A fulcrum is a support or point of rest on which a lever turns in a moving body. If it isn’t there to do its job, the whole system is pretty much kaput.
The fulcrum of Ohio State’s offense is its interior front line. The middle part of that middle three is Jacoby Boren, who might be the key player in determining how much success the OSU offense will have against Alabama’s defense in the Sugar Bowl.
In this week’s Eleven Dubcast, Johnny and I discussed the importance of Ohio State’s offensive line against Alabama’s front four and how it might be the most vital battle on the field on Jan. 1. But since neither of us has ever played or coached football at the collegiate level, we asked former Buckeye defensive lineman Matt Finkes for his take.
“How Jacoby Boren plays is going to be crucial against those two guys inside,” said Finkes. “He’s undersized a little bit. He’s very strong, plays with great technique, very smart player, very cerebral. The way he‘s able to hold up on the inside I think is going to be the key to that football game.”
Finkes may have undersold the "very smart" part in that quote just a tad. Boren is a Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar for having a grade point average above 3.70, and a multi-year Academic All-B1G selection and OSU Scholar-Athlete, majoring in sustainable plant systems.
The 6-foot-1, 285-pound center from Pickerington Central was a guy you were happy to see commit to Ohio State. His name is Boren, so you knew he’d be a tough, hard-nosed football player. You knew you’d get effort from him. And it reminded you that his brother Justin transferred to Ohio State from Michigan, thereby starting the Boren pipeline—and just reading this sentence made you smile.
Now a junior, Boren has been fighting his way onto the field and into the lineup since 2012, when he backed up Corey Linsley at center and played 14 snaps as a freshman. He played in six games last year, but still had no guarantees when Linsley graduated and turned into an All-Rookie NFL performer with Green Bay.
Boren battled throughout the spring and fall with others for the starting center position. In addition to existing teammates, Boren had to fight off a challenge from fifth-year senior transfer Chad Lindsay, coincidentally from Alabama. Recurring injuries forced Lindsay out of football, but Boren was more than holding his own in the fight for the starting spot before that happened.
With a trip to Dallas and a berth in the National Championship on the line, Boren might now be the team’s most important player. If the Buckeyes are to run successfully, Boren must help open holes against the Crimson Tide’s space-eating front four. He will need to help pick up the crossing linebacker blitzes Nick Saban’s team favors.
Above all, Boren will have to work in concert with guards Pat Elflein and Billy Price if the Buckeyes are to continue having the type of offensive balance and success the team has enjoyed all season long, which will take a ton of pressure off the shoulders of quarterback Cardale Jones, who will make only his second career start.
“Alabama doesn’t come off the edge,” Finkes said. “They love to mix it up and blitz and stunt through the middle, cross their linebackers through the middle, that kind of thing. Those three guys in the middle are going to be crucial for Ohio State.”
If the vastly improved interior offensive line is the fulcrum of the Buckeyes, then Boren is the fulcrum’s fulcrum. Based on the experience of watching him all season, we know he’ll play with tenacity, heart, and intelligence.
What we don’t know is, will it be enough?
