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College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Ohio State vs. Texas: Key Players, Matchups for the Cotton Bowl

Who are the key players and matchups for the Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas?

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Nov 9
Nov 9

By Patrick Weider

Ohio State Offense vs. Texas Defense 

Breakdown: Ohio State’s offense has been on fire the last two weeks in the College Football Playoffs. They put up 42 points against Tennessee and 41 points against Oregon. In both games, they adjusted and came out throwing the ball after they struggled to do that against Michigan in a 13-10 loss to finish the regular season. Talented wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the best wide receiver in College Football, leads them. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has been playing great by throwing to Smith, and Emeka Egbuka, the other talented Buckeye wide receiver. The Ohio State offensive line has continued to play well in both games as well. 

Texas’s defense has struggled the last two weeks after being dominant most of the year. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-24 loss in the 1st round of the College Football playoffs. Then, against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, Texas dominated most of the game until late in the game when Arizona State scored 16 straight points to send it to overtime. Sun Devil running back Cam Skattebo put on one of the best games I have ever seen by rushing for 143 yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, and throwing for a touchdown pass. The Texas defense is excellent, and they should give Ohio State some trouble if they can clean up their issues from the previous two games.

Ohio State Offensive Key Player

Jeremiah Smith is the ultimate cheat code for Ohio State. He is just a freshman and can do it all at the wide receiver position. His size, strength, and speed are incredible. Against Tennessee, he caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Playing only in 3 quarters of action. Against Oregon he was even better, catching seven passes for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. The other thing is Ohio State has moved Smith around in the last two playoff games. This makes it harder for the defense to defend him.

In the post above, The Athletics’ Dane Brugler breaks down Smith’s 2nd touchdown. His ability to run past defenders is great, but his subtle movements as a wide receiver are incredible at this early of his career. If Texas wins this game, they need to find a way to slow down Smith. 

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Texas Defensive Key Player

Jahdae Barron won the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back this season. Barron is the leader of this defense and a good player who does a great job of coming up-field to make tackles in the open field and as a pass defender. He seems like he is all over the field for the Texas defense. He had 47 tackles, nine pass breakups, and three sacks in the year. He does a great job of coming down in the box and taking away passing lanes. Barron is a special defensive player for Texas. 

In the clip above, you see how talented a player Barron is. He does a great job flying around and making plays on the ball thrown in his direction. His ability to make a play on anything thrown near him is special. Barron is also a good tackler, especially in the open field. 

Texas Offense vs. Ohio State Defense

Breakdown: The Texas offense has been very up and down this season. Quarterback Quinn Ewers has had his ups and downs this season, battling injuries but overall hasn’t played great as well as expected. The other part of the Texas offense that has struggled is the rushing attack. Against Clemson, they rushed for 292 yards. However, last week against Arizona State they rushed for only 53 yards. Texas has battled injuries at running back and offensive lines but have also been not very up and down as an offense. If they are going to beat Ohio State, the offense will need to play their best game of the year.

The Ohio State defense meanwhile has been one of the best in College Football this year. They are first in college football in points allowed and yards allowed. During the first two playoff games, they did not miss a beat and seemed to even pick it up to another level. Against Oregon in the Rose Bowl, they sacked Dillon Gabriel eight times and held Oregon to an eye-popping -23 yards of rushing during the game. 

Texas Offensive Key Player

If Texas is going to knock off Ohio State and win this game, then QB Quinn Ewers needs to play his best game of the season. Against Arizona State, Ewers was at his best at the end of the game. Needing a conversion to keep the game alive Ewers threw a touchdown pass on 4th and 13. It was the most clutch throw of the former Buckeye’s career. He then followed it up with the game-winning touchdown in the next overtime. Ewers needs to come out and play well and have no lulls in his play and play a complete game if Texas wins this game.

Ohio State Key Defensive Player

Caleb Downs is Ohio State’s best defensive player. Like Barron of Texas, his ability to cover ground and make plays as a defensive back is impressive. In the two playoff games Ohio State has moved him to a hybrid position where he plays as safety in the middle of the field in a three-safety package. This has allowed him to read and react to the play and come up-field in the passing and rushing games. Oregon’s crossing routes were largely taken away because of Downs. He will need to continue playing at a high level going forward. 

In the play above you can see exactly what I was talking about. Downs plays as a robber defender and comes down in the box. He then goes and takes away any crossing routes Gabriel is trying to throw, and he is forced to throw a low-percentage pass play to a covered receiver. Downs is incredible at taking away passing lanes for a quarterback over the middle of the field. 

Final Thoughts

The four players I identified will play a huge role in this game. Jeremiah Smith is the best wide receiver in College Football and has been on a tear for the Buckeyes in the playoffs. Jahdae Barron is a great defensive back, who will be in charge or trying to stop Smith. Quinn Ewers needs to play the best game of his career against a talented Buckeye defense. Finally, Caleb Downs is a great defender for the Buckeyes. Ohio State is the favorite to win this game by roughly 5.5 points, but Texas is more than capable of winning the game themselves.

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