Through the first six games of the 2017 season, it was starting to look like Demetrius Knox’s opportunity to play a significant role for Ohio State had passed him by.
The redshirt junior offensive lineman appeared to be an afterthought after losing the competition to start at right guard this preseason, as he wasn’t even listed on the Buckeyes’ depth chart for the first six games. Even when Branden Bowen, who won the preseason right guard competition, went down with a season-ending leg injury in Ohio State’s sixth game against Maryland, Knox still appeared to be an afterthought, as it was Matthew Burrell who replaced Bowen in the lineup at right guard for the rest of the game.
Knox got a second chance to earn a spot in the lineup, however, when Ohio State declared a wide open competition at the right guard spot before last week’s game against Nebraska. And while it was widely expected that either Burrell or Malcolm Pridgeon would end up emerging as Bowen’s replacement, it was Knox who ultimately won the battle.
He proved to be the right choice in Lincoln, Neb. on Saturday night, when he helped lead the Buckeyes to a 633-yard offensive output in their 56-14 win. The Ohio State coaching staff was impressed enough with Knox’s performance that it named him as one of the team’s champions for the Nebraska game.
"He did grade a champion, which is excellent for his first real career start at Ohio State, and it comes at the right time," Meyer said. "Because he certainly has the skill set to play. If he decides that this is time to jump-start his career, we’re all in if he can do that."
Knox said he was "really nervous" going into the game but ended up playing even better than he expected. He said his job was made easier, though, by being able to step in between two established starters in center Billy Price and right tackle Isaiah Prince.
"Billy and Zay, they make it so easy," Knox said. "I just come up to the line, look to my left, look to my right, all right, let’s play ball."
Price, who Knox considers to be his "big brother" on the team, said he was "very, very proud" of Knox for the way he performed.
"He was very attentive, very detail-oriented," Price said of Knox’s performance against Nebraska.
While Knox played 53 snaps in mop-up duty off the bench against Army, UNLV and Rutgers, Knox’s last meaningful playing time before Saturday came against Clemson, in last year’s College Football Playoff, when he played 23 snaps after starting left guard Michael Jordan left the game with an injury.
Knox’s performance in that game, like the rest of his team’s performance in the 31-0 loss, was widely panned as poor. Knox acknowledged as much during his interview session with the media on Wednesday. But he believes he has improved in the way he prepares and the way he plays since last season.
"I’d have to say probably just having a fresh mind," Knox said when asked how he has most improved from last year, "because especially at O-line, you’re going to have bad days, you’re going to have good days. Don’t stay too high, don’t stay too low. Everything is just focus on the next play."
A four-star recruit out of Fort Worth, Texas, Knox was expected to make an impact for the Buckeyes before the middle of his fourth year on campus. It was tough, he acknowledged, to be left on the bench while his close friend Jamarco Jones, a fellow four-star recruit in the class of 2014, saw immediate playing time as a freshman and emerged as the starting left tackle last year.
Knox was disappointed when he lost the right guard battle this summer, and had reason to question whether he would ever see regular playing time for the Buckeyes. But he quickly squashed any thoughts he had about transferring out of the program.
"I’d say with anybody at any school, that’s probably through their mindset, like 'Aww, dang, things aren’t working for me here,' but at the same time, you got to look where you’re at. It’s Ohio State," Knox said. "So it’s not like I’ve got scrubs in front of me. We’re playing against our D-line, how many first-rounders? So I mean, your time’s going to come. You’re going to get your shot, no matter what, so just be ready."
Knox was finally able to seize his opportunity last week, and he believes the key to that was focusing on helping his team more than helping himself.
"I talked to Isaiah and Marco, Billy and they were like 'Hey, we got goals. This team has a goal. This is what we want. We’re going to win this game and the next one and the next one,' and I just looked in their eyes and they were serious, so I was like OK, yes, I want to be great, I want to do this for me but they need me, so I got to step up for them," Knox said.
Knox hasn’t allowed himself to feel comfortable, though, just because he’s a starter now. He knows the competition will get tougher against Penn State, and he also says that Burrell and Pridgeon are continuing to push him in practice every day.
"Everybody’s pushing everybody. You can’t take one second off. It’s like our motto is, it’s next man up, so you got to be on your toes every day, every second," Knox said. "But I wouldn’t say it’s like a competition as far as the guys who are working. It’s like all right, come on. I’m going to do this, you’re going to do this, we’re going to try to get better together."
“I want to be great, I want to do this for me but they need me, so I got to step up for them.”– Demetrius Knox on playing for his teammates
Meyer says he expects Burrell, a redshirt sophomore, to continue to push Knox for playing time despite losing last week’s competition.
"Matt Burrell is certainly still right in the middle of this thing, and we’re developing him to be a future starter, which he has all the tools to do it," Meyer said. "To play offensive guard at Ohio State, really to play offensive guard at this level, he just has to get bigger and stronger to hold his own in there. He had a good week last week and he just needed to have a consistent few weeks, but we’re certainly counting on him to be one of the feature players here."
Price is confident, though, that the offensive line will continue to perform well with Knox in the spot previously occupied by Bowen. He believes the key for Knox to perform well going forward is to continue to build confidence while preparing at the same high level he did last week.
"He was getting more comfortable with us and building a lot of trust with us, myself and Isaiah particularly, so we’re going to be OK going into next week," Price said.
