Ohio State is set to have one big problem to deal with against Oregon that they didn’t have to last time
When Ohio State and Oregon face off on Saturday in Pasadena, California at the Rose Bowl, the stakes are going to be a whole lot higher than when the teams met in October. Oregon won that game, 32-31, and held off Ohio State at the very end when the Buckeyes had a chance to win […]
When Ohio State and Oregon face off on Saturday in Pasadena, California at the Rose Bowl, the stakes are going to be a whole lot higher than when the teams met in October.
Oregon won that game, 32-31, and held off Ohio State at the very end when the Buckeyes had a chance to win it. At that time, it appeared that the Ducks and Buckeyes could play potentially three times. Ohio State’s loss to Michigan shut down the chance of that happening.
The Buckeyes are going to face a better Oregon defense this go around and one reason is the fact that they will pass rusher Jordan Burch healthy this time. Burch did not play in the meeting on Oct. 12 and the Ducks sacked Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard just once.
This time around Burch is ready to be out there and he is a force that Ohio State has to worry about. Burch has 8.5 sacks in nine games this season. It has been a breakout year for Burch, even though he has been sidelined a bit.
"I think just his size and athleticism. God doesn't make a lot of people that look like Jordan Burch. I think when people see him they're always surprised to hear that he's almost 300 pounds because he looks really good at his size,” Oregon HC Dan Lanning said Monday. “But he plays like a beast on the field. Relentless effort and the fact that we have great depth and several guys that can play edge positions for us, it allows us to make sure that when he's on the field, he's fresh. And a fresh Jordan Burch is really dangerous."
Ohio State has Donovan Jackson handling left tackle since Josh Simmons went down for the season in the first matchup between these two teams. Josh Fryar has been the right tackle all season for the Buckeyes. Against Tennessee, the Buckeyes did not give up a single sack against a very good defensive line. It was a promising effort, to say the least.
Burch didn’t play the first time around, so he will surely want to leave his mark this time when the stakes are much higher. Expect the Buckeyes to take him into account with their offensive game plan.
