Ahead of No. 8 seed Ohio State’s meeting with No. 5 seed Texas in Friday night’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Buckeyes offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly had a lot of praise for the Longhorns’ defense.
When speaking with the media on Wednesday night, Kelly was quick to point out the Longhorns’ veteran coaching staff and balance on the defensive side of the ball.
Per Patrick Engels of the Buckeye Sports Bulletin, Kelly said:
“So they are really well coached. They don’t give up anything cheap. I think they’re the No. 1 red zone defense in the country, and that’s for a reason. And they played a big-time SEC schedule. So really, really well-coached team in a really good scheme.”
Kelly made sure to point out the “really, really good” offense before reverting back to how “legit” the Longhorns’ defense is and that “it’s going to be a battle.”
Kelly’s comments are spot-on. According to TeamRankings, Texas ranks third in the country in opponent points per game (14.5 PPG). The Longhorns have held 10 opponents under 20 points this season and won 11 games by double digits.
One player Kelly mentioned is edge rusher Colin Simmons, who won the Shaun Alexander Award as the nation’s top freshman. At just 19 years old, Simmons leads the team with nine sacks. He also has 29 solo tackles, three forced fumbles and one interception this season.
Led by junior QB Quinn Ewers (3,189 pass yards, 29 TDs), RBs Quintrevion Wisner (1,018 rush yards, five TDs) and Jaydon Blue (714 yards, eight TDs) and WR Matthew Golden (936 receiving yards, nine TDs), Texas (13-2) has been balanced on both sides of the ball.
Ohio State (12-2) possesses the nation’s best defense (12.1 PPG) and the sensational freshman WR Jeremiah Smith (1,224 yards, 14 TDs), so both teams have a lot to feel good about heading into the showdown.
Even though the Buckeyes have won both of their playoff games by at least 20 points, Kelly made it clear that Ohio State is well aware of Texas’ vaunted defense as both teams fight for a spot in the CFP national championship game on Jan. 20.