COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s not the final exam, but if there was a test to challenge just how good Ohio State’s offensive line is and can be in 2024, this would be the most important one.
The Buckeyes are headed to Eugene this weekend, and they’ll face the challenge of an Oregon defensive front that is disruptive enough to put pressure on Ohio State’s run game and pass protection.
And after the struggles of 2023, the offensive line is ready to make a statement against a standout unit that is helping lead the No. 3 ranked Ducks.
“Yeah, it’s a test for us,” right tackle Josh Fryar said Wednesday night. “I’m not a big — I don’t like it on national television. If you get messed up, everybody knows. The reporters, the announcers, everybody. But at the same time, you got to embrace it too. I think last year, personally, when it was a big game, I would kind of shy away from it, but now I feel more experienced and just ready to play the game and it’s a cool environment. You never get to experience anything like this ever again in your life.”
Jordan Burch, Oregon’s standout defensive end, has five sacks in five games for Oregon. Then there’s Matayo Uiagalelei, who has 3.5 sacks. And up the middle, Derrick Harmon has used his 6-foot-5, 310 pound frame to help stop the run and get after the quarterback. He has three sacks on the season.
But the best of the bunch is Burch, the fifth-year senior who is already nearing the sack total of his previous four seasons of college football combined. At his size, with his speed off the edge, he’s a wildly difficult player for any offense to block.
“He’s a really good player,” Fryar said. “Powerful, super strong. When he is 6-6 290 and he moves like that, it’s kind of scary, but at the same time, I think for us as offense line, we got to do our job. Both tackles do their job, I think it’ll be a good game.”
Burch earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for a 2.5-sack performance against Michigan State last week.
“Burch is very, very good, he’s very athletic, strong,” coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “Harmon we know from Michigan State. They have some good guys up front, so it’s going to be a challenge for our offensive line and for everybody.”
Fryar compared Burch to former Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson, who had two tackles and one sack in last year’s 14-3 Cotton Bowl loss for the Buckeyes.
“I don’t think anybody can replicate what he does,” Fryar said. “So, it’s more of just getting live reps with Jack and J.T. to feel what it’s actually going to be like in the game.”
While any comparison to the Missouri game from last December might draw concern, the Buckeyes’ front five is a different group than last season’s. They’ve been good through five games so far this season, and with another good performance against Oregon, can assert themselves as one of the nation’s best units.
Ohio State’s offensive line has been stellar to start the season thus far. But the biggest test of the season, to this point, and perhaps of the entire regular season, is on deck. And once Saturday’s game is over, there’ll be a far clearer picture of whether Ohio State’s offensive line has passed the test.
“They’re quick, they’re powerful,” Fryar said. “They get off the ball. They’re very well-rounded in run and pass.”
