Ohio State’s offensive line, a unit that hasn’t always performed as a cohesive unit, faces the task of two Miami defensive ends many are calling the best duo in the nation.
By Marcus Hartman for Press Pros
Arlington, TX — As the ongoing cold war between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes heats up again here Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl, key proxy battles figure to be waged on each end of the line when the Buckeyes have the ball.
VPP, in Versailles, proudly sponsors Buckeyes football on Press Pros Magazine.com.
In Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Messidor, Miami has two of the premier edge rushers in college football.
Veteran columnist Marcus Freeman writes the Buckeyes and sports at large for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Messidor has 8.5 sacks while Bain has 7.5. They also have a combined total of 25 tackles for loss for a Miami defense that ranks ninth in the country in that category and fourth in sacks.
Both made the All-ACC first team, and Bain was named the conference’s defensive player of the year.
Much analysis of the game begins with that pair as the Hurricanes hope to derail Ohio State’s quest to repeat as national champions, something that feels more in reach for Miami based on the way the Buckeyes looked the last time they took the field.
That was Dec. 6 when Ohio State gave up five sacks and nine tackles for loss in a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game. It was a major letdown after a dominating showing at Michigan the week before.
Koverman,Staley, Dickerson proudly supports your favorite high school sports on Press Pros Magazine.
“I think in our room we were incredibly disappointed and frustrated with how we played in that game at times, some things that cost us dearly, so I think we’ve addressed the issues head on,” offensive line coach Tyler Bowen said Monday during the Buckeyes’ media day at AT&T Stadium. “That’s what you have to do. You can’t hide the issues. We’ve tried to flush it, we’ve tried to get in position to play our best ball this week.”
Ohio State offensive tackles Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels know they will be under the microscope, and they welcome the challenge.
“Yeah both of them, Messidor and Bain, are really good,” said Siereveld, a third-year sophomore from Lakota East High School. “They’re definitely going to play in the (NFL) for a long time and it’s going to be a big challenge for me and Phil and we’re ready for it and both excited for the opportunity.”
A Cincinnati Princeton graduate, Daniels said he admires the way both Miami ends play.
“They are definitely some great dudes on film,” Daniels said. “I low-key like watchin’ em play. I like people who are gonna run around and just play football, like especially Rueben Bain is very physical. I like that. That’s how football is meant to be played. Old school.”
“They are definitely some great dudes on film. I low-key like watchin’ em play. I like people who are gonna run around and just play football, like especially Rueben Bain is very physical. I like that. That’s how football is meant to be played. Old school.” – Phillip Daniels
Siereveld and Daniels were both unlikely candidates for this role not long ago.
Although Siereveld was part of a rotation on the line last season as Ohio State won it all, that was at guard. He moved to tackle in the spring, won the left tackle spot in the preseason and has more than held his own, ending up with a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.
Daniels was a tackle his first two seasons in college — but at Minnesota.
He has been credited with bringing some more attitude to the OSU line even if the group remains a question mark heading into the College Football Playoff.
Lefeld Welding Supplies proudly sponsors high school sports and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Press Pros Magazine.com.
If they are bothered by that label, they didn’t say it Monday. Perhaps they are more worried with just getting their jobs done than making headlines, a good mindset for offensive linemen to maintain.
“I’m just blessed to be able to do what I’m doing and making sure that I’m having fun because this is a kid’s game at the end of the day,” said Daniels, who earned third-team all-conference honors. “It would be cool to get like a TikTok edit or cool little videos, but I’ve got to make sure I’m doing my job first and not giving up sacks or doing anything crazy because you reap what you sow.”
Adding to the intrigue this week, Ohio State will likely have a new face in the starting lineup.
Two-year starter Tegra Tshabola was listed as doubtful on Ohio State’s availability report published Sunday night (unidentified injury), meaning redshirt freshman Gabe VanSickle could start in his place.
He filled in for Tshabola in the second half against the Hoosiers and held his own, and he seemed close to pinching himself Monday as he looked around the cavernous home of the Dallas Cowboys.
“It feels really good because I would say as a little kid you never think you’d be in AT&T Stadium playing for a national championship. I just think that’s like awesome,” VanSickle said.
“Their defensive line is very twitchy, very strong. Their edges are obviously what everybody’s been talking about, and they’re really good. You can’t downplay them because they’re really good players, and I think we just need to do our job and we can succeed.”
He admitted to fighting butterflies when he saw his first playing time early in the season but said he is more comfortable now.
On the other side of the ball, Ohio State has a pair of talented ends itself in Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
Logan Services, in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus, proudly sponsor the best in area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.com.
They could be looking to steal the show by getting after Miami quarterback Carson Beck more than Bain and Messidor might impact Julian Sayin when Ohio State has the ball.
Jackson dismissed that notion.
Better offensive line play…is a necessity against the likes of an aggressive and efficient Miami pass rush.
They prefer to remain anonymous as long as the team is winning, but he did say he’s amazed by the progress Siereveld and Daniels have shown this season.
Not surprisingly, he has faith they can hold up Wednesday night against the talented Hurricane rushers.
“People are saying on the streets that No. 4 (Bain) and No. 3 (Messidor) are the best defensive end duo in the country, and I think that my O-line is the best in the country, so them going against those guys up there and Miami’s interior front, it should be a challenge for sure,” Jackson said.
Jackson knows something about that cold war because he grew up in Miami.
The teams have only played five times — most recently in 2011 — but frequently go head-to-head on the recruiting trail. They have also had some transfer battle portals, so it’s safe to say both sides are aware of the other in the offseason.
Then of course there is the matter of Jan. 3, 2003. That was the night Ohio State shocked Miami 31-24 in double overtime in the Fiesta Bowl.
That made the Buckeyes surprise national champions and robbed the Hurricanes of a chance to repeat themselves.
It also came with some controversy because of a pass interference flag that kept Ohio State’s first possession in overtime alive.
Some Miami fans are still nursing a grudge from having their potential dynasty detonated by an aggressive Ohio State defense and opportunistic offense, but Jackson isn’t impressed.
“I would say it’s weird, but I understand ‘em,” said Jackson, who was born in 2004. “If they feel like their team got cheated or whatever, I feel it, but just let it go. It’s been 20 years in the future and y’all still talking about it. Just let it go.”
The Arbogast family of dealerships proudly sponsors coverage of Ohio State football on Press Pros Magazine.com.