Matchups to Watch Between No. 9 Missouri Tigers Offense, No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes Defense

The upcoming meeting of the Missouri Tigers offense and Ohio State Buckeyes defense in the 2023 Cotton Bowl will bring some key pairings between the two teams.

The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes will travel south to Arlington, Texas next week for the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl against the No. 9 Missouri Tigers.

Aside from the game being an almost-even pairing in terms of the rankings, the Buckeyes and Tigers match up extremely well in key areas across the field.

One such example is at the quarterback position, where Missouri's Brady Cook will have to evade Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg all game long. Eichenberg leads the Buckeyes defense with 80 tackles over the course of the season and is a nightmare for opposing signal-callers.

Another battle on which to keep an eye is Tigers receiver Luther Burden III against the Buckeyes' defensive secondary. Safety Josh Proctor and cornerback Denzel Burke will need to account for the explosive speed of Burden as they work to limit his gains down the field.

Finally, Missouri running back Cody Shrader will need to be aware of Ohio State defensive linemen Mike Hall Jr. and Tyleik Williams for each of the contest's four quarters. 

Shrader leads the Tigers with 1,489 rushing yards (running back Nathaniel Peat is second with 317 yards), but will have to break through the wall of Hall and Williams in order to add to that impressive total.

The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 9 Missouri Tigers conclude their 2023 seasons against one another in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Friday, December 29. Live coverage of the game will air nationally from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.