Skull Session: Ryan Day and Marcus Freeman Share No Secrets, Denzel Burke Looks Like "A Future First-Round Pick" and Notre Dame Plans to "Green Out" Its Stadium

By Chase Brown on September 20, 2023 at 5:00 am
Denzel Burke
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

It's almost time.

Let's have a good Wednesday, shall we?

 CLOSE TO THE VEST. As Dan Hope and Andy Anders observed in Press Coverage, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman seemed confident at their press conferences this week. I came to a similar conclusion.

On Monday, Freeman said Notre Dame plans to be aggressive on Saturday. Its offense will look to play complementary football, while its defense will work to limit explosive plays from Ohio State's offense.

"We want to make sure we limit the big plays," Freeman said. "We want them to truly drive down the field. We limit those big plays. Offensively, we want to have success. We’re not going to throw deep balls every play. It’s complementary football, and we still want to win time of possession and those things that really factor into your success. ... The mindset is different because you know more about your team this year than you did last year."

And on Tuesday, Day shared a similar message.

"We have some confidence going into this game, a rhythm," Day said. "But it's going to come down to winning the line of scrimmage. It's going to come down to the fourth quarter and who's going to be there in the end. They have a really good team. Marcus does a great job. They have a great staff. We have to go win a top-10 game on the road, and our guys are excited for this game. ... It's going to come down to who wants to compete more."

But beyond that, neither coach shared secrets regarding the Xs and Os. That shows how much this matchup means to Day and Freeman – their respective coaching staffs and players. And that's what fires me up for Saturday.

Ohio State and Notre Dame are about to go to war for four quarters, creating a roller coaster of emotions for fans of the Buckeyes and the Irish. That's not always good for the blood pressure, but it makes college football the best sport on the planet.

Three days, 14 hours and 30 minutes, folks. Just three days, 14 hours and 30 minutes.

 “BACK ON TRACK.” Denzel Burke looked like a future first-round pick as a freshman, collecting 37 tackles, 12 pass breakups, one interception and one defensive touchdown across 13 appearances and earning third-team All-Big Ten honors and freshman All-American recognition from ESPN, The Athletic and 247Sports.

Then Burke suffered a sophomore slump.

Thankfully, the comeback is always stronger than the setback.

Through three games in 2023, Burke has been a star for the Ohio State defense, recording two tackles, one tackle for loss, five pass breakups, one interception and one forced fumble in the team's matchups with Indiana, Youngstown State and Western Kentucky.

According to a Tuesday article from Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Burke's collective performances have put the 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback on the radar for NFL teams, as he "appears to be back on track" to becoming a future first-round pick in 2024.

Burke looked like a future first-round pick as a freshman, but he struggled with durability and consistency last season as a sophomore, putting his draft projection in limbo.

Through three games this year, Burke appears to be back on track with a Big Ten-best six passes defended (including one interception). When targeted, opponents are completing only 29.4 percent of their passes against him. Burke is playing with a lot more confidence in 2023, which allows him to burst and drive (when opponents pass the ball in his direction).

...

Ohio State hasn’t been truly tested yet, but Western Kentucky does have a prolific passing attack and a quarterback (Austin Reed) who will be drafted in April, making last Saturday’s tape of interest to NFL teams. There were double-digit NFL teams (Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Green Bay, Minnesota, New York Jets, New York Giants, San Francisco and Seattle) visiting Columbus for a reason.

And what led Burke to accomplish such a turnaround?

"I'm more hungry, man," Burke said after Ohio State's win over Youngstown State. "Coming out of my first year and going into my sophomore year, I got a little complacent in the offseason. I wasn't getting in the extra work that I needed to get in. You learn from those moments. Going into my junior year, I have a totally different mindset and a different approach. I know what I can do on the field. It's a matter of taking care of the little things and working hard every single day."

If Ohio State wants to defeat Notre Dame on Saturday, Burke's dominant start to the season must continue.

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman is the real deal, throwing for almost 13,000 yards and 110 touchdowns at Wake Forest before becoming a Golden Domer and collecting 1,061 yards and 13 scores with no interceptions across four appearances. The Irish receivers – headlined by Jayden Thomas, Jaden Greathouse and Chris Tyree – have been impressive, too. That said, if Burke can lock down one side of the field and slow down the Notre Dame pass attack, that could be the difference between an Ohio State win and an Ohio State loss in South Bend.

For the sake of Buckeye Nation, let's hope that happens in Notre Dame Stadium this weekend – a venue that will experience a... *check notes*... "Green Out" on Saturday?

 BE FOREWARNED. For Skull Session readers who plan to attend the top-10 showdown between the Buckeyes and Irish, please remember that there will be a “Green Out” at Notre Dame Stadium as the Notre Dame football team wears its alternate green uniforms for the 17th time in the past 40 years. 

That means that you, Skull Session reader who plans to attend the top-10 showdown between the Buckeyes and Irish, should wear Ohio State colors to the regular season contest – preferably scarlet, as that will stand out the most among the green – and create a beautiful sea of scarlet in Notre Dame Stadium!

Also, be forewarned, as Eleven Warriors user GA Buckeye has delivered a message to the 11W staff that Notre Dame plans to use some theatrics involving the color green before, during and after kickoff:

I don’t know if you have heard about this "situation" already. I had to create an ND account to receive the tickets an ND alum purchased got me for the game in South Bend, so I received this email [featured below]. I have already ordered some red LED wristbands for my group to wear because I sure as hell won’t be wearing their green one. Maybe other Eleven Warriors fans can be forewarned?

The email:

Ticketed game attendees will receive a programmed LED Wristband waiting for you at your seat when you get to the game. This experience, brought to you by the Rockne Athletics Fund, will light up the night sky in a sea of Fighting Irish green throughout the game.

That’s where you come in! To make sure everyone enjoys this incredible sight, we ask you to please:

ACTIVATE YOUR BAND When you arrive at your seat, be sure to activate your LED Wristband by pulling on the tab located near the battery.
ONLY TAKE ONE There will be one LED Wristband per seat for everyone in the stadium to enjoy! Please be considerate of your neighbors and only take one.
BE READY When instructed, be sure you’re at your seat and proudly displaying your LED Wristband! Special light shows will occur when the team runs out and throughout the game.
DON’T TRADE Your unique wristband has been programmed to light up in your section and row when the time comes. Don’t swap your wristband with friends or family seated in other locations throughout the stadium. This will help you enjoy the full effect.

If I were you, Skull Session reader who plans to attend the top-10 showdown between the Buckeyes and Irish, I would follow GA Buckeye's lead, purchase some red (scarlet) LED wristbands and ruin the Notre Dame fans' precious event. That sounds like fun! Other than your cheering, clapping, shouting and, of course, an O-H-I-O chant in Notre Dame Stadium, it could be a fun way to contribute as the Men in the Scarlet and Gray take down the Boys in Green.

 THIS AND THAT. The final section of the Skull Session will be a fan-favorite "This and That" endeavor, as I have lots to discuss but inadequate space to discuss it. In this section, we will discuss the increased production of JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, Marvin Harrison Jr.'s incredible speed and the unprecedented success of Ohio State women's hockey.

First, let's look at some Pro Football Focus statistics for Tuimoloau and Sawyer from Saturday. According to PFF, the Ohio State defensive ends recorded a combined 13 quarterback pressures as Tuimoloau (33% pass-rush win rate) and Sawyer (32% pass-rush win rate) were a frequent disruption to Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed and the Hilltoppers' pass attack.

You love to see it.

Second, the man nicknamed Marvelous Marv, Route Man Marv, Super Marv (etc.) is fast – like, really fast. In Week 2, Harrison reached 22.2 mph on a 71-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Kyle McCord. In Week 3, Harrison recorded another impressive pace, running a maximum speed of 21.1 mph on a 75-yard touchdown catch from McCord.

Meep Meep.

Third, Ohio State women's hockey has turned into a perennial powerhouse under head coach Nadine Muzerall, who has collected a 160-69-19 record, three Frozen Four appearances, one national runner-up and one national championship since she arrived in Columbus in 2016-17. Muzerall's impressive résumé improved on Monday when 10 of her former players were drafted in the inaugural PWHL draft in Toronto.

Ohio State 2023 PWHL Draft Results

10. Sophie Jaques – Boston
11. Emma Maltais – Toronto
17. Jincy Dunne – Ottawa
23. Natalie Spooner – Toronto
36. Clair DeGeorge – Minnesota
43. Madison Bizal – Montreal
57. Paetyn Levis – New York
73. Liz Schepers – Minnesota
82. Tatum Skaggs – Boston
84. Minttu Tuominen - Minnesota

Ten (10) Buckeyes! That rocks!

 SONG OF THE DAY. "All The Debts I Owe" by CAAMP.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Cameron Mitchell Restaurants opening Ocean Prime at Nashville Yards development... Bears raid a Krispy Kreme doughnut van making deliveries on an Alaska military base... London police arrest a man who allegedly climbed over a wall near Buckingham Palace stables... Browns star Nick Chubb to undergo surgery on season-ending knee injury sustained against Steelers (sad)... Deion Sanders condemns death threats against player whose late hit left Hunter with lacerated liver.

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