LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Since Chris Petersen arrived at Washington before the start of the 2014 season, 12 defensive players have been selected in the NFL Draft.
Of the dozen, four have been first-round picks with eight Huskies being taken in the first 45 picks overall. The 2019 draft class is expected to add even more names to the list.
So it factors that No. 6 Ohio State will be in for a challenge when they face UW in The Granddaddy of Them All on Jan. 1, 2019. For junior quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who is also mulling whether or not to declare for next April’s draft, the Rose Bowl could be his best test to determined if he’s ready for the NFL.
The Buckeyes signal-caller drew comparisons between UW’s defense and Michigan State, but noted that the former plays at the highest caliber level.
“They don’t play the same scheme, per se,” Haskins said. “They’re really different in what they do compared to what we do with everybody else. They are more NFL-based and not Pac-12 based as far as keeping everything in front of them as far as pass defense.
“So we’re used to seeing quarters and man coverage, so it will be a little different seeing more zone. More of a Northwestern type game. That’s what I’ve seen on film.”
Haskins, who finished third in the 2018 Heisman voting behind Tua Tagovaloa (Alabama) and Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), finished the regular season averaging 352.3 yards per game, No. 2 in the country behind only Washington State senior Gardner Minshew II (367.6).
Minshew II was held to a season-low in attempts (35), completions (26) and yards (152) in the Apple Cup this year, a 28-15 victory for the Huskies. It also marked the only game without a single touchdown pass for the Cougars quarterback in 2018, another statement by the UW defense.
However, the Cougars don’t have the same caliber of talent collective on offense that the Buckeyes possess.
UW senior linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, the nations leading tackler this season averaging over 12.5 per game, noted that OSU also has two NFL caliber running backs, sophomore J.K. Dobbins and junior Mike Webster.
“They’re really just a dynamic team,” Burr-Kirven told TheDawgReport.com on Wednesday at Disney California Adventure. “film… “They’re really just a dynamic team. I think they do a really great job of throwing the ball. Obviously everyone knows the guy (Dwayne) Haskins, but I think they do a better job running than people probably realize.
“I think they have two NFL caliber backs that can pretty much split the carries all day long, which is not something you see often. I think we got our work cut out for us.”
The pair of Buckeye backs have combined to rush for 1,614 yards and 14 touchdowns over 13 games this season. Both average over 13 yard per game with 380 combined carries between the two.
Of the teams UW have faced in 2018 the Oregon Ducks are the only team in the top 50 in rush yards per game averaging 191.25. Still though, priority No. 1 for Huskies defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake is containing Haskins.
“No, he’s definitely the best quarterback we’ve faced all year long,” Lake said Saturday. “Can really do it all. He can make all the throws. You see him coordinate the offense at the line of scrimmage. Strong arm. Athletic, big, hard to tackle.
“So it’s everything we wanted at the end of the year.”
The consensus among the UW players and coaches of the OSU offense is the down-hill run allows Haskins to open up the passing game and utilize his trio of senior wide receivers.
Parris Campbell, a 6-1, 208-pound true senior leads the Buckeyes in receptions (79) and receiving yards (992), and tied for the most TD receptions with Terry McLaurin (11). McLaurin has the fewest catches of the top four receivers on offense (34) but leads the team averaging just under 20 yards per reception.
Johnny Dixon, a 5-11 and 198-pound fifth-year Sr. completes the veteran trifecta. Dixon is second on the team with seven touchdown receptions, one more than junior K.J. Hill who has six to couple with his 65 receptions and 811 yards.
“The biggest thing we have to do as them being a veteran receiver corps and us being a veteran DB group, our technique has to be better than theirs,” senior cornerback Jordan Miller said when asked about the senior battle outside.
“We know they’re going to make plays. When they do we just can’t blink. We got to remain confident throughout the whole game and trust the technique. We know the ball has to be in a perfect spot at all times.”
Miller added, “We know they got a good quarterback, but it’s not always going to be perfect. So we have to make plays when we can.”
