Herbstreit says Buckeye schedule a disadvantage, defense as-is won't stop Clemson

Herbstreit says Ohio State's defense could stand in the way of their revenge bid. (Photo: Matthew Oharnen / USATODAY)

by Brandon Rink - Staff Writer - Tue Dec 29 10:43:08 GMT-04:00 2020

ESPN lead college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit understands Dabo Swinney's view on his alma mater and how they should be ranked. He didn't even really protest Swinney's rationale on an ESPN podcast this week.

Herbstreit says the Buckeyes will be fired up but may have to manage just how emotional they are.

"Dabo, to his credit, he’s sticking to his guns on principle," Herbstreit said. "It’s not like he’s evaluating Ohio State and their tape and saying ‘I think they’re about the 11th best team in the country.’ This is strictly on principle. If you know Dabo at all, if his own family member coached six games -- if he and his team, that's what I would love to see.

"If Dabo and his team had played just six games this year and Ohio State had played 11 where would he put Clemson? Would he put them on principle at 11? Part of me thinks he would, part of me thinks he would honestly look at that on principle and say they should be 11. Now, they would probably still get the benefit of the doubt the way Ohio State did. When he has conviction about a topic he’s not gonna bend. He's a man of principle. Ohio State is going to spin it into -- 'not only should we have beaten them a year ago and we got jobbed on a few calls -- now their coach is saying we're the 11th-best team in the country. Can you believe that?'

"That's how they're going to spin that -- and they should. Coaches are always looking for reasons for their team to collectively get fired up and angry. Ryan Day has an easy job this time around and he just has to make sure they don't get too emotional. One thing I can assure you, Dabo Swinney doesn't do anything publicly without really thinking it through and how it will be perceived...”

While aiding their path to a Playoff position, Herbstreit says Ohio State's six-game schedule is a detriment to where they are as a team going into the Sugar Bowl matchup with the No. 2 Tigers on Friday (8:45 p.m. ET/ESPN).

"It's a very, very different team (from last year), and to be candid, they played six games -- and if you watched them play almost every game that they've played, it's kinda left you scratching your head with their defense," said Herbstreit. "I think the Ohio State offense has been a little erratic and not as consistent as we thought they would be with the way they can throw the football...Justin Fields has not quite been as consistent with his decision-making. Put the ball in coverage a few times against Indiana and then again against Northwestern, which is uncharacteristic of him. But the Ohio State defense is the mystery in this game. Their secondary is incredibly vulnerable and especially in man-to-man coverage...and I don't think it will be any different with Clemson.

"So 12 days to prepare and Jeff Hafley no longer the defensive coordinator...Six games in, people can talk about what an advantage it is to play only six games. If you watch them, it's the complete opposite. It's a disadvantage because they don't know who they are yet."

Going against a prolific Tigers attack, they will have to find out who they are quickly.

"You get to play 11 or 12 games, and as a defense you can jell together (typically)," Herbstreit said. "Ohio State comes into a semifinal game against Clemson and Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne and about the only thing they really know is their inside defensive linemen are elite...Their defensive ends have a chance. They don't have Chase Young, but they have a chance...The linebackers have played in a million games...

"The question is the secondary. Will Ohio State play better? They’ll have to, to compete. Or will they get exposed and give up over 350 to 400 yards passing to Trevor Lawrence? That's the mystery to me in this game. Can Ohio State affect Lawrence - can they get pressure on him? Can they slow down Travis Etienne? And then most importantly, how do they play against an offense that can score in a blink of an eye with the receivers that they have? Can they play to a level we haven't seen?

"Again, they've only played six games...(Maybe they play lights-out after talk of schedule and revenge for last year's game), maybe all that will get them all juiced up to play at a level that they have not shown all year. All I can tell you is, if they play at the level they’ve played all year, they will not stop Clemson’s offense."