Ohio State football: Freshmen not shying from spotlight with big game on horizon

In the case of Henderson and Burke, neither has needed to say a word for the college football world to know who they are.

Henderson leads the Big Ten in yards per carry (8.8), scoring (12.0 points per game) and rushing touchdowns (11) while Burke’s seven passes defended are one off the lead in the conference.

Henderson and Burke are integral parts of the 2021 Buckeyes every week, but both could be in extra important roles Saturday night.

While Ohio State has perhaps the best passing game in the country, Penn State will counter with one of the few secondaries that could match up with the Buckeyes from a personnel standpoint.

The Nittany Lions also have a run defense that suddenly looks vulnerable after losing key players to injury and getting steamrolled by Illinois last week, so Henderson could be leaned on more heavily than he has been recently.

He said Wednesday night he is good with how he’s been used (sparingly in four straight blowouts) and looking forward to his time coming.

“I’m happy with the amount of carries I’m getting right now,” the nation’s top running back recruit said. “When we’re up 50-some against a team there’s no reason to get 20 carries and put myself at risk of getting an injury, so I think the coaches are being smart with the amount of carries I’m getting now.

“I think the 20 carries a game and things like that will come sooner or later. The thing is whenever my team needs me to make a play, that’s what I do. If it’s nine carries, seven carries, I’m going to make the best out of the carries I get.”

Henderson had an immediate impact with an 70-yard touchdown catch in the opener at Minnesota, and he broke Archie Griffin’s single-game Ohio State freshman rushing record with 270 yards against Tulsa in his third game.

The 5-10, 215-pounder, whose senior season of high school football in Virginia was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, said the biggest part of adjusting to college football has been the physicality.

“You’ve got to really take care of your body now and stuff like that,” he said. “You’ve got to take your treatment serious. I come in almost every day and get treatment on my body, because it takes it takes a toll, all those hits and stuff and all the banging we do.”

On the other side of the ball, Burke had some ups and downs in the seasonopener at Minnesota but has more than held his own since.

The Arizona native, who could end up being the first true freshman to start at cornerback all season for Ohio State, has allowed 15 receptions on 34 targets this season, the second-lowest completion percentage among cornerbacks in the Big Ten according to Pro Football Focus.

He is PFF’s No. 2-graded CB in coverage in the Big Ten behind Caesar Williams of Wisconsin.

Burke began impressing the Ohio State coaching staff almost immediately after he took the field in the spring, and opposing staffs seem to be catching on.

He was targeted 22 times in the first three games but has faced only 12 throws in the last four games, including one last week at Indiana. His total snaps are also down over the past month with Ohio State dominating its last four opponents.

“I guess teams are starting to respect me a little more,” Burke said when asked about the dwindling targets. “At the same time, I do want them to test me, but if they don’t, they don’t.”

This week should be his stiffest test yet.

Penn State’s Jahan Dotson is among the nation’s top receivers, and he enjoyed a coming out party last season against Ohio State when he caught three touchdown passes.

“He’s a pretty good receiver,” Burke said. “Nothing I can’t handle, though.”

He said working against Ohio State’s elite receivers in practice has helped him grow up fast, and he doesn’t expect to have to change much this week as far as preparation.

“We’re just going to stick to what we do — trust our coaches and what they want us to do and go out there and ball,” Burke said. “I guard the best in the nation (in practice), so I’ll just apply what I do with them.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

Penn State at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m., ABC, 1410