COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football’s defensive line has no Heisman Trophy finalist this season, or probably even a first-round pick in April’s NFL Draft. The Buckeyes knew that coming into the season. Front seven success would likely result from former role players and steady veterans maximizing their performance. Along the way, players such as Jonathon Cooper and Haskell Garrett forced their way in to down-ballot All-America recognition. Friday’s 49-28 victory over Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl may have been the best example yet of the season-long all that unit has built. Clemson managed a paltry 44 yards on its 22 rushing attempts. The Buckeyes sacked Trevor Lawrence twice but kept pressuring him, and half of the team’s six pass breakups came from the defensive line. Rather than single out any one player among its Players of the Game, Ohio State opted to recognize…
Continue Reading: Ohio State football’s defensive line stifled Clemson and Trevor Lawrence in the Sugar Bowl
