The big matchup that everyone seems to be talking about heading into Saturday's Ohio State and Oklahoma game is the Buckeyes defensive line against the Sooner offensive front.
Even after Ohio State's offensive line paved the way for J.K. Dobbins, J.T. Barrett and the rest of the Buckeyes to rush for almost 300 yards in a 49-21 win over Indiana on Aug. 31, the OSU front five seems to be flying under the radar heading into the primetime showdown.
Ohio State left tackle Jamarco Jones said Wednesday that the lack of attention being given to the Buckeye front doesn't bother him.
"We just have to go out there and play our game," Jones said. "We are not worried about accolades or people saying we’re the best. We just want to go out there and win games. That’s all I really care about doing.”
It isn't that Oklahoma's offensive line doesn't deserve credit, because it does. The Sooners return all five starters from a season ago, including left tackle Orlando Brown, who is widely considered one of, if not the best offensive line prospect for the upcoming NFL draft.
Even Jones, who likely won't play a snap against the 6-foot-8, 345 pound Brown on Saturday, said he was immediately impressed by Brown's talent a season ago.
"I remember last year, he is a big dude and he moves well for someone his size. He is a really good offensive lineman," Jones said.
While Ohio State's offensive front doesn't return all five starters from a season ago, it does return four, with right guard Branden Bowen being the newest addition.
Normally, a big game for a first year starter could be overwhelming, but Jones said Bowen has already played in enough meaningful games where he should settle in without too much trouble against Oklahoma.
Bowen is set to make his first start in Ohio Stadium on Saturday, but still has previous experience, playing meaningful reps against Northwestern in 2016.
"Last year he was the sixth man and he went in in some situations last year when I cramped up and against a couple teams we had that tight end package for him," Jones said. "He has his feet wet a little bit, just like I did. You have those first couple of years where you get a little bit of game action and experience everything that is going on."
Bowen not only started the Indiana game at guard, but also saw time at left tackle for one drive while Jones suffered cramping in his hand. The game against the Hoosiers saw Bowen grade out a champion by the coaching staff, but Urban Meyer said Wednesday that he believes Bowen must improve moving forward.
"He graded a champion, (but) I still think he can play much better. Our offensive line coach, Coach Stud decided to grade him a champion," Meyer said. "I thought he played hard. This will obviously be a heck of a challenge for him."
The challenge comes in the form of a Sooner defense that returns its starting nose guard Neville Gallimore (6-2, 310) and edge rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (6-1, 240).
After watching film, Jones said he observed an Oklahoma defense that has improved after giving up 40 or more points on four separate occasions in 2016.
"They have a lot of the same guys in there, but they are flying around the ball more. You could tell even throughout the season last year, they got better throughout the season," Jones said. "We have to be prepared for all the different stuff that they do."
