Denzel Burke injury update: Ohio State CB's status vs. Notre Dame
Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke didn’t play in the second half of the team’s Cotton Bowl semifinal victory, but he should be on the field for the national championship game.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said he expects Burke will be ready to go on Monday night.
“As far as I know,” Knowles said.
“And again, that’s above my pay grade but as far as I know, everything is good. [It’s a] minor thing that he’s working through.”
Burke had two tackles against Texas before exiting the game and was replaced by Jermaine Matthews, who played a career-high 47 snaps at cornerback.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reaffirmed Knowles’ confidence and suggested that Burke will be healthy in time for the national title game.
“He’ll be available for the next game,” Day said of Burke. “He was dealing with an upper extremity issue that we felt like, at the time, was the right thing to do to hold him.
“Obviously, we listen to the doctors and we get the feedback from Denzel, and we felt like Jermaine was playing well at the time. So that was the decision that was made. But, Denzel will be ready to play in this game.”
Matthews played well enough when given the chance, but the Buckeyes would be more than happy to have Burke working in the secondary.
He was one of the team’s most productive defenders in pass coverage this season, recording 45 stops and intercepting two passes.
Texas only threw the ball in his direction twice when he was in the game, symbolising the caution opponents have when targeting his area of the field.
Still, the Buckeyes also have confidence in Matthews to hold things down in pass coverage in the event that Burke should re-aggravate his injury.
“Everybody feels comfortable putting Jermaine in the game based on the way he’s played this year, the way that he’s practiced this year,” Day added.
“You have an opportunity to earn trust in your coaches and your teammates every day...”
Day added that team depth at all positions is a serious consideration for any roster playing football this deep into January.
“This is from the whole offseason, all of preseason, and during the season, and we’ve talked about how depth is going to be important in this moment, a ton throughout the season, and Jermaine has done a good job,” the coach said.
“I think everybody trusts the fact that when he goes in the game, he’s going to do his job, and that’s it.
“I felt like he played well. He graded out a champion.”
Ohio State will have a chance to grade out a champion on Monday night against Notre Dame.
With a victory, the Buckeyes will have secured its first national championship since the 2014 season, the inaugural year of the then four-team College Football Playoff.
Now they have a chance to make more title history if they can win the first-ever 12-team playoff championship.
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