Ohio State football’s offensive line straining for consistency with Notre Dame on deck
COLUMBUS, Ohio — To the untrained eye, Ohio State football left guard Donovan Jackson and offensive line coach Justin Frye appeared ready to tear each other limb from limb Saturday.
As the other Buckeyes celebrated the first touchdown of a 63-10 victory over Western Kentucky, Jackson made a beeline for the sideline and got in his coach’s face. He had just helped wall of the edge, allowing TreVeyon Henderson to streak outside and turn up for a 21-yard touchdown run.
This was not an argument, though. This was a player living up to a challenge, and a coach’s enthusiastic approval.
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“He challenged me to play like Donovan Jackson,” said the second-year starter. “(After the touchdown) I was like, ‘Is this what you wanted?’ And he was getting hyped. We were just having like a back and forth there.
“It was a good moment. But like after that moment it was like, locked in, on to the next drive.”
The offensive line had more good moments last Saturday after not seeing enough of them the first two weeks. Other linemen were not shy about celebrating that success on the field. Center Carson Hinzman got pumped after a third-and-1 run conversion. Right tackle Josh Fryar slammed a fist through the air after another touchdown.
The Buckeyes’ starting line, already the team’s biggest question mark to start the season, became a bigger one through two games. One improved performance against Western Kentucky did not change that — not with a next-tier test from Notre Dame ahead on Saturday.
However, it served as badly needed confidence boost.
“Obviously, we all have phones,” Jackson said. “We’re not oblivious to what’s said about us.
“But at the end of the day, they don’t see what happens inside these walls. We knew that we had a great week of preparation, and we just wanted to show it on the field. So having great execution on the field just had those emotions come out.”
A year ago, OSU faced a Notre Dame defensive front headlined by NFL prospect Isaiah Foskey. He was a second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints, and so far the current defensive line is not getting to the quarterback much. The Fighting Irish, though, are also a top-30 run defense.
This looms as the biggest storyline for the offensive line Saturday. How well do they open holes for Henderson and the rest of the backfield? Those backs have looked increasingly more explosive as the front five jells and stabilizes.
Going on the road for a game of this magnitude, the line will also rely on its veteran leadership.
Jackson’s is an important voice in the offensive line group now. The former five-star prospect is generally considered to have the best pro potential on this starting unit. He also lines up between the two newcomers making on-the-fly adjustments to this level of play — left tackle Josh Simmons and Hinzman.
Simmons immediately impressed Jackson and others with his athleticism after arriving this summer as a transfer from San Diego State. Not only was he leveling up from Group of Five to Big Ten, he also flipped ends of the line from right to left.
Pass protection has been solid for Jackson and the rest of the line. However, he has committed three penalties in the past two games. Run blocking, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, has been the bigger adjustment.
Jackson said Simmons routinely approaches Frye or graduate assistant Mike Sollenne for extra work or instruction. That might mean additional film study, or everything from repping pass sets or drilling hand technique. He called him “dedicated to his craft” — a trait he sees up and down the line.
The other point of emphasis, according to Jackson, is effort and execution. How long can each lineman strain to support the teammates on either side on game day?
“The strain is the putting all you have into a play for the man next to you,” Jackson said. “... It’s just making sure that you don’t leave the field with any regrets.”
The offensive line did improve between its last two games. If it can say the same thing again Sunday morning, OSU might be 4-0 with a top-10 win under its belt.
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