There is something to be said about speed in football. Recruiting the biggest and best athletes gives teams an advantage.

Wins aren’t automatically correlated to the amount of talent on a roster in college football, but again, it helps. Part of having the biggest and fastest athletes on your team can mean that the hits delivered can be massive.

We saw this Saturday night between Ohio State and Clemson. For one, it was a playoff game. Players were jacked up. But, also, these were some of the best players in the sport we got to see. They’re just bigger, faster and more talented than many of the opponents they’ve had to face.

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Against one another, however, neither Ohio State or Clemson held a massive advantage talent-wise.

That said, the Buckeyes can hit. And, hit hard. Clemson felt that throughout the game. Members of the media after the game said it looked like there were major hits taking place on the field.

Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence confirmed as much:

Even Dabo Swinney commented about it:

Ohio State lost, but it certainly left an impression on its opponent. There’s a reason why the Buckeyes are so tough to beat. Maybe part of it is because of how hard they play for 60 minutes of playing time and three-and-a-half hours of real time.

Toughness isn’t everything. But it’s surely something, and the Buckeyes don’t lack toughness.