Denzel Burke is happy to have another opportunity to play against Oregon, but he isn’t viewing the rematch as “vengeance” for what happened to him in the Buckeyes’ regular-season loss to the Ducks.
“I've been trying to stay away from that word vengeance,” Burke said. “Really just go out there and be me, man. Have fun and be me.”
As Ohio State’s Rose Bowl media day commenced on Monday, Burke immediately drew a sizable crowd of reporters eager to get his thoughts on the rematch with the Ducks. There are two reasons for that: Burke is known for being one of the team’s most candid players during interviews, and he’s one of the players who will have the largest spotlight on him on Wednesday because of how he performed when Ohio State faced Oregon in the regular season.
The Buckeyes had their worst defensive performance of the year in Eugene on Oct. 12, allowing 496 yards in a 32-31 defeat, and Burke had the worst game of his career individually. According to Pro Football Focus, Burke yielded seven catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets, including a 69-yard catch by Evan Stewart and a 48-yard touchdown catch by Tez Johnson.
Burke admitted Monday that he didn’t expect to have the ball thrown his way as much as he did in that game.
“We just wasn't expecting the ball really, but then it came our way. So just going into this game, just looking forward to being on my P's and Q's and just making sure I'm doing my job,” Burke said.
He’s confident he’ll be better prepared to play Oregon the second time around because of the experience he now has playing against its receivers.
“It's kind of like basketball on grass, so you've just got to get ready to get off blocks and just play fast, line up and play ball,” Burke said. “I'm really happy to be able to play them again. It kind of left a little bad taste in my mouth the last game, but here we are now in the Rose Bowl and I'm looking forward to just having fun and playing hard.”
Ohio State’s passing defense has been dominant outside of the loss to Oregon, leading the nation with only 141.2 passing yards allowed per game. Burke’s struggles in that game are also an anomaly for his season, as he has not allowed more than four catches for 36 yards or any touchdowns in any other game, per PFF.
The Buckeyes have not allowed a single passing touchdown as a team in seven games since the loss to Oregon, which Burke attributes to the issues they’ve cleaned up since the loss to the Ducks.
“Really just trusting our technique, trusting our coach,” Burke said. “Our coach puts us in great positions, and we've got the best defensive back end in the nation, so we're looking forward to just having fun.”
Burke said he didn’t allow his struggles against Oregon to shake his confidence for the rest of the season.
“It was my worst game statistically, so it was kind of a little shocker to me, but it's part of the game,” Burke said. “It was different for me, but I've always been confident in myself, and just knowing that it happens to the best of us.”
Burke’s coaches and teammates say he responded to those struggles exactly the way you’d want him to.
“Denzel, he's steady,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “He's a great player, great person. That job that he does, and he'll be doing it for many years, you're on an island, and there are times where you don't make the play. But I feel like his resolve has been the same, and our trust in him has always been the same. So we all learn how to handle ourselves in times of adversity, and he's a guy that's always going to bounce back.”
While Oregon’s receivers are also confident entering their rematch with Ohio State, they aren’t viewing Burke as an easy mark just because of their success against him the first time.
“Incredible player,” Stewart said of Burke. “I've known Denzel for a minute, especially with me being in the SEC (when he played at Texas A&M) and watching Big Ten, Ohio State's always been that type of contender. Very fluid dude.”
Looking back on that first game against Oregon now, Burke views it as a learning experience he can draw from not only in the rematch with the Ducks but beyond that as the Buckeyes strive to win three more games to become national champions before Burke moves on to the NFL.
“Now I know how to handle everything, especially as we're going through these playoffs and as I take the next chapter of my life after we win the natty,” Burke said. “Now I know how I feel, how I felt in that moment, and just taking it on to the next level.”
Burke didn’t hedge when asked about calling his shot that the Buckeyes would win it all.
“I'm confident in this team, I'm confident in my head coach, I'm confident in the scheme that we have and I'm confident in my brothers,” Burke said.
