- #2 Clemson clashes with #3 Ohio State in the 2020 Sugar Bowl
- The Tigers have a relatively clean bill of health, while the Buckeyes star QB Justin Fields headlines a long list of Ohio State players who are questionable for this game
- See below for the injury reports of both teams and how potential key absences could affect the outcome
The 2020 Sugar Bowl is set to kick-off on Friday (Jan. 1, 8 pm EST) and there’s still plenty of questions surrounding the health of 20 Ohio State Buckeyes players thanks to COVID.
Over two dozen Buckeyes missed the Big Ten Championship game due to the pandemic, and the status of most them is questionable leading up to their date with #2 Clemson.
The Tigers are a 7.5-point favorite over #3 Ohio State, a number that likely would have been greater if the NCAA hadn’t stepped in to grant the Buckeyes some leniency. They reduced the 21-day sit down period for player with a positive test to 17 days, clearing the way for some, but not all of Ohio State’s infected players to suit up for the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Will COVID Crash the Party?
The most notable Buckeyes to miss the conference title game versus Northwestern were star receiver Chris Olave, starting safety Marcus Hooker and starting linebacker Baron Browning. Sans Olave, the Ohio State passing game struggled against the Wildcats, racking up just 114 yards.
This one is less blurry pic.twitter.com/caOU4lG9CC
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 29, 2020
Olave was back practicing this week and it’s expected he didn’t actually test positive for COVID, but was just a close contact of someone who did. The Buckeyes refuse to publish regular updates on the number of positive tests within the program so it’s unknown who the positive tests actually were.
Ohio State Injury Report
| Player | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Fields | QB | Probable |
| Jagger LaRoe | QB | Questionable |
| Chris Olave | WR | Questionable |
| Gee Scott Jr. | WR | Questionable |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | WR | Questionable |
| Mookie Cooper | WR | Questionable |
| Corey Rau | TE | Questionable |
| Joe Royer | TE | Questionable |
| Steele Chambers | RB | Questionable |
| Paris Johson Jr. | OL | Questionable |
| Ryan Smith | OL | Questionable |
| Drue Chrisman | P | Questionable |
| Baron Browning | LB | Questionable |
| Tommy Eichenberg | LB | Questionable |
| Ben Schmiesing | LB | Questionable |
| Aaron Cox | DL | Questionable |
| Tyler Friday | DL | Questionable |
| Javontae Jean-Baptiste | DL | Questionable |
| Marcus Hooker | S | Questionable |
| Bryson Shaw | S | Questionable |
| Lloyd McFarquhar | CB | Questionable |
Also of note, is the status of quarterback Justin Fields. The future Sunday star is listed as probable, but told the media after the Northwestern game that he couldn’t throw the football late in the 4th quarter due to a sprained thumb. His availability versus Clemson was never in doubt, however if he is anything less than 100% the Buckeyes could be in trouble.
Justin Fields when asked about his right thumb (which was sprained against Northwestern): "I'll be ready to play on Friday." #Buckeyes
— Dave Biddle (@davebiddle) December 28, 2020
Starting running back Master Teague left the Big Ten title game early with an undisclosed ailment, but isn’t even on the injury report this week. Of course it would be nice to have him on the field, but his replacement Trey Sermon rushed for a conference championship game record 331 yards in his absence, and has earned the first crack at the bulk of the carries.
Clemson at Near Full Strength
Clemson meanwhile, will enter the College Football Playoff semifinal about as healthy as a team could wish for. Outside an undisclosed injury to defensive end Xavier Thomas and arm injury for linebacker Jake Venables, all the other key pieces of the program are off the injury report.
Clemson Injury Report
| Player | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ty Herbstreit | WR | Questionable |
| Drew Swinney | WR | Questionable |
| Xavier Thomas | DE | Questionable |
| Jake Venables | LB | Questionable |
Both are listed as questionable, but Dabo Swinney refuses to comment of the status of his players prior to game day.
Dabo Swinney, asked about Xavier Thomas: "We're not going to say anything about anybody until game day. We'll put out an available-unavailable list just like we've done all year and leave it at that." Worth noting: Joseph Ngata is not on the depth chart.
— Grace Raynor (@gmraynor) December 28, 2020
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of Clemson this week was the positive COVID test of offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.
A former Tigers wide receiver, Elliott has been the offensive playcaller for each of the past six seasons, a run that includes multiple National Championships.
Clemson OC Tony Elliott will be unavailable for the Playoff game vs Ohio State (COVID-19), per @NicoleAuerbach pic.twitter.com/DNb67o86yY
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 30, 2020
Clemson’s offense ranked 83rd in 2014 prior to Elliott’s hire, but since he’s taken over they haven’t been ranked outside the top-30. This year, they were one of only three teams in the nation to average north of 44 points, while racking up 507.6 total yards per contest.
Swinney told the media on Wednesday that quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter will assist him with the playcalling duties in the Sugar Bowl, while C.J. Spiller will handle the running backs on the field.
The post Clemson vs Ohio State Injury Report and Opt-Outs for CFP Semifinal Sugar Bowl appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
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