Ohio State Football: 3 player matchups that will decide 2019 Fiesta Bowl
By Will Koger
1. Chase Young vs. Jackson Carman
Jackson Carman is a name familiar to Ohio State fans as a former five-star offensive tackle prospect from Fairfield, Ohio. Carman famously spurned his home state for Clemson, partly due to Dabo Swinney telling him that, according to the Athletic, Urban Meyer was “on the back end of his career in terms of years left” – a take which turned out to be true as Meyer is out of coaching for now.
Carman was a blue-chip prospect back then, and while he is certainly a very good player, voters have tabbed him as the weakest link of the Clemson offensive line as the only member not named first or second-team All-ACC.
Chase Young is a name familiar to football fans as potentially the most dominant defensive lineman since Ndamukong Suh. A near-lock to be a top-three pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Young has racked up 16.5 sacks – two more than the next closest – all while missing two full games due to suspension.
It was a slow final two games against Michigan and Wisconsin in which Young failed to record a sack. In these games, the Wolverines and Badgers chipped on Young with running backs, doubled and even triple-teamed him and it was effective. Comparing Young’s games versus Wisconsin creates a stark contrast: six sacks on Oct. 26 and none in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Badgers completely changed their game-plan between the two games, and it proved effective.
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When teams double Young, the worry is that other Buckeye linemen can wreak havoc, and Zach Harrison, Tyreke Smith, DaVon Hamilton and company have the talent to do so, which is something Clemson must consider. So while the Tigers will and certainly should throw Carman some help occasionally, they will have to rely on Carman to block Young one-on-one at times as well. Young has game-breaking ability, and it will be up to the sophomore tackle from Ohio to keep him in check.