What to Know About Ohio State Ahead Of Cotton Bowl Matchup Against Missouri

Get to know the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes before their matchup with the No. 9 Missouri Tigers in the 88th Annual Cotton Bowl Classic.

For the first time since 1998, the Missouri Tigers will be facing off against the Ohio State Buckeyes when the two schools meet in the 88th annual Cotton Bowl on Friday. Though Missouri will be playing with very little change to their team from the regular season, Ohio State has had an eventful December leading up to this Friday's game. Here's what to know about the new-wrinkles on Ohio State ahead of the team's matchup with Missouri.

Changing of the Guards

With Ohio State's 2023 starter Kyle McCord transferring to Syracuse, sophomore Devin Brown will play in the Cotton Bowl in hopes to build his resume for the 2024 starting job. The No. 6 quarterback prospect in the class of 2022 appeared in five games in 2023, mainly being used in a goal line run package where he rushed for 35 yards on 19 attempts. Though this package provided Brown a role on the 2023 team, he was injured on a rush in Ohio State's week 7 game against Penn State.

Brown competed with McCord for the starting job this offseason but did not win the crown. While it will undoubtedly be a challenge for Ohio State to adjust to a new signal caller through the chaos of a game, Missouri will be facing an unknown threat. It's difficult to prepare for a quarterback who has only thrown 22 passes in his college career. But the Tigers don't seem to be too tripped up with the challenge. Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker spoke about the unique preparation required for a quarterback's debut start.

“We mostly looked at what he's done this year and I think he had like 76 snaps or something on the season," Baker said. "Then you kind of blend that with what they already do and maybe some things differently than they may do based off of his skill set.”

Missouri senior safety JC Carlies also talked about the preparation for Brown along with the importance of quickly adjusting in game to the quarterback's tendencies.

"It's definitely a challenge because you don't know their (Brown's) strengths and weaknesses," Carlies said. "It's also fun just trying to figure out the quarterback throughout the game. Figure out the tendencies and what they like to do. As we're going through this process, we're treating it like we do anybody else. Going through the motions of preparing for quarterbacks who we might have played before."

Wide Receiver Room is Still Strong Without Harrison Jr.

Even Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline couldn't help but smile when quipping back to a reporter with "how do you know Marv's not playing?" 

Hartline knows it, Missouri's defense knows it, you probably know it; there's a very slim chance that wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. ends up playing for Ohio State on Friday. Missouri is still preparing as if Harrison Jr. will be playing in order to not be caught off guard.

"It really doesn't make a difference," Missouri cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine said. "Because I feel like he was going to play anyway, so we prepare for him to play."

The Heisman Trophy finalist was present at practices for the team on Tuesday and Wednesday but was not participating in any drills (unless you consider leisure work on an exercise bike to be important prep work). There is not much more for the junior to gain in his college football career.

Despite the expected absence of Harrison Jr., Missouri is not taking the rest of the Buckeyes' receiving corps lightly. Baker even commented that he believes Ohio State has one of the best, if not the best wide receiver groups in the entire country. 

"The unique thing about the receiving corps is they're all very, very unique," Baker said. "What I mean by that, they have got great length at one receiver. They have got great speed at another receiver. They have got great wiggle with a third receiver. So it's a matchup nightmare, it really is. They're extremely explosive."

The main weapon for Ohio State's offense with Harrison Jr. out of the conversation is junior Emeka Ebugka. Coming off of a 1,000 yard season in 2022, Ebugka missed three games in 2023 but still compiled 35 receptions for 452 yards and four touchdowns. The slot-receiver thrives when utilizing pre-snap motion in the backfield.

"He's a great player," Baker said of Ebugka. "the way they move him around and the way they move 0 (Xavier Johnson) around, they definitely present issues."

Friday's Cotton Bowl will also provide the opportunity for many of Ohio State's younger pass catchers to earn increased opportunities, most notably five-star freshman Carnell Tate. He appeared in 10 games for the Buckeyes in 2023, grabbing 17 receptions for 260 yards. Tate's best performance came in week 6 against Purdue when he found three receptions, including one that he took for a 55-yard touchdown.

"Smash-mouth" Defense

If you erase a demoralizing loss to No. 3 Michigan from the stat sheet, Ohio State's defense put together an impressive 2023 season. The loss against the Wolverines was the first time all season that the Buckeyes had allowed more than 17 points, averaging just 9.3 points allowed per game in the first 11. 

One of the leaders for the Buckeyes defense is linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, who led Ohio State in tackles for a second year in a row.

"It starts with personnel," Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore said. "They've got some pretty good players right up front. Linebackers, specifically (Eichenberg) does a great job in terms of play recognition."

Eichenberg's for Friday's game, however, is "up in the air", according to Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. The fifth-year player has been dealing with an arm injury since Ohio State's week 11 game with Rutgers. If Eichenberg is unavailable, it will likely be senior Cody Simon getting the starting nod at inside linebacker.

In front of Eichenberger is a physically dominant defensive line that only allowed two 100-yard rushing performances all season. The brick wall of the Buckeye's line though will be met by the unstoppable force of Missouri's bowling ball running back Cody Schrader.

"They play smash-mouth football," Schrader said. "That D line is special. I think they're a really good group, really dominant group. They play behind their four-man rush. It's going to be a challenge for us."

The classic Big 10, physical playing style mixed with sound coaching from the coaching veteran Knowles has combined for one of the most toughest and mistake free defenses in college football.

"Their relentless effort on defense," Missouri wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. said. "They play really hard on defense. They rally to the ball really well. Just how comfortable you can see they are in their scheme. I can tell they take a lot of time with film."

The No. 9 Missouri Tigers will face off against the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes in the 88th annual Cotton Bowl on Friday, Dec. 29 at AT&T Stadium. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.

Missouri Defensive Players and Coordinator Blake Baker Preview Ohio State Offense