Clemson Football: 5 areas of concern vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Clemson football team will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CFB Playoff. Here are five areas of concern for the Tigers.

The Clemson football program will participate in its fifth-straight CFB Playoff on Saturday, Dec. 28 when the Tigers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Clemson and Ohio State will match-up in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl with a chance to advance to the National Championship.

We’ve noted some of the advantages the Tigers will have, but today let’s take a look at five areas of concern for Clemson football heading into this one.

5. Offensive Line vs. OSU pass-rush

The Ohio State pass-rush is No. 1 in the country and the Buckeyes have earned that ranking.

Led by DE Chase Young, Ohio State has been absolutely unstoppable in its pursuit of the quarterback this season. The Buckeyes have racked up 51 sacks on the season (No. 3 in the nation) and are averaging nearly four a game.

Ohio State doesn’t just have one of the most talented defensive lines in the nation, the Buckeyes have also done a good job of sending linebackers in blitzing schemes to put more pressure on the quarterback.

Trevor Lawrence will need to get the ball out quickly to avoid that pressure and the offensive line will have to play its best game of the season. At times, the unit has struggled to get going. They won’t have the benefit of getting to ‘feel out’ a defense in this one. They’ll need to come out firing and protect Lawrence, as well as open up holes in the running game to make Ohio State less aggressive.