OHIO STATE RECEIVER A ‘MONSTER’ IN RED ZONE
Victor has touchdown catches in last three games for Buckeyes.
Fans are finally getCOLUMBUS — ting to see what Ohio State players have witnessed in practice over the last two years: Binjimen Victor is a magician in the red zone.
Standing 6-foot-4 with a wingspan that looks like it belongs to a 7-footer, Victor is tailor-made for wide receiver. A member of the celebrated 2016 recruiting class, Victor played sparingly last season because he needed to pack on more muscle. As he worked to bulk up from his high school weight of 170 pounds, he began to show glimpses behind closed doors of what was to come.
“He’d make crazy plays in practice,” Ohio State running back Mike Weber said.
One year later, the Buckeyes are finally turning him loose in games, and it couldn’t have come a moment too soon. Ohio State sputtered in the red zone at the end of 2016 and start of 2017, but a new formula for success has emerged: Throw it up and let Victor come down with it.
The tight coverage windows in the confined spaces close to the end zone limit a lot of throwing windows, but there’s unlimited space above the players.
“Down in the red zone, top shelf, that’s where the ball has to be based on coverage,” Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett said.
The Buckeyes have just the player to take advantage of those high throws.
Against UNLV, Victor snagged a fade in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-down play that
salvaged a sputtering drive.
The following week at Rutgers, he high-pointed a ball in the end zone for another touchdown, outleaping the defender to come down with it.
On Saturday against Maryland, he made it three games in a row with an impressive touchdown catch. With Ohio State nearing the end zone midway through the first quarter, a loss on a carry from J.K. Dobbins made it thirdand-6. Settling for a field goal would have wasted a 53-yard catch-and-run from Weber.
Needing a play, Barrett targeted Victor — and Victor delivered.
“He’s been a monster since he got here, I’ve heard,” the freshman Dobbins said. “He does that all the time in practice. It was just a matter of time before everyone started seeing it.”
His leaping touchdown was a play few could have made. But Victor can, which makes his presence on Ohio State’s roster incredibly valuable.
That type of play didn’t change the outcome of a 62-14 rout in the slightest, but it’s exactly the type of thing the Buckeyes will need against Penn State and other top teams the rest of the way.
His skill set happens to be most valuable in the area where the points are scored, a fact not lost on his teammates.
“He’s a cheat code,” Austin Mack said. “There’s no reason why with his size he shouldn’t be making those catches every time, and that’s what we always harp on. It’s like, ‘Dude, you’re that big. Just go up and jump every time.’”
He’s doing that more and more, and Ohio State is settling for fewer and fewer field goals.