Previewing Ohio State's offense vs. Missouri's defense

We are just six days away from the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl between No. 9 Missouri and No. 7 Ohio State, and with the early signing period having come and gone, we can refocus our sights on the Tigers' first New Year's Six bowl game ever.

To be honest, the strength versus strength matchup will be Missouri's offense versus Ohio State's defense, but we will get to that tomorrow.

However, that doesn't mean Ohio State's offense and Mizzou's defense are weaknesses by any means.

Let's take a look at the tale of the tape for these respective sides of the ball.

The Buckeyes are going into this game shorthanded, with starting quarterback Kyle McCord having entered the transfer portal and committed to Syracuse since the Cotton Bowl matchup was announced on Dec. 3.

In his first year as a starter, he completed 65.8% of his passes and threw for 3,170 yards for 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Devin Brown, a former four-star prospect who competed with McCord throughout fall camp for the position, will start in his place.

In 72 snaps this season, Brown has completed 12-of-22 passes (54.5%) for 197 yards two touchdowns and an interception.

Missouri defensive tackle Jay Jernigan said there are pros and cons to facing a quarterback who hasn't played much.

"Yeah, it's challenging. The quarterback that we're going against has about 50 snaps on film," Jernigan said. "So, it's not a lot of stuff that you're able to really key on with mannerisms and being able to tell off the different keys but it's still football. He has to come out there and play. It's going to be a great opportunity for him and us.

"The advantages are he hasn't played a lot of games, so he hasn't seen a lot of different looks (and) a lot of different disguised coverages. So, it may be more difficult for him just because he hasn't had that experience. Truly, that's going to be his only challenge."

For now, Brown knows he will have at least one of his top three receivers, with Emeka Egbuka announcing that he intends to play in the game despite the likelihood of him being a first-round pick should he declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Egbuka recorded 35 receptions for 452 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season but is only a season removed from racking up 74 receptions for 1,152 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Fellow starting receiver Julian Fleming will not be playing in the game, as the former five-star prospect also entered the transfer portal. He recorded 26 receptions for 270 yards this season and his 552 snaps were the second-most among Ohio State receivers. An underrated part of his game that will be missed is his blocking.

His 74.0 PFF College run blocking grade is the third-highest grade on the team.

The wild card is Heisman finalist Marvin Harrison Jr. He's been projected as an early first-round pick in the upcoming draft. So, it's been expected that he will declare for the draft and not play in the bowl game. But for now, he is still expected to play.

He racked up 67 receptions for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Someone who hopes he suits up is second-team AP and FWAA All-American cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine.

"Yeah, I do (hope Harrison plays) because it can really show how I match up against one of the best receiver groups in the nation," Abrams-Draine said. " So, I'm looking forward to that."

Starting running back TreVeyon Henderson may get a heavier workload with Brown starting, his backups Chip Trayanum transferring to Kentucky and Miyan Williams having been out since October, respectively, and the possible loss of Harrison.

Henderson was projected to be a Day 2 draft pick in the upcoming draft but opted to return to Ohio State for the 2024 season.

He rushed for 854 yards and 11 touchdowns on 137 carries (6.2 yards per carry). He also had 19 catches for 229 yards.

Ohio State uses a good amount of play action and wants to move the ball through the air typically, which makes sense with their receivers. However, it's unknown how much of that offense changes with Brown at quarterback.

"Regardless of who's left and who's there, Coach (Ryan) Day and his staff do an excellent job schematically in player development," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "It's going to be a very difficult contest for us.

"It's going to be more about our ability to react and defend what they're going to try to do with a new quarterback than maybe attacking their style of play because again, we don't know what they're going to try to do offensively."

Missouri is expected to have almost the entirety of its team available for the game with linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw being questionable due to injuries.

Hopper, a second-team All-SEC selection, didn't play in the team's final two games due to an ankle injury. He seems like the likeliest of the two to play.

He had 55 tackles, six tackles for loss, a career-high three sacks and three pass deflections.

If he doesn't play Triston Newson will play. He started the last two games in Hopper's place with mixed results.

He had a team-high nine tackles versus Florida in Week 12 but struggled mightily in that game. He bounced back the following week against Arkansas with a team-high 15 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pair of fumble recoveries en route to Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Rakestraw has missed three games this season due to a nagging groin injury and last played versus Florida in Week 12.

He racked up 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, four pass deflections and a forced fumble. The Texas native also allowed just 18 receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown on 28 targets.

If he's unavailable, Dreyden Norwood will start in his place, something he did to decent success multiple times during the season.

In 11 games (four starts), Norwood was targeted 25 times and allowed 15 receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown. He had 17 tackles, three pass deflections and a fumble recovery.

Missouri will still have the Abrams-Draine managing one side of the field.

Abrams-Draine had 47 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 11 pass deflections, a career-high four interceptions and a forced fumble. He also allowed 25 receptions for 327 yards and four touchdowns.

So, despite Rakestraw's possible absence, there isn't too much to worry about at corner.

Missouri is going to want to send a lot of pressure Brown's way and the Tigers' best pass rusher, All-SEC first-team selection Darius Robinson, will be tasked with leading the charge in that regard.

Robinson led the team in tackles for loss (12) and sacks (7.5) to go along with 41 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

For the most part, these teams are evenly matched when it comes down to the Buckeyes' offense and Mizzou's defense.

For now, the advantage seems to side with the Tigers slightly, despite the potential loss of Rakestraw.

With the loss of McCord, Fleming, Trayanum and Williams, Ohio State's offense is facing an uphill climb. A climb that will only get worse if Harrison opts out.

The winner of this game must win the trenches on both sides of the ball. If the Buckeyes can run the ball to keep Missouri's aggressive defense honest and give Brown enough time to pass, they've put themselves in position to get their 12th win.

If Missouri can disrupt the run game and pressure Brown, then the Tigers should have a good handle on the game and a chance to beat the Buckeyes for the second time in school history.

In addition to winning the trenches, winning the turnover battle, third downs and controlling the red zone likely will play big roles on this game too.

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