Ohio State coach reveals breakout starter who will be x-factor in rematch with Oregon
The Ohio State Buckeyes are hoping the old adage of beating an opponent twice is the most difficult task in football. Their upcoming showdown in the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks is arguably the season's biggest game yet. Ohio State must learn from its heartbreaking 32-31 loss to Oregon. Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes are hoping the old adage of beating an opponent twice is the most difficult task in football. Their upcoming showdown in the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks is arguably the season's biggest game yet. Ohio State must learn from its heartbreaking 32-31 loss to Oregon.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles revealed that Jermaine Mathews Jr. is part of their answer to slow Oregon's powerful offense. Mathews didn't play in their previous matchup, but he's taken on a bigger role as the season has progressed.
Mathews being named as the Buckeyes' x-factor is a little unexpected. While he's 13th in snaps for the Buckeyes' defense, it's not as if he's actually been a starter for the team. He's trailing Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock, and Denzel Burke in snaps, so a fourth corner isn't a real starter.
However, there's no doubt he's been effective and probably should have unseated Burke and/or Hancock for snaps already. He's allowed only 94 receiving yards on 11 receptions, plus committed only one penalty.
Mathews has logged more snaps since the middle of the season, a promising development for a coaching staff that has struggled to integrate young players into the lineup before its their turn to start. Starting in Week 9 against Nebraska, he's played 35, 15, 40, 36, 26, 16, and 27 snaps.
There's still an uneven trend there, where he played his fewest snaps against Penn State and Michigan, so it's fair to wonder whether Mathews will be relegated again in this big matchup. But then again, maybe he saw the field less because Penn State had fewer plays, and Michigan went heavy the entire time.
Someone has to step up for the Buckeyes to win in the margins. If its the sophomore corner, then so be it. The Buckeyes simply care about getting to the next round of the College Football Playoff.
