Sugar Bowl 2021: Individual Matchups to Watch in Ohio State vs. Clemson

The Clemson Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinal round for the third time and the second consecutive year at the Sugar Bowl. 

Some of the key figures from Clemson's Fiesta Bowl triumph are still on the roster and could do plenty of damage to the Buckeyes defense. 

Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne may cause nightmares to the Ohio State defense, but the key matchup for Clemson to win features its top wideout going up against a potential first-round draft pick. 

For the Big Ten champion to beat Clemson for the first time in the playoff, it needs to win the rushing battle through Trey Sermon, but that will be tough to do against the Tigers defense. 

Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson vs. Shaun Wade, DB, Ohio State

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

We did not get to see much of Shaun Wade facing Clemson's top wideout, Tee Higgins, in the Fiesta Bowl last season since the Buckeyes defensive back was ejected for targeting in the first half. 

On Friday, Wade will get a chance to redeem himself in a showdown with Amari Rodgers, who had a single catch for 38 yards in last season's win over the Big Ten side. Etienne and 2020 second-round pick Tee Higgins led Clemson in receiving. 

Rodgers was elevated to the No. 1 wide receiver spot after Higgins was drafted and Justyn Ross was ruled out for the season before it began. He is 34 receiving yards shy of 1,000 and hauled in seven scoring catches. 

The senior wideout had eight receptions and 121 yards in the ACC Championship game, and he had a season 134 yards in the first meeting against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

If Wade takes away Lawrence's top target, Clemson's passing game will have to adjust to feature another wide receiver, or Etienne, like the 2019 Fiesta Bowl. 

Wade had three passes defended and a pair of interceptions in Big Ten play, and he tied his season high in tackles in the Big Ten Championship game. 

If Rodgers wins the individual battle, Lawrence could combine with him on a consistent basis and lead Clemson on a few scoring drives in the first half. 

A strong start from Wade in the matchup may lead to Ohio State earning an advantage, like it did in last season's matchup. When he exited, Clemson moved within two points at halftime and then outscored the Buckeyes 15-7 in the second half. 

Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State vs. James Skalski, LB, Clemson

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Trey Sermon's success on the ground was the reason Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship game.

The transfer from Oklahoma produced 331 yards on 29 carries and found the end zone on two occasions. His rushing yard total nearly doubled the amount he recorded in the first five games of the regular season. 

Sermon has playoff experience from his first two years at Oklahoma, but he was not the feature back in either of those games. 

James Skalski has been the focal point of the Clemson defense for quite some time, and he should be tasked with keeping Sermon at bay.

Skalski came up with five tackles and a sack in the ACC Championship game, and he made nine tackles in the Fiesta Bowl triumph against Ohio State. 

Ohio State ran for 196 yards in last season's meeting, with J.K. Dobbins earning 174. Justin Fields managed just 13 yards on 14 carries. 

If Skalski helps Clemson hold Sermon in check for most of the contest, the Tigers will force Fields to beat them with his arm. They picked off the Buckeyes quarterback twice last December, and he is prone to turnovers. 

By shutting down Sermon, the Clemson pass rush could get to Fields and force him into a fumble, or a bad decision that leads to an interception that could reverse the momentum in the game. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.