SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As Ohio State football prepares to face Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, there are plenty of crucial matchups to watch.
But none will be as intriguing as the one between the Buckeyes’ cornerbacks and Clemson’s wide receivers. Clemson’s talent includes three five-star recruits along with a four-star and a three-star. This game is an opportunity for two units who have made their case as the best in the country to prove it against each other.
“This is a chance for everyone to just respond to what everyone’s been saying as far as their receivers having the upper hand on us,” Jeffrey Okudah said. “It’s a chance for everyone to prove we are together collectively.”
Clemson’s starting unit of Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers and Justyn Ross have combined for 134 receptions for 2,204 yards and 25 touchdowns. That’s 10.3 catches for 169.5 yards and 1.9 touchdowns per game. Ohio State’s starting corners Damon Arnette, Jeffrey Okudah and Shaun Wade allowed 182 catches for 1,925 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s 14 catches for 148.1 yards and 0.5 touchdowns per game.
Both sides are arguably the best position group in the country. But the Buckeyes have seen one player this season who brought the size of Higgins and Ross in Michigan’s Nico Collins.
They approached Collins differently than most receivers in the Big Ten because of the threat he posed downfield. He came into November’s showdown averaging 20.9 yards per catch but was held to just two catches for 32 yards against Ohio State.
“When you’re going up against slot compared to big outside guys, there are different things you do technique-wise,” co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “There’s different treatment, there are different areas of the field, you want to play him differently. You have to. There are different techniques you use. There are different ways you press big guys versus where you press small guys.”
But Clemson brings two guys listed at least 6-foot-4 on the outside, which presents a threat to an Ohio State defense designed to prevent big plays.
"It's like they just look for the same thing," Hafley said. "These giants who were a bunch of freak athletes, and then they coach them on how to play wideout."
Ohio State’s secondary is taught that what matters most is the damage a receiver can do after a catch. They want to keep everything in front of them and keep the yardage to a minimum. Clemson thrives on doing the opposite. Higgins averages 20.8 yards per catch, which sits at eighth in the country while Ross averages 13.5.
“We can’t let a receiver get over 50 yards,” Damon Arnette said. "Especially the top receiver.
"If they have six catches for 40 years and that’s a win on our part. “We don’t want them to catch anything, but they’re good too, so they go and get theirs, but at the end of the day is when you tally everything up.”
Outside of Collins, Ohio State’s best chance to simulate Clemson’s targets comes inside its locker room in Binijmen Victor. The senior wide receiver stands at 6-foot-4, 199 pounds and has the same frame as Higgins and Ross.
"He's a jump ball kind of guy a jump-ball kind of guy, they're jump-ball kind of guys," Arnette said. "We go against that in practice."
Ohio State has scoffed at the idea of any other school being dubbed as “Defensive Back U” and instead chose to adopt the term “BIA” for “Best in America.” Clemson — who’s proclaimed itself as “Wide Receiver U” — provides the ultimate opportunity to live up to that moniker. Though Arnette already feels like they’ve done enough to show why they gave the best secondary in the country.
“It just seems like whenever we go against a talented group, they say it’s the biggest test like we haven’t already covered good receivers,” Arnette said. “We’re in the College Football Playoff, so I expect any team we play to be good. It’s us versus them. The winner of that matchup is going to be the winner of the game.”
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