Denzel Burke didn’t get over Ohio State’s loss to Michigan until last week.
The star cornerback, like many of his teammates, took the 30-24 defeat at the hands of the Wolverines hard. He had to take his mind off things with video games – Call of Duty, Fortnite and Madden were among his go-to's – and other distractions just to process the fact that the Buckeyes wouldn’t be competing in the College Football Playoff.
“It’s horrible. It’s just ass,” Burke said. “We didn’t get the job done, but we’re just looking forward to finishing this season strong and finishing on a good note so that we can have momentum going into the 2024 season.”
With 17 days to sit and reflect, those Ohio State players who met with the media on Tuesday expressed, of course, regret for the team’s failure in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25, but also a sense of acceptance to move on and face the next challenge, which is trying to end the season with a win against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
“I’d be lying to you if I told you I don’t think about it a lot,” defensive end Jack Sawyer said. “When you work all year for one game and you fall short, that’s tough. Especially when it’s three years in a row. I wouldn’t necessarily say it haunts me, just because we don’t want to give them that satisfaction. But it hurts. There’s nothing you can do about it now and it just sucks.”
Joining Sawyer among the players who took the loss the hardest is left guard Donovan Jackson.
On the last offensive play of the game for Ohio State, Jackson tripped over the left leg of center Carson Hinzman while trying to pick up a slanting Jaylen Harrell, one of Michigan’s premier defensive ends. Jackson fell on his back, Harrell hit quarterback Kyle McCord as he threw and the ball fluttered in the air before being intercepted by Wolverines safety Rod Moore to seal Michigan’s win.
“I’ve replayed that moment (in my head) for a very long time,” Jackson said. “I had to get pulled out of my room by my roommate Zen (Michalski). He was like, ‘Come on man, you’ve got to get out of your room, you’ve got to do something. You’ve got to at least look at the sun for a while.’”
Like Sawyer and Burke, however, Jackson was able to eventually swallow the loss and start gearing up for the Cotton Bowl. It’s a game that he in particular has reason to be excited for, given he hails from Texas, where the Buckeyes’ game against Missouri will be played. The count of family and friends coming to watch him play is rising by the day, he said.
“All you can do is learn from it, move on from it and try to grow from it,” Jackson said. “I think that was our message as a unit. As Coach Day says, ‘Nobody is going to feel sorry for you.’ It’s college football. It don’t wait for nobody.”
For many teams, an 11-1 regular season and New Year’s Six bowl berth would be considered a successful year. It’s odd, with that perspective, to think one loss could shake Ohio State’s coaches, players and program to the core like this one has. But it comes as no surprise to the men in the arena.
“It’s unfortunate, but that’s what you signed up for,” Sawyer said. “The Game means everything to us and everything to the people in Ohio. I lived it growing up in Columbus, so I probably took it just as hard as anybody else would. Like I said, it just sucks and there’s nothing you can do but move on and keep working and try to finish the season out the right way.”
The decision on whether to play in the Cotton Bowl in the wake of the team’s exclusion from the CFP didn't take long for most players. Burke, Sawyer, Jackson, Emeka Egbuka, Jordan Hancock and Tyleik Williams all confirmed on Tuesday that they will play in the Cotton Bowl.
“It happened immediately once we knew where we were going,” Sawyer said. “We don’t know what a lot of guys are going to do after this year. In case some guys leave or whoever leaves, we want to send guys out the right way and play together one last time and give it all we’ve got.”
Only a few players thought to be in consideration for an opt-out remain, namely wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., running back TreVeyon Henderson, defensive end JT Tuimoloau and defensive tackle Mike Hall.
Burke added on Tuesday that he is "pretty sure" everyone will play.
“All you can do is learn from it, move on from it and try to grow from it. ... As Coach Day says, 'Nobody is going to feel sorry for you.' It’s college football. It don’t wait for nobody.”– Donovan Jackson on processing the Michigan loss
Moving on from Michigan also means weighing the lack of team goals one has achieved in his playing career against the potential benefits of turning professional. Burke stated that he’s “50/50” when it comes to staying or leaving, and his lack of Gold Pants or a Big Ten Championship is one of the top things holding him back.
"A lot of factors are playing into it. It’s probably one of the hardest decisions of my life and come January I’m going to make that decision," Burke said.
Each of those other five juniors who spoke to the media on Tuesday remains similarly undecided about the NFL draft.
Regardless of what the past or the future holds for Ohio State’s players, the best thing they feel they can do for now is remain focused on the present.
“It hurts to see some plays where you wish you could have them back,” Sonny Styles said. “But you’ve got to look past it and move forward to the next task at hand. That’s playing Missouri and winning that game.”
