Beating Bama: Ohio State LB Tuf Borland, RB Trey Sermon explain why Crimson Tide are a challenging matchup

On Monday Ohio State head coach, Ryan Day and several players met with the press, hot off the heels of the Buckeyes blasting of a heavily favored Clemson Tigers team, 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl

As OSU heads into another game as the underdog, Day and his players know they have an uphill battle ahead of them. Linebacker Tuf Borland and running back Trey Sermon added their thoughts on their opponent.

Tuf Borland on Alabama's offense: “Unbelievable talent, unbelievable players.” Agrees with Ryan Day that Ohio State must play its best game to beat Alabama. “We're going to have to find another level, for sure.” pic.twitter.com/sVjsF9qQld

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 4, 2021

Tuf Borland on Justin Fields' performance against Clemson: “One of the gutsiest performances from a player that I can remember in my time here.”

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 4, 2021

Borland was awarded the Sugar Bowl’s Defensive MVP, spearheading the Buckeyes defense that held the explosive Tigers offense and quarterback Trevor Lawrence in check. Borland and the OSU defense kept Clemson to just 44 yards on the ground, and 2.0 yards per carry.

Trey Sermon's media session starts with him being asked about his smirk into the camera on Frdiday night. He said he didn't think he was down, but then saw on the replay that his knee barely touched the ground. pic.twitter.com/722tTHtGv1

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 4, 2021

Coming into the Clemson matchup, Sermon rushed for a school-record 331 yards against a stingy Northwestern defense in the Big Ten Championship Game, and followed up with a 193-yard performance against Clemson. He also added four catches for 61 yards.

Ohio State will have to play at the top of their game to handle Alabama as they did the Tigers, when the two powerhouses kickoff at 8:00pm on Jan. 11, in Miami Gardens, Florida.