The Ohio State Buckeyes take the field for the Ohio State vs. Clemson Sugar Bowl. Ohio State won 49-28. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes’ storybook ending resides in Miami.
But the top-ranked Crimson Tide and their highly potent offense promise to be the ultimate challenge to cap off a season defined by obstacles on and off the field.
Composed of three players that finished in the top five of the Heisman voting, Alabama’s offense (12-0) is No. 2 in the country with an average of 48.2 points per game. Ohio State (7-0) possesses the sixth best offense producing 43.3 points per game and enters the game as underdogs having played five less games than the Crimson Tide as a result of a shortened season and cancellations.
Coming off an emotional 49-28 win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, head coach Ryan Day said the team must maintain laser focus.
“I think we’re going to come out with our hair on fire and play as hard as we possibly can and go from there,” Day said Thursday. “You can’t go on and try to do too much against a great team like this. You have to just play one play at a time. On defense you get one stop at a time, on offense you get one first down at a time. You just focus on that, you look up in the fourth quarter, you see where you’re at.”
Ohio State’s tallest task will be containing Heisman Trophy winner and Alabama senior wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Smith has hauled in 105 receptions for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.
The Louisiana native torched the Notre Dame secondary in the Rose Bowl, as he finished with 7 receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
The challenge will largely fall on graduate cornerback Shaun Wade, who said he’s looking forward to matching up with Smith.
“You already know who I want to go up against at the end of the day,” Wade said Wednesday. “DeVonta is a very great player, quick and shifty and fast. You see it on his highlights. He can do everything in the book as a receiver, and just really looking for that matchup at the end of the day.”
Outside of Smith, junior wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will be a game-time decision for the Crimson Tide. Waddle suffered a fractured ankle Oct. 24 and has not played in a game since.
Prior to the ankle injury, Waddle hauled in 25 receptions for 557 yards and four touchdowns in four games.
While Alabama gets healthier, The Buckeyes have not been at full strength since their Nov. 7 game against Rutgers — a trend that’s expected to continue Monday.
Day said that Ohio State has learned to play shorthanded as the season has developed.
“Well, any time you deal with that and you lose people, it is a gut punch. But it’s not something that we’re not used to,” Day said. “But for us, that’s why the story about this season is just so amazing to me, is that we just continued to push through despite all those difficult challenges along the way — and no different this week. We’ve got a new set of challenges this week. We’re going to have to figure it out, go down to Miami and play.”
Junior quarterback Justin Fields is also expected to not be at full strength after taking a shot to the ribs from Clemson graduate linebacker James Skalski in the Sugar Bowl.
However, Fields said he’ll be ready to go come Monday night.
“I really haven’t thought about how this injury is going to affect how I’m going to play,” Fields said. “I’m just thinking about getting as much treatment as possible and trying to get my body right so it’s 100 percent to be able to perform at a max level come Monday night.”
In Fields’ last appearance, he threw all over Clemson’s defense to the tune of 385 yards and six touchdowns.
The aerial onslaught benefited unusual recipients, such as tight ends Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert, but it was also expected target and junior wide receiver Chris Olave who truly excelled with 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Although a shockingly big performance on a national stage, Olave said the explosion has been in the works for some time.
“The chemistry we have, the trust we have in each other, we all knew we all had trust going into the game in each other. We all wanted to put it all on the field and leave nothing. Coach Day dialed up some things and we went out there and executed, but that doesn’t happen just that week,” Olave said Thursday. “Like I said, we’ve dreamed of that since we were kids and now we were in that moment, and we’ve got another game to have fun and cherish.”
As Ohio State’s memorable journey to the national championship will conclude Monday, Day said the Buckeyes can not get ahead of themselves with a tremendous team like Alabama lined up across them.
“I know this: The finish line is coming on Monday, and we’ve got to finish this thing strong. No matter what’s come our way we’ve handled it, and we’ve got to continue to do that,” Day said. “We’ve got to finish this thing off on Monday, and then when the season is over we’ll go back and think about all the great things that have happened this year because there’s a lot of them.”
