It's often said competition breeds better results for a football team. Jacoby Boren would be a strong believer in that mantra.
As the starting center for Ohio State, Boren's position still isn't a permanent one. He's constantly being pushed by the players currently behind him.
“We have a lot of great guys behind us in Joel (Hale), Chase (Farris) and Tony (Underwood) so it’s always a grind," Boren said after Wednesday's practice. "When you have guys that grind behind you it’s always a push so you just have to go out and get better every day.”
Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer has made it no secret, either. He's still not sure about who his five best offensive linemen are.
"The guy that's improved a little bit is Chase Farris, and he's the backup right tackle. If he's one of the Top 5, then he shouldn't be the backup right tackle, he should be the starting right guard," Meyer said on Tuesday's Big Ten coaches teleconference. "We have not made a final decision on that, and I'm not sure we will this game. I think we're going to play six guys and get some rotation going."
For Boren, though, competition is nothing new. He grew up in a football family and as the youngest of three brothers to play for Ohio State so far, he plays with a certain chip on his shoulder.
Every player goes through ups and downs throughout the course of a season and Boren may be going through those right now as he fights to keep his starting job. He is also battling an ankle injury which he said significantly improved over the bye week.
But having the support of older brothers Justin and Zach, who both completed successful careers for the Buckeyes, is a huge advantage.
“I talk to them probably at least once or twice a week," Jacoby said. "I usually go home and see them so they help me out a lot. They’ve been through the process, and if I ever have problems or anything like that, I can call them up and they can help me out.”
Ohio State is trying to replace four starters from last year's offensive line. Two of those guys, Corey Linsley and Jack Mewhort, are starting on NFL teams as rookies. That is no easy task.
It showed in the Buckeyes' 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech in Week 2, as well. Redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett was sacked seven times — six times in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State rebounded with a 66-0 rout of Kent State the following week where it didn't allow a sack. Boren said the Virginia Tech loss taught the team a lot about itself and it should be able to respond better now if put in a similar situation.
It might be Saturday, too, in a game against Cincinnati where a lot of points are expected to be put on the scoreboard.
“They’re really good," Boren said. "We’ve had two weeks to prepare for them which is a big help for us, but they have a lot of talent."
The Bearcats' offense is legit, but the defense has question marks on it. Cincinnati ranks 106th nationally in total defense (463.5 yards per game), but it also has recorded 11 sacks in just two games so Boren and the offensive line will likely be challenged again.
The junior insists Ohio State will be up for the challenge. That mentality seems to be part of his DNA.
“We expect them to be tough. They look like they can bring it on defense. They do a lot of great stuff," Boren said. "They bring some pressure, too, but like I said we’ve had two weeks to prepare for them so that’s pretty good for us so we should be ready for it.”
