Buckeyes prepared despite reported COVID concerns
Ohio State has firsthand experience of how difficult it’s been to navigate through the 2020 college football season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Buckeyes remain scheduled to face top- ranked Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday at Hard Rock Stadium despite reported COVID - 19 issues that had Ohio State in contact with CFP officials about possible player- availability problems according to AL. com.
About 87% of the regular- season FBS games were played, but for Ohio State, it was lower.
The Buckeyes, along with the rest of the Big Ten, didn’t start their season until late October and they only played six of their nine scheduled games this season after having three games canceled — two due to COVID19 issues at other schools and one due to their own COVID issues.
But instead of focusing on the challenges the 2020 season brought, Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs touched on how thankful he’s been for the players’ commitment during the rocky year.
“You know what
I would
say?” he said Wednesday afternoon. “I would say it made it the most rewarding year because of the commitment on the part of the players and how eager and willing they have been to adapt, adjust, overcome, play different spots, whatever it takes.
“You know, rather than focus on how hard it’s been, honestly I’ve just been really gratified to be around a group of kids like this and their eagerness to just [ do] whatever it takes. They’ve been fantastic.”
Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard touched on the mental toll the season’s had on the program when f aced with COVID- related absences.
“With this year especially, it’s a lot different because of the COVID stuff,” he said. “Guys feel like they’re able to play, but they can’t play just because they have COVID, so it’s real tough.
“The biggest toll it has on a team is getting guys to focus and getting guys to know they have to step up. I think that is something that we’ve done a great job of this year is [ with] our leadership. Our younger guys know that when someone goes down, it’s next man up and they have to be at that level or even better when they come in.”
Ohio State defensive backs are going to have a busy Monday eve ni ng t r y i ng t o c ont a i n Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner for the 2020 season.
And the Buckeyes aren’t backing down from the challenge.
“You already know who I want to go up against at the end of the day,” cornerback Shaun Wade said about Smith, who recorded 1,641 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns on 105 receptions this season.
“But we’re just focused on this win and the way of getting the win. What Coach Coombs says every day is we’ve got to win by one point to get the national championship.”
And with the possibility that Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle could return to the field for the championship game after not playing since Oct. 24, Ohio State knows it’s going to have its hands full against an Alabama offense that ranked among the top five in the nation in passing yards average.
“He’s a great player, and you’re going to have to account for him on the field,” Coombs said of Waddle. “There’s no question about that. They just have so many really, really gifted players and receivers on offense — that’s another one. So we’ll have to prepare and be ready for him.”