There is plenty of controversy and one play, in particular, has already cemented itself in Buckeye infamy, but there will be far more than one play that cost Ohio State this game
even when the scoreboard says differently.
Ohio State was led in defeat by J.K Dobbins, who rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown, despite playing the second half with an injured ankle and Justin Fields, who threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions including one in the end zone at the end of the game as the Buckeyes attempted to pull the game out.
Ohio State finishes the season at 13-1 and a Big Ten championship.
Next up for the Buckeyes will be in September as they start a new season against Bowling Green.
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1) It wouldn't be fair to blame the poor officiating as the entire reason for the defeat of Ohio State.
There were many factors, but here is the top reason and above all- Three trips inside the Clemson eleven yard line and in each case, Ohio State settled for Blake Haubeil field goals.
J.K. Dobbins, for all of his courage and brilliance on this night, was a key party to these problems with one dropped pass in the end zone that was initially called a touchdown and was rightfully overturned and another that would have likely seen Dobbins score easily.
Score touchdowns on two of those possessions and some of the bad calls are irrelevant.
Score a touchdown on even one of those and the late drive that saw miscommunication between Justin Fields and Chris Olave end with a Clemson interception in the end zone could have been a conservative drive at that point as a Blake Haubeil field goal could have won the game.
For all that could be complained about with the officiating, the three red-zone failures are the number one reason for this loss.
2) Another play overlooked came in the first half when J.K. Dobbins broke into the open for the second of his long first-half runs.
Dobbins scored on the first, but on the second long jaunt, Dobbins was brought down at the eight-yard line.
Instead of Ohio State putting seven points up, they would settle for three.
3) J.K. Dobbins was the star of this game and another underrated reason for the defeat could be a late first-half ankle injury.
Dobbins passed Eddie George in this game to set the one season rushing record at Ohio State, so some history was made.
I give Dobbins so much credit for playing through the pain when it is very likely that he will declare for the NFL Draft shortly.
It would have been easy and some could say prudent for Dobbins to pack it in for the evening, but Dobbins gutted it out and played well despite the pain.
Still, the breakaway speed for Dobbins was understandably lacking in the second half and that was missing for the Buckeye offense.
4) Chase Young managed some hurries on Clemson passer Trevor Lawrence but didn't sack him.
Young finished his final three games (Michigan, Wisconsin, and Clemson) without a sack and he was battling double teams throughout each game, but could it be that the two-game suspension late in the season cost him sharpness and that he never returned to true elite form?
It's interesting to consider.
5) The game-ending interception was a mistake on Chris Olave's part and give Olave credit for taking the blame in the locker room.
Olave thought Justin Fields was scrambling around to make a play and Olave cut his route off to help Fields.
The problem was that Fields was not scrambling and he threw to where Olave was supposed to be and hit Clemson's Nolan Turner for the play that ended the season.
6) Now to the two calls that affected the game most and we will start with the second quarter targeting call on a blitzing Shaun Wade that cost the Buckeyes their second-best defensive back for the rest of the game and gave Clemson a first down rather than force another Tiger punt.
That was huge as that meant a 16-0 lead and the football with only a few minutes remaining in the half.
At worst, Clemson might have had one possession and let's say they score a touchdown there for a 16-7 lead.
Instead, Ohio State loses Wade, Clemson scores a touchdown on the drive rather than punt, and after a stop by Clemson, they score again for a 16-14 OSU lead at the break.
All of that as a result of a call that was not initially made on the field and one that the on-field officials did not ask to be reviewed- Yes, there was helmet contact, but let's look at physics here.
Trevor Lawrence is 6'6. Shaun Wade is 6'0.
Lawrence feels the rush and sees Wade coming in, but he doesn't have a receiver to dump the ball off to and he braces himself for the oncoming hit with a small dip as he prepares to absorb the shot.
As Wade prepares for the hit that was intended to hit Lawrence across the chest as he is supposed to, Lawrence, as noted above, dips down and the helmets do hit each other.
By the strictest (and I mean strictest) interpretation, it could be called targeting, but the referees don't call it.
Lawrence remains on the field briefly and while Lawrence is down, the officials are buzzed to say the play is being looked at and then the resulting penalty is called.
Lawrence misses one play, returns and shortly leads Clemson to their first score.
The hit was legit, but the officials see Clemson's star prone on the field and lead to a conclusion.
The game immediately swings.
7) Score when Shaun Wade leaves: 16-0 Ohio State and about to have the ball back.
Points scored after Shaun Wade leaves: 29-7.
It's a huge change in momentum of course, but it also changes what Ohio State could do with its defense without Wade.
It was without Wade that saw the few struggles that the defense had this season when he was injured and suddenly against the best team that they played on a very marginal call, Wade was gone.
8) I wrote about the targeting rule a few years ago, when it cost Joey Bosa his final game and even though the rule has been improved since then, it still needs more fine-tuning.
I still think intent needs to be added into the rule and I also still think that the player that is taking the hit and his movements needs to be considered as well.
The hit on Trevor Lawrence wasn't much different than the types that running backs take on every carry.
Want to keep the 15-yard penalty? Fine, but change the rules to two infractions before an ejection if the intent was not to make helmet to helmet contact.
If you are concerned that players won't take avoiding it seriously, change the rules to a ejection if a player has committed a certain amount of targeting penalties over a stated period of games.
It still needs work.
9) And the touchdown taken off the scoreboard was simply an awful call.
Justin Ross clearly catches the football, takes either three or four steps before Jeffrey Okudah strips the ball away and Jordan Fuller grabs the bouncing football and winds his way through traffic for a 29-yard touchdown and what would have given the Buckeyes the lead back at that time as well as made the difference in the final score.
This ridiculous "not a football move" is an ill-defined regulation that both the NCAA and NFL use needs to go away from the rulebook.
If you are shown to have possession of the football for two steps or more, that is a catch and therefore eligible to be a fumble.
How many games are being decided by these additions to rulebooks that aren't needed?
Ohio State certainly caused its own demise with the notes listed above, but they certainly deserved the luxury of a fair game being called.
I'm not buying the "ESPN" conspiracy theory that the network wanted "their" teams (ESPN owns pieces of both the ACC and SEC networks) to play each other, but it's certainly reasonable to look at the penalties and say the mistakes and importance called against Ohio State far outnumbered those of Clemson.
10) One thing that did affect both teams was slippery grass and both teams ripped off big yardage on plays created by players slipping on the grass.
Wasn't the reason behind domed stadiums to create the fair playing conditions for the athletes and not allow the condition of the field to affect the result?
There is no reason for an indoor surface to have those problems and to have that enter into play for the most important game of the season needs to be addressed in the future.
If you want to have a game of this importance, the players deserve better.
11) This didn't play into the result, but just as players need to play in big games to get used to playing in them, coaches need to gain experience as well.
Ryan Day made two decisions that I wonder about in the 4th quarter.
Up one after their fourth-quarter score with eleven minutes to go, Day kicks the extra point rather than try for two and if successful, go up by three points.
I get that by kicking the XP if you allow a Clemson score and two-pointer (which they did), a touchdown wins it and if you try for two and fail, a touchdown only ties it.
But you really let the critics in, if you would have lost on a field goal.
12) The other was with just over three minutes to go, Ohio State has a 4th and 4 on the Clemson 36 and Day decides to punt.
Drue Christman's punt is what Ohio State was looking for and is downed at the six, but what if Day goes for it?
Yes, a field goal beats you and you are giving them solid field position, but if you get it, at minimum, you are looking at a 49-yard field goal (assuming you don't lose yardage) and likely force Clemson to use timeouts.
I'm not saying that they should have gone for it, as I see a case for both sides, but it is something to consider.
13) However, if you are going to hit Ryan Day for not going for it on the next to last drive, you have to give credit for the 4th and one play call that saw Justin Fields throw to Chris Olave and take the lead.
That call took some courage and credit to Day for making it.
14) It's a disappointing loss because the game was there to be won.
The blown fumble is infuriating, but not the only reason for the loss.
Ohio State could have done one of many things that had nothing to do with officiating and won this game.
That's why it hurts, but Ohio State erased the 31-0 loss that happened the last time they played and proved that the best of the Big Ten can play with the Clemson Tigers and re-established themselves as one of the three-five best programs in the country.
I'm not huge on moral wins, but there was something proved- the National Championship was within reach and that is far more than many thought entering the season with a first-time head coach and picked to finish behind Michigan in the conference.
I thought they'd win the division and maybe the conference, but I thought that they would lose one game as they adjusted to Ryan Day and maybe even two with a bounce the wrong way, so they exceeded my expectations for the season.
15) There will be some top-notch players lost to the NFL and although players like Chase Young, J.K. Dobbins, Jeffrey Okudah, and Shaun Wade could return, I'd be shocked if they decided to stay.
Still, Ohio State will have one of the two pre-season Heisman favorites (Justin Fields and Clemson's Trevor Lawrence) and could have the best wide receiver corps in team history on offense.
The defense will lose some key members, especially in the secondary, but they should be more than fine, but Jeff Hatley's departure to take the head coaching job at Boston College means his replacement as the co-defensive coordinator with Greg Mattison will be a key hire for Ryan Day.
I'd suspect Ohio State will be in the top three in the pre-season rankings, maybe even first depending on losses on teams such as Clemson, Alabama, etc. so this isn't an aberration- it's more of the norm.
As disappointing as this loss is, I'm not disappointed in the season.
Perhaps a loss in this game next year, I could be.
Back later with the Browns finale, Showtime's boxing card from Atlanta and I'm still catching up on the inbox.
Look for all of those in the next day or two.
