Guest Panel-Bowl Games Final Standings

Below are the final standings for the Guest Panel Bowl Game competition. Congrats to Funtik the Hog for his victory in the Buckeye Pregame Guest Panel Bowl Game Competition! He will receive an OSU shirt and a certificate. Thanks to the guest panel for another great bowl game season of picks and funny and insightful commentary.

Check back in August for the return of the Guest Panel

Bowl Game Final Standings:

1. Funtik the Hog (24-11)

2. Corso (19-16)

2. Philly Cheese (19-16)

4. Batman (18-17)

4. Old Bag (18-17)

6. Hudy (17-18)

7. Mel Kiper (16-19)

8. Cliff Diving Raoul (14-21)

What to Expect

Concerns for Ohio State
The game is expected to be a shootout. First Ohio State has looked vulnerable on defense late in this season, especially to the pass. Second Clemson has a great combination of quarterback and receivers. Third Ohio State is missing two starters who are critical to the pass defense.

Concerns for Clemson
Clemson should be vulnerable to the run. The season average of Clemson limiting teams to 152 yards is decent, but teams have had success running the ball as Georgia ran for 222 yards, Syracuse had 323 yards, and Georgia Tech had 248 yards.

The passing defense of Clemson will also be tested. Freshman safety Jayron Kearse will have his third career start. Cornerback Martin Jenkins has been dealing with injuries most of this season and was limited to two starts.

There was one common statistic found in the two Clemson losses this season which was turnovers, a total of ten turnovers in the two games, four against Florida State and six against South Carolina. In the ten victories Clemson only had ten turnovers.

How it Will Play Out

Clemson will move the ball through the air but the running game will be limited. Clemson should have 330 passing yards and 125 rushing yards. Ohio State should play to its strength and that is the running game. Ohio State will have 300 rushing yards and 200 passing yards. Ohio State will win this high scoring affair with a final score of 42-38.

Things to Watch

OSU Leads in BCS Games
Ohio State is tied for the lead nationally with nine appearances in BCS bowl games along with Oklahoma and tied for the lead with five victories in BCS bowl games along with USC.

The Bug
Several Ohio State players have been impacted by a stomach flu this week including Braxton Miller. The team officials claim it is a 24-hour bug and not food poisoning. Miller was back at practice on Tuesday. As of Thursday morning the bug appears to have run its course with only one player experiencing symptoms.

Roster Update
Safety Christian Bryant missed most of the season due to a broken ankle and he won't be available to play. His appeal for a medical redshirt and an additional season has been denied by the NCAA. Linebacker Curtis Grant is still recovering from an ankle and back injury but he is expected to play. The defense will be without two starters. Cornerback Bradley Roby is dealing with a knee injury and will not play Friday. Defensive Lineman Noah Spence did not travel with the team for NCAA violations and will miss the bowl game and two games next season. It has been reported that Spence took an unauthorized nutrition supplement. Freshman Vonn Bell will make his first start at nickle cornerback. Tyvis Powell will move to safety. Armani Reeves will start at cornerback. Jamal Marcus and Steve Miller are available at defensive lineman.

Scouting the Tigers

This Season
Clemson is 10-2 with a conference record of 7-1. The Tigers have victories over Georgia, SC State, NC State, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Boston College, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia Tech, and The Citadel. Clemson had two losses this season to Florida State and South Carolina at the end of the season. The team averaged 172 rushing yards/game, 329 passing yards/game, and 40 points/game. The defense allows 152 rushing yards/game, 198 passing yards/game, and 21 points/game.

Offense

Quarterback Tahj Boyd was recruited by Ohio State but he chose Clemson. Boyd has completed 67% for 3,473, 29 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. At receiver Sammy Watkins and Martavis Byrant have combined for 2037 receiving yards. Watkins has 3071 career reception yards. Watkins had seven 100+ receiving yard games, including two touchdown receptions over 90 yards. Running back Roderick McDowell has run for 956 yards.

Defense
At defensive end is Vic Beasley who has 12 sacks this season, which is 10th in the nation.  Beasley is a first team All American this season. The linebackers lead the team in tackles, including Stephone Anthony who has 120 tackles and Spencer Shuey has 110 tackles.

OSU Last Game

Ohio State won the leaders division and played Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State's winning streak ended at 24 games as Ohio State lost 34-24 to the Spartans. Michigan State had control early scoring the first 17 points. Ohio State finally scored halfway through the second quarter with a touchdown pass between Braxton Miller and Corey Brown. The Buckeyes had a 28-yard field goal to close the half trailing the Spartans 17-10. Ohio State tied the game early in the second half with a eight yard run by Miller. Ohio State took the lead halfway through the third quarter with six yard run by Miller. In its next possession Michigan State completed a 44-yard field goal. Michigan State kept Ohio State off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter and scored fourteen points to seal the victory. Miller and Carlos Hyde both ran over 100-yards and Michigan State running back Jeremy Langford was the first back to run for over 100 yards against Ohio State this season.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 128-24. Meyer is 24-1 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. He is 7-1 in bowl games and 4-0 in BCS bowl games. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Dabo Swinney
In his sixth season as a head coach he is 50-23, all at Clemson. He is 2-3 in bowl games and 0-1 in BCS bowl games. Prior to being a head coach he was an assistant at Clemson and Alabama. He is graduate of Alabama where he played wide receiver in the years 1990-1992.

The Series

This is the second game between Ohio State and Clemson. The previous game occurred in 1978 in the Gator Bowl, which Clemson won 17-15. In that game Ohio State scored first with a field goal at the beginning of the second quarter. Clemson scored its first touchdown halfway through the first quarter. The Buckeyes responded with a touchdown and a failed PAT. It was the first season for freshman quarterback Art Schlichter. Clemson successfully kicked a 47-yard field to close out the half with a lead of 10-9. Clemson had a touchdown in the third quarter and Ohio State was unable to score. In the fourth quarter Ohio State scored a touchdown but failed on the two point conversion. The game appeared to be over until a recovered fumble at the Clemson 24 yard line provided Ohio State an opportunity to take the lead. However that drive ended when Woody Hayes punched Clemson defender Charlie Bauman who had intercepted the pass by Art Schlichter in the final seconds of the game. That interception was the only Ohio State turnover during the game, and Bauman never forced another interception in his college career. It was the first game as a head coach for Danny Ford, who was 30 at the time.