinney continued to explain what he sees in Ohio State:
“Defensive line, strong. Linebackers, good players, elite players in the secondary that can all run and cover, just like we got. Flip it over to the offensive side: Elite quarterback, elite running back, elite wideouts, elite offensive line. So it’s literally a mirror image of each other. You’re just in different uniforms.
“So it’s gonna be fun, man, just like practice. It’s like what we practice against every day. You know, when we go out there live good-on-good, I mean, that’s the best way you can prepare for a game like this because that’s the level of talent that you’re getting ready to play. … There’s gonna be some fun matchups, but I don’t really see a weakness really anywhere.”
The Fiesta Bowl is the second semifinal Saturday, December 28. LSU and Oklahoma play in the Peach Bowl at 4 p.m. ET, and then Clemson and Ohio State face off at 8 p.m. ET.
Greene’s decision notched the Tigers’ recruiting class to 23 total commitments. It is currently ranked as the No. 1 class on Rivals, 247 Sports and recently ESPN.
Highland Springs (Virginia) consistently ranked inside the Super 25 East Regional Rankings this season, but was knocked out of those ranks a few weeks ago. The team finished 11-1 on the year.
What players on Clemson could make life difficult on Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl CFP Semifinal? Here are the Tigers’ five best players.
We’re less than two weeks away from the College Football Semifinal matchup in the Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson. As a Buckeye fan, we know you’ve been up at night thinking about this matchup and what to be aware of. So, we’ll be bringing you things leading up to the game, and first up is a cliff notes version of the best five players on this Tigers’ squad.
It’s not Clemson is the great unknown opponent. You don’t win a couple of national titles over the last three years and go under the radar, but still, with the schedule and lack of coverage of the ACC Champion’s year, you may not be completely up to speed on who has been the biggest playmakers for Dabo Swinney’s club.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media in Columbus to provide an update on preparations for the Fiesta Bowl. Watch and read here.
It’s not your normal game week around on the banks of the Olentangy. In fact, there’s not a game at all this weekend, but there is a big one coming up after all the Christmas shenanigans on the 28th. Because of that, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took some time out to talk with the media and provide and update on the Fiesta Bowl prep.
There’s also a little thing known as the Early Signing Day coming up on Wednesday, so there’s plenty to discuss.
In case you missed any of the comments he made on Monday, we’ve got the entire presser and the transcript of it thanks to the Ohio State Buckeyes website and Twitter account below.
Click and listen to Day give an update on his team’s preparation for the Fiesta Bowl, the departure and potential replacement of Jeff Hafley, Joe Burrow, and much, much more.
If Ohio State hopes to dethrone Clemson and get into the national championship game, it’ll need this player to come up big.
While it seems that everyone is picking Clemson to win the titanic struggle in the desert, maybe there is one specific player that can make all the difference in the world for Ohio State.
In the Big Ten Championship game, KJ Hill was crucial to the success of Ohio State with his ability to catch the underneath routes to balance the deep threat ability of Chris Olave. Everyone has raved about Olave since he emerged last year against That Team Up North, but KJ Hill is as reliable as it gets and is often overshadowed and underappreciated.
In the Wisconsin game, Hill had a game-high seven receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns. His performance in the second half is what allowed Ohio State to open up the deep passing game to Olave.
The tandem of Olave and Hill is crucial to the success of Ohio State, but without the underneath routes, the safeties can stay high and limit the deep threat. Hill is second on the team in touchdowns, but he often gets the tough and dirty underneath yardage that isn’t nearly as glorious.
In order to reach the pinnacle of where this Ohio State team hopes to end up in 2019, it’ll need to rely on the experience of Hill to keep the defense guessing in the passing game. The fact that Hill is Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions says he’s up to the task.
It’s our latest Buckeye Battle Cry and we’re talking Fiesta Bowl against Clemson. What makes this game more winnable for Ohio State?
Ohio State has yet to crack the Clemson code. There’s only three meetings between the two programs, but the Buckeyes have yet to breakthrough, losing in 1978 in the infamous Woody punch game, in 2013 at the Orange Bowl, and then again in 2016 in the now infamous 31-0 turd that resulted in a lot of assistant coaching changes.
It’s a small sample size, but there’s many Ohio State fans a little apprehensive about the prospects of laying another egg against a program clearly at the top of the college football world right now. The Buckeyes are also close to the pinnacle, but Clemson has two national titles in three years, and are the reigning champs after administering a public flogging to big, bad Alabama in last year’s national title game.
So, we decided to ask ourselves what makes this year different. Can we talk Ohio State fans off the ledge just a bit by providing reason why the Buckeyes might have a better shot at slaying the Tigers on December 28.
Ohio State favored over Clemson according to ESPN's FPI Matchup Predictor https://t.co/YncD7p0Ti9
Ohio State may be the underdog according odds makers, but per ESPN’s FPI Matchup Predictor, it’s favored to beat Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.
Well, not everyone believes Clemson will beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Just most everyone. Despite the avalanche of media analysts and websites predicting the Buckeyes’ inevitable defeat at the hands of the defending national champions, we found one metric that actually favors the Big Ten champions.
According to ESPN’s FPI matchup predictor, it’s not Clemson that has the best chance to win, but rather Ohio State. In fact, it gives the scarlet and gray a 54% chance at winning the Fiesta Bowl once all the confetti falls in the desert night on December 28.
So why does the FPI like Ohio State? Because once all the game metrics and play had time to roll into the big, bad machine that analyzes all the data, the Buckeyes broke records for some of the metrics used to determine just how good a team is. So, you’re seeing a carryover.
Even though they fell to the No. 2 seed, the Ohio State Buckeyes have the best chance to win the national title according to FPI (35%).
Of course, this is all just on paper, and we could go on and on about how flawed ESPN’s measurements are (it had Ohio State outside the top ten preseason), but it’s still a nod to how dominant this year’s OSU team has been.
Now it’s all about putting all those analytics to work when the rubber pellets meet the desert air.
Ohio State stars discuss not being No. 1 in the College Football Playoff and having to play Clemson
ATLANTA-
Sunday, it was announced that the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes would not be the No. 1 seed in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Despite rallying to beat Wisconsin 34-21 in Indianapolis after big-time wins over Penn State and Michigan, the Buckeyes fell behind LSU in the final bracket list and now face No. 3 Clemson.
As impressive as LSU’s resume is right now, many felt Ohio State deserved the top seed in the playoff with its full-season portfolio.
On Wednesday, Buckeyes Wire was able to speak with running back JK Dobbins, defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah before the Home Depot College Football Awards in Atlanta.
Did being ranked No. 2 put a chip on the players’ shoulders? Was there any added motivation to make a statement to the committee? How about the task of facing the reigning national champions in Phoenix?
Here’s what the first team All-Big Ten cornerback had to say.
“I think it’s really exciting to be number two, it’s really the matchup against Clemson and I’m excited to see how it plays out,” said Okudah.
The junior cornerback projected to go in the first round of the NFL Draft is excited to play the defending champs, as are the rest of the Buckeyes.
“We always want to be a number one seed seed and I feel like we earned it, but we’ve gotta roll with the punches thrown, so we’ll play Clemson and it’ll be a good game.”
How did the most feared defender in college football view the decision?
“We’re just blessed, happy to have the opportunity to be in the College Football Playoff. Regardless if you are one, two, three or four, you’re going to have to play a great team regardless, so we’re just thankful for the opportunity,” said Young.
You’ve heard from two of Ohio State’s best defensive players, but what about JK Dobbins? The junior running back mentioned motivation, but noted the Buckeyes are always out for blood.
“We always have a chip on our shoulder because we always feel like we have something to prove to people, so we’re going to go in with a chip on our shoulder.”
Ohio State will collect a plethora of awards over the next few nights before turning its attention to Clemson and the College Football Playoff. As for now, it’s time to regroup and recharge, then get back on the gridiron.
The Home Depot College Football Awards will air live on ESPN at 7:00 pm Thursday. Make sure to tune in to see your favorite Buckeyes.
