Tyvis Powell was hesitant in his answer to the question.
Are there any similarities between Alabama's Heisman Trophy finalist wide receiver Amari Cooper and Clemson wideout Sammy Watkins, who torched the Ohio State secondary in last year's Orange Bowl?
“I don’t know, Sammy Watkins was — man," Powell answered as his facial expression told you everything you need to know about his respect for Watkins. "But Amari was a Heisman finalist. They’re both great players. I ain’t gonna take nothing from either one of them because they’re both great players. They’re both going to do well at the next level.”
Watkins already has done so in his first year in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.
After he torched the Buckeyes last year to the tone of 16 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns in Clemson's 40-35 win, the Bills selected Watkins No. 4 overall. That pick hasn't disappointed, either, as Watkins has 62 catches for 925 yards and six TDs in his first NFL season.
Like Watkins, Cooper is a sure-fire pick in the NFL Draft should he choose to declare after this season.
The junior from Miami has off-the-charts numbers this year for the Crimson Tide: 115 catches for 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns.
"He's a freak," Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash said. "He's big, he's fast, he has great ball skills. He's got good body control when he's going up to catch balls in the air. There's not many things he doesn't do excellent."
It's no secret the Buckeyes can't afford to have Cooper go off against them like they allowed Watkins to do in last year's Orange Bowl. Ohio State would have a tough time beating Alabama if that were the case.
"If he has a big day it's going to be a long day for us," Ash said.
So, the Buckeyes need a plan. And a much better one than the one they had heading into last year's matchup with the Tigers.
For obvious reasons, Ohio State won't reveal what exactly it intends to do to defend Cooper. But the Buckeyes insist they're much better prepared to face a big-play wide receiver this time.
“I feel like the game plan that we have is — we kind of have a great idea of where he’s going to be at and we know what to expect when we see him in certain places,” Powell said.
The Buckeyes are saying all of the right thens when asked about defending Alabama's star. But at the end of the day, sometimes it just comes down to execution of a game plan.
Whether or not Ohio State can do that will be seen Jan. 1 in New Orleans.
“Watching both of their films, they both make plays where you go, ‘Wow, that was unbelievable,’" Powell said. "Like I said you just trust the techniques, trust the coaching and when it’s time to make that play, when your number’s called you have to make that play.”
