College Football National Championship: 5 keys to victory for Alabama vs. Ohio State

Alabama key to victory No. 4: Control interior on defense

When you look at what Ohio State did to Clemson, people are going to point to the success Justin Fields had throwing the ball as the primary reason for the Buckeyes’ success offensively. And make no mistake, the Buckeyes passing game and dynamic quarterback are extremely dangerous. But the consistent success of Trey Sermon in the rushing attack was evident as well.

That’s something that emerged for Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game as the running back ripped off over 330 yards on the ground to carry his team to the conference championship. He followed that up in the Sugar Bowl with 31 carries for 193 yards and a touchdown. And while he’s talented in his own right, a major portion of the credit goes to the Ohio State offensive line.

The Buckeyes have been dominant at the line of scrimmage, particularly on the interior with star guards Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers. If Alabama wants to limit the OSU attack, they need to force them to be as one-dimensional as possible. And that starts with not getting dominated on the interior in the trenches.

Alabama has the horse on the defensive line to push Davis and Myers and create a push. Christian Barmore has come along incredibly well this season in a larger role while Crimson Tide stalwarts such as DJ Dale and Phidarian Mathis continue to make their presence felt. These players need to use the depth on the defensive line and their talent to, in essence, limit the space that Sermon has to work with in the run game.