Ohio State Buckeyes Corner Jordan Hancock Reflects on Saturday's Win Without Denzel Burke

Hancock said he and his Ohio State Buckeyes teammates missed having Burke in the defensive backfield, but came ready to play without him.

Defense played a major role in the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes win on Saturday over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Buckeyes played one of their best defensive games all season against the Nittany Lions, despite being without several big pieces due to injuries.

One such defensive loss for Ohio State was cornerback Denzel Burke. Fellow cornerback Jordan Hancock told reporters after the game that he and his teammates wished Burke could have played, but they were ready to work regardless of his status.

“We miss Denzel a lot,” Hancock said. “He’s a great cover corner, a lockdown corner on his side, shuts down his whole side of the field. But, we showed up today to play.”

Saturday’s triumph over the No. 7 Nittany Lions was the second time Ohio State defeated a top-ten team this season, including their 17-14 win back in Week Four against the then-No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

Hancock said another victory against a tough opponent is great to have on the Buckeyes’ resume, but there are plenty of kinks in the hose that need to be ironed out before the next game.

“It means a lot, but at the end of the day, we just gotta learn from these mistakes because we had some mistakes over there,” Hancock said. “We’re gonna enjoy this one, but we’re just gonna move on to the next one.”

Ohio State’s next game is on the road this coming Saturday, October 28 against the Wisconsin Badgers at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.