Clemson has mastered stealing opponents' offensive signals over the years.
Clemson's defense could not contain Ohio State during Friday night's Sugar Bowl, and quarterback Justin Fields revealed the Buckeyes used one simple adjustment to thwart Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
Ohio State, which prefers a no-huddle offense sometimes, noticeably huddled up more than usual in the College Football Playoff semifinal game.
After Ohio State's 49–28 win, reporters asked Fields if the decision was in response to Clemson's regular sign swiping.
"Yeah, we just didn't want them stealing our signals," Fields said, via 247Sports. "And that's pretty much why we huddled up a little bit more than we usually do."
Earlier this season, Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde explored how Clemson has mastered stealing an opponent's offensive signals, which is legal. While the Tigers' methods weren't exactly a secret in college football, opposing teams hadn't openly addressed it. Clemson's steal-signing skills are possible due to its large staff that can allocate time and resources to the craft. Venables is a notably late defensive play-caller, usually waiting to see how the offense lines up and then firing off his own signals and calls in the few seconds he has before the ball is snapped.
Prior to the Sugar Bowl, coach Ryan Day acknowledged that Venables is often aware of his opponents' signs.
"He seems to always know exactly what the other team is doing…why that is I don't really know,” Day said. "But I can tell you he's been doing it for a long time."
Ohio State faced Clemson in last year's Fiesta Bowl and used the 29–23 loss as motivation throughout the 2020 season. This season, Fields outdueled Lawrence in a heroic performance despite linebacker James Skalski barreling his helmet into the quarterback's right side in the first half. Fields completed 22 of 28 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns with one interception, helping the Buckeyes claim a spot in the national championship game.