Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, the first to take the podium Thursday at Fiesta Bowl media day, set the tone with his first words: “It is a great day to be alive.”
Had Swinney asked, he could have gotten an “Amen!” from those in attendance.
Both sides expressed genuine excitement about what promises to be an epic semifinal matchup Saturday night in the College Football Playoff.
Consider this: Clemson and Ohio State have the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 defenses, based on total yards allowed. They also have quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, who could go No. 1 and No. 2 in the 2021 NFL draft.
“These are two great teams,” Swinney said, “that are kind of mirror images of each other.”
Ohio State coach Ryan Day put it like this: “You talk about a collection of power, speed and strength on both sides, it’s there. Clemson has speed. We have speed. They have a really good quarterback. We have a really good quarterback. It goes back and forth. It is an equated game. It will be fun to watch.”
Here are seven takeaways from media day.
1. Don’t ask Justin Fields about his left knee.
Fields gave an honest assessment Tuesday, saying it’s at 80% to 85% strength: “With treatment and just resting it every day, hopefully it will be better by the game.”
Fields said Ohio State coaches told him not to elaborate at media day, “so I’ll listen to them.”
The knee became an issue in the Buckeyes’ win at Michigan, where Fields had to exit for six plays and returned with a larger, metal brace that offensive linemen favor. He fired a scrambling touchdown pass on his first play back.
Wisconsin sacked Fields five times in the Big Ten title game, but he still threw for 299 yards.
2. Danny Kanell asked Trevor Lawrence, ‘Which receiver is your favorite?’
Kanell, the former Florida State quarterback and ESPN analyst who now hosts a SiriusXM Radio show, got a chuckle from Lawrence for asking a question that would seem to violate the quarterback code.
After Kanell audibled to different categories, Lawrence answered: The fastest is either Amari Rodgers or Frank Ladson Jr. Tee Higgins has the best hands. And Justyn Ross is the best route runner.
3. An Ohio native will take on Chase Young.
As a recruit, Jackson Carman was not shy about offering his thoughts on Ohio State. In September 2017 he tweeted that the Buckeyes “need to put in my bro @dh_simba7 and let him work.” That bro was quarterback Dwayne Haskins, then the backup to J.T. Barrett.
Three months later Carman stunned Buckeyes fans by decommitting from Ohio State to sign with Clemson. This was huge because Carman, a Cincinnati-area native, was the top-ranked player in Ohio in the Class of 2018 and the second-ranked offensive tackle in the nation in the 247Sports.com composite.
After Carman felt some backlash on social media, he tweeted: “I am sincerely bewildered at the negativity displayed by fans towards recruits and their decisions. A young man working hard, achieving his dream, and moving on to the next stage of his life whilst getting a free education — For what reason could a human possibly be mad at that?”
“Whilst” was not a typo.
Now he’s Clemson’s starting left tackle, which means he’ll often duel Saturday with the nation’s top defensive end, Chase Young.
“I’m excited,” Carman said. “He is an amazing player.”
4. The game’s only Chicago-area native has made a name for himself.
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Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this of his starting linebacker: “Yes, he’s tough. He didn’t have a choice.”
Didn’t have a choice because of what Kyle and Jeny Borland opted to name their son: Tuf.
“My dad threw it out there as a joke to my mom, and she went with it,” he said.
The birth certificate read Jared Tuf Borland, but after people mistakenly addressed him as “Jared” in elementary school, the family had it changed. Now Jared is his middle name. And no one calls him that.
Borland flourished at Bolingbrook High School, developing into the fourth-ranked player in Illinois in the Class of 2016 composite rankings. He drew offers throughout the Big Ten and chose Ohio State because “it was the whole package,” he said.
Borland is fourth on the Buckeyes with 52 tackles and received All-Big Ten honorable mention. He tore an Achilles tendon in spring practice in 2018 and didn’t miss a game that fall. So, yes, he has lived up to his name.
5. Robert Landers is an inspiration.
Ohio State’s 285-pound defensive tackle lost his father to gun violence when he was 10. Instead of expressing grief, he held it in. Finally, years later, he asked for help and has become an advocate for those who suffer from depression and anxiety.
His story was told exquisitely on Big Ten Network’s “The Journey,” and Landers said the reception was “amazing.”
“It did what I hoped it would — bring this taboo topic to the front,” Landers said. “It is allowing people to talk about it and express how they feel. The biggest message is: You’re not alone. Even people at the highest caliber on the highest stage struggle with this.”
Landers, who received All-Big Ten honorable mention this season, said of his upbeat, gregarious nature: “People say, ‘God gives you 24 hours,’ but even those 24 hours are not guaranteed. If God has allowed you to wake up, that’s a blessing. I try to count my blessings.”
And rib his teammates. After conducting interviews Thursday, he told defensive lineman Javontae Jean-Baptiste: “I’m teaching you how to do media. Take notes!”
6. The game’s best matchup will come with Clemson on offense.
But as Tigers coach Dabo Swinney sees it, it’s not Trevor Lawrence versus cornerback Jeff Okudah, a projected top-10 pick in the NFL draft.
“It’s must-see TV because our strength is our offensive line and their strength is their defensive line,” Swinney said. “They get a lot of sacks; we don’t give up many. They get a lot of tackles for loss; we don’t give up many.”
Robert Landers was not about to disagree, saying: “This will be won in the trenches. Their O-line is elite. This will be a good challenge for us.”
7. Trevor Lawrence is actually bad at something.
Golf.
He couldn’t protest much after former Clemson receiver Hunter Renfrow told ESPN the Magazine: “He takes 10 practice swings, fixes his hair and takes four more practice swings. He’ll take 45 minutes and shank it.”
Lawrence loves the solitude of the game but acknowledged: “Yeah, I’m terrible, especially now because I haven’t played since the summer. I don’t think I’m that slow, but, yeah, maybe I am.”