Ohio State Defensive Players and Coordinator Jim Knowles Preview Missouri's Offense
DALLAS — The Ohio State Buckeyes defense, apart from a few drives against Michigan, has been a formidable force all of the 2023 season. Under coordinator Jim Knowles, the Buckeyes allowed the third fewest yards (3,119), and the lowest number of touchdowns (13) in the nation this year.
This Friday, the group will be playing what defensive back Denzel Burke considers one of the best offenses the Buckeyes have faced: No. 9 Missouri. The Tigers offense averaged the 21st most yards per game (441.8) and the 17th most points per game (34) under first-year offensive coordinator Kirby Moore.
The Ohio State defense is not taking the Tigers’ offense lightly ahead of their matchup in the 88th annual Cotton Bowl.
“Very explosive offense, talented team,” safety Josh Proctor said. “Quarterback (Brady Cook) is a 3,000 yard passer, they got a 1,000 yard-rusher (Cody Schrader), a 1,000 yard receiver (Luther Burden). So we gotta come with it. It’s not going to be an easy game and we know that.”
One of Ohio State’s biggest defensive stars is junior defensive back Denzel Burke. The NFL-Draft prospect shines in man coverage, allowing very little space for opposing receivers to operate. He was complimentary of the Tigers’ offensive weapons and creativity in the passing game.
“They use their receivers in a lot of different ways,” Burke said. “Number three (Burden) is all over the place. He's probably the best player on the team. Number seven (Schrader) the running back is a good back, runs hard. Quarterback (Cook) is solid, has a good arm and he can extend plays."
"It's challenging because they do spread the field I think they create openings for their receivers and mismatches," Knowles said. "There is a lot of motions, there's a lot of shifts so they do a great job of getting those guys free."
Linebacker Jack Sawyer was also complimentary of the versatility of Missouri’s offense.
“They kind of do a little bit of everything,” Sawyer said. “This is a really talented group all the way across the board. We’re excited to play against them and compete against them.”
Sawyer wrapped up 44 total tackles in his junior year, 20 more than he did as a sophomore. He made a huge jump in production in 2023, breaking out as one of the top defenders on the elite defense.
One of the top offensive threats Sawyer will have to compete against on Friday is running back Cody Schrader, the leading rusher in the SEC this season. A lot of scouting has been done on Schrader by the Buckeyes, including Sawyer.
“What surprised me is how quick he gets in and out of cuts,” Sawyer said of Schrader. “He puts that foot in the ground, he’s downhill and quick. He’s not going to try to get around you, he’s going to try to run right through your face. As a fan of football, I love running backs like that so it’s going to be fun to go against him.”
The combination of Schrader and Burden produced 2,686 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Missouri offense. Knowles spoke of the multitasking required when faced with the challenge of defending an explosive playmaker in space like Burden and a powerful runner like Schrader.
"It makes things really difficult," Knowles said. "(Schrader is a) great runner downhill, hits the hole fast, can make you pay. So you better be sure in that first. And then how much can you double the receiver and those kind of chances that you can take. You really gotta be judicious with that because you don't want to open yourself up for the easy runs because he's a great back and he'll take advantage of it. It's just a constant game of back and forth because you can't really focus in one area."
