STROUD TO STOVER
Cade Stover is selected 123rd overall in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Texans, reuniting him with C.J. Stroud.
The Cotton Bowl is upon us.
It may not be a College Football Playoff semifinal but it's one last chance to see Ohio State play football this season and it comes against a legit opponent in No. 9 Missouri.
The Tigers bring an explosive offense that figures to give Ohio State's defense its toughest test of the season, at least at the skill positions.
Meanwhile, Ryan Day's offense will feature Devin Brown at quarterback, making his first career start. And while the Buckeyes will be without Marvin Harrison Jr., Brown will have plenty of skill position talent to throw and hand off to in what should be a hotly contested game.
So how will Ohio State handle Mizzou's offensive skill? What can we expect from Brown?
For answers to those questions and more, I welcome 11W's own Ramzy Nasrallah, Matt Gutridge and Josh Poloha to a special Cotton Bowl roundtable.
At least for Friday night, Devin Brown is Ohio State's starting quarterback and it seems like Ryan Day is hoping Brown seizes the moment in spades. What kind of night do you expect from Brown? Can he put on a performance that puts him in the driver's seat entering 2024? Do you want to see Lincoln Keinholz get some run and if so, how much?
Ramzy: I expect Brown to get after it. There’s no reward for playing it safe, no benefit to leaning on the checkdown too often, no next game to think about, no downside to taking smart chances - and this is basically the first interview for the impending QB battle with the other candidates locked out of the room. If Brown is cooking and the Buckeyes are performing well but not running away in a laugher then there’s no reason to see Lincoln until the Spring Game.
Josh: I think Devin Brown will be a nice game manager with his arm but use his legs and RPO/running ability to really make Ohio State fans realize just how important that is, even if it's just the threat of a quarterback that's able to run the ball on his own. He certainly has the confidence to lead the offense, as he has alluded to while talking to the media leading up to Friday night's game, but the confidence must turn into being able to lead OSU's offense on the field as well. II'd love to see Lincoln Keinholz get some non-garbage time snaps but it seems as though that's not going to happen unless Brown is struggling, so here's to hoping that doesn't happen.
Matt: There was a reason Ryan Day went with Kyle McCord as the starting quarterback this season; he was better than Brown. With McCord not on the sidelines, the last four weeks could have provided Brown an opportunity to grow. Hopefully, this growth leads to him playing with more confidence and competence than he showed at the beginning of the season. Brown’s performance against Missouri will likely hinge on play-calling and the offensive line keeping him clean.
I would love to see Keinholz get playing time and I’m hoping he gets at least 20 percent of the snaps. The Cotton Bowl is an excellent opportunity to see what both guys can do before Air Noland comes in and shakes up the pecking order.
Despite not meaning a ton specific to the 2023 season, I feel like this is a big game for Ohio State's evolution moving into 2024. I'm excited to see some guys play a ton of snaps that project to be major players next season. Who are a couple dudes you're focusing on in this game and why?
Matt: Carnell Tate and Jelani Thurman. Tate caught at least one pass in 10 of 12 games, had an impressive seven-game catch streak and finished the regular season with 17 receptions. Tate quietly ranks fifth for receptions by a true freshman in Ohio State history, only trailing Cris Carter (41), David Boston (33), Garrett Wilson (30) and Ted Ginn Jr. (25). With Harrison Jr. likely not playing tonight, Tate might be in a position to have a coming-out party in the Cotton Bowl.
With this being Cade Stover’s last game, Thurman probably won’t get much, if any, playing time. However, he is physically different from most players on the field. Thurman has soft hands and is hard to bring down, making him a matchup problem for defenses. I’m hoping he gets unleashed on the Tigers tonight.
Ramzy: I’m keen to see the post-Eichenberg/Chambers linebacker situation, so Cody Simon - a known and reliable commodity - with hopefully CJ Hicks. The two incumbents really atrophied as the season wore on and it came to a head in Ann Arbor where Michigan’s 2nd half strategy was exploiting Ohio State’s middle linebacker who was playing with one arm - they just ran everything right at him. Appreciate their contributions to the program but I cannot remember a game-changing play either of them made after September. Missouri is going to run the ball a lot so seeing someone at the second level who doesn’t hit the wrong gap, take himself out of the action - or playing with only one arm - will be a nice springboard for 2024.
Josh: While a Cotton Bowl win and trophy isn't necessarily that important for the future of the program, it's evident that the Buckeyes want to win in order to not finish the season with two consecutive losses for the second straight year. In terms of players, Devin Brown, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and others stick out for me, but I'm just really looking forward to the young players and guys who will be very important to a successful season in 2024 abe to get plenty of snaps in the Cotton Bowl.
Missouri is approaching this matchup like a CFP battle and the Tigers boast a legit offense led by quarterback Brady Cook, tailback Cody Schrader and wideout Luther Burden. Will Ohio State's defense be up to the task? What concerns you most about Mizzou's offense? Will the run defense, pass defense or an overall motivation to perform be exposed?
Josh: The Silver Bullets will be up to the task, especially considering that it seems as though there won't be any non-injury opt-outs on that side of the ball. Missouri's offense will be Ohio State's biggest test of the season defensively, as Brady Cook can make plays with both his arm and his legs, Cody Schrader is a shifty running back and Luther Burden is one of the best wide receivers in the country this season. The Buckeyes will need to contain Cook's ability to run the ball and keep him in the pocket in order to stop the Tigers' offense.
Matt: Georgia and Middle Tennessee State – yes, Middle Tennessee State – were the only teams to hold Missouri under 30 points this season. The Tigers are a legitimate test for Jim Knowles’ defense, but the Buckeyes are hungry to get a bad taste out of their mouth.
It should be a good night for the defense if Ohio State can limit the big plays, make Missouri one-dimensional and force the Tigers into 3rd and long situations.
Ramzy: Sure, I’ll be the guy who gets screencapped and ridiculed after the game by opposing fans for disparaging their team. Luther Burden is supposed to be good, he’s one of Missouri's two 5-star players - Mookie Cooper, who couldn’t see the field at Ohio State, is Missouri’s fifth best prospect. Cody Schrader is older than Chase Young, so forgive me for continuing to be unimpressed by adults playing college football - just wrap him up, guys. This is Missouri’s Super Bowl, which is funny because the Tigers couldn’t win the Gasparilla Bowl last year. Or the Armed Forces Bowl the year prior, or the Liberty Bowl before that or the Texas Bowl in 2017 when Schrader was finishing up high school. This will shock no one reading this, but Ohio State is a Super Bowl for most teams - not just Missouri. The Buckeyes are used to facing try-hards, and they consistently beat them.
Missouri is 3-star heaven. I expect them to play their asses off and still lose, which is what the Tigers do in the postseason. This is a program that consistently falls short in bowl games Ohio State would respectfully decline an invitation to play in, so let’s be serious. The Buckeyes will basically be playing Purdue-on-a-good-day in Dallas. Ohio State should win that game, no matter how lousy the aftertaste from November might still be. The negativity between your ears (and mine) aren't suiting up for this one, thankfully.
While the Cotton Bowl is just an exhibition, the CFP semifinals take place on Monday. Who do you like in the Alabama (+1.5) versus Michigan headliner in the Rose Bowl? What about Washington (+3.5) versus Texas in the Sugar? Finally, who ultimately prevails as the national champion? Bonus: Is Harbaugh Michigan's head coach next season?
Ramzy: I like Alabama in the Rose Bowl because Michigan wins bowl games even less often than Missouri does, and I also have no intention of imagining a world where Michigan is playing for a national title. I like Washington in the Sugar Bowl because of its 23-year old quarterback, which - whatever. I’ll take the Huskies to win it all. As for Michigan, if they’re still wrapped up in NFL departure language for Jim Harbaugh’s contract extension, that’s telling. I’m less interested in who their coach is next year and more interested in what the next Notice of Allegations letter contains.
Josh: Roll Tide and go Huskies! I just want to see Michigan and Quinn Ewers lose and please don't let either of them win a championship. I have Washington beating Alabama for the title and no, Harbaugh will be in the NFL within the next couple of months.
Matt: I’ll go with Alabama and Texas winning. I’m rooting for Washington, but Texas’ balanced offense might be too much for the Pac-12 champions. Saban’s success speaks for itself. Alabama wins it all and I’m hoping it’s Saban’s swan song.
Harbaugh will pull a Pete Carroll and leave Ann Arbor in ruins as he bolts for the NFL like the weird backward piece of shit that he is. He should be fired after the NCAA investigations if he doesn’t leave.
With Kyle McCord transferring, a lack of clarity on opt outs, a national question of whether Ohio State really wants to be there while the Tigers will be on tilt, and Mizzou suffering some defensive injuries, the line has gone up and down since the pairing was announced. Right now, Ohio State is back to being a modest 2.5-point favorite. Do the Buckeyes cover? Give us your final score and game MVP.
Matt: Ohio State did not achieve its primary goals for the season. With that in mind, Ohio State has done well in NY6 bowl games when not making the College Football Playoff. Since the 2014 season, Ohio State has played in four NY6 bowl games and won them all. Hoping the Buckeyes’ record improves to 5-0 tonight. Ohio State wins 27-17 and TreVeyon Henderson gets the MVP hardware.
Ramzy: Ohio State 35, Missouri 24. Buckeyes haven’t lost a game to a less-talented team since Oregon in 2021, back when Ohio State’s defense was as poorly coached as its Special Teams are now. Prior to that, it was 2018 at Purdue. We know the types of games Ohio State loses, and this isn’t among them. The Tigers have like 60 guys on their roster who are three stars or lower, and the SEC East is basically the B1G West plus Georgia. Whoever lines up next to Brown will get a nice little trophy for his efforts. TreVeyon Henderson gets the MVP unless he doesn’t play, in which case it’s Dallan Hayden.
Josh: Give me Ohio State over Missouri, 27-24. The Buckeyes will cover and hit the over.
