Three matchups to monitor.
We’re now counting the hours down until Tennessee’s first ever College Football Playoff game. The Volunteers will head north to Columbus to take on Ohio State at The Shoe in the 8/9 matchup. The winner will move on to face Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
These are two of college football’s most iconic brands, meeting for just the second time ever. Both teams are loaded with talent, each landing with 10-2 records and narrowly missing out on their own respective conference title games.
Ohio State is a 7.5 point favorite entering the weekend. Let’s take a look at some matchups that might just determine the night.
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee offensive front vs. Ohio State defensive front
Lots of outsiders are surprised to learn that Tennessee is a run-first football team, despite the spread and the offensive pace. That pace has actually slowed down quite a bit this season as Josh Heupel breaks in a redshirt freshman at quarterback, but that decision has allowed Tennessee to lean more on standout running back Dylan Sampson.
Running behind a veteran offensive line, Sampson has put up 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. Set to play in a frigid, 20 degree setting on Saturday night against the best statistical defense in the land, getting Sampson rolling early will be a major key for Tennessee success.
Ohio State gives up just under 100 yards per game on the ground with opponents averaging just 2.85 yards per carry. Led by interior stud Tyleik Williams and a host of talent at linebacker, the Tennessee offensive line will have their hands full in the trenches.
“They have really good players across the board,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said. “They roll out there, they play an extremely aggressive brand of defense. They pressure a bunch. They’ll come, they’ll press their corners, they’ll press their safeties (and) their nickel. They let their defensive linemen change up their rush techniques. Everything they do is designed to try and create negatives and to try and take the will of an offense. They present a very unique challenge. They’re a really good defense. That’s why, as you said, their numbers are at the top if not the top of every defensive category.”
If Tennessee can get Sampson established at all, you have to like their chances at walking away with a win on Saturday night.
Jermod McCoy vs. Jeremiah Smith
If Ohio State is going to manufacture a big play, true freshman Jeremiah Smith is a good bet to get the target. The former five-star prospect checks in at 6-3, 215 pounds and would provide a challenge for any cornerback in the country.
Luckily for Tennessee, they’ve found their own shutdown guy in Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy. The sophomore cornerback has been a standout performer all season long for the Volunteers, making impact play after impact play to keep Tennessee’s season alive. Massive moments against Alabama and Vanderbilt from McCoy really helped define this season and turn things around in key spots.
Tennessee might have to have another one of those moments on Saturday.
“We have a lot of trust in those guys,” Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said of his cornerbacks. “Obviously, you breed confidence by your play. Those guys have played extremely well all year. Anytime you’ve got good corners it takes some stress off other positions and allows us to do other things schematically. But, we’re going to need everybody. We’re going to need the corners, we’re going to need the front and the linebackers to be successful in this game. Like I said earlier, having those guys on those edges is definitely a help sake for us.”
Smith leads Ohio State in receiving with 934 yards and ten touchdowns on the year. We’re expecting a lot of this game to play out on the ground, but keeping Smith blanketed and not giving up the big play is another key.
Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson vs. Tennessee’s run defense
Perhaps the most important matchup of the weekend — Tennessee can’t let Ohio State get going on the ground. Michigan shut down the rushing attack and it let to an ugly 13-10 win. Nebraska did the same and had a chance to pull the upset a few weeks ago.
Shutting down Ohio State on the ground is easier said than done. They feature two elite backs that have combined for over 1,500 yards on the year so far. Tennessee has been fantastic up front for much of the season, but they’ve also had their moments where they’ve been gashed on the ground. As we’ve seen all year long though, Tennessee’s defensive line depth eventually wins out. That’s the plan once again here in what should be a game won in the trenches.
Tennessee ranks eighth in the nation in run defense, giving up 101 yards per game on the ground. If the Volunteers can bottle up Judkins and Henderson, that shifts the pressure back to Will Howard, who has thrown three interceptions in his last two games.
One big note here — Ohio State will be without All-American center Seth McLaughlin, who tore his achilles in practice a few weeks ago. The Buckeyes’ struggles on the ground against Michigan could be traced back to that late-season development, and Ohio State will face a similarly physical front this weekend.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on ABC.