Ohio State sophomore cornerback Denzel Burke (5), who recorded an interception and 12 pass breakups in 2021, has struggled early in the 2022 season. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been committed to his mantra of “riding the hot hand” on defense in the Buckeyes’ first two games.
On a first-quarter drive Sept. 10, second-year cornerback Denzel Burke committed two pass interference penalties — one of which was declined as Arkansas State sophomore tight end Seydou Traore made a contested, Randy Moss-like catch over the Buckeyes’ defender for a 16-yard pickup.
In the second quarter, Red Wolves redshirt senior wide receiver Champ Flemings ran a stop-and-go fly route down the right sideline, fooling Burke and leading to a 58-yard completion down to Ohio State’s 12-yard line.
One series later, Burke was replaced by second-year JK Johnson, who went on to lead Ohio State cornerbacks with 50 snaps played compared to Burke’s 43.
How did Burke feel after being prematurely pulled from the game? Confident.
“He was very confident on the sideline, he wanted to know what he was doing wrong,” graduate safety Tanner McCalister said. “Coach [Tim Walton], he’s the corners coach, he’s coaching him up, and he wants to know what he did wrong. But I think he had a short-term memory, you know, he went back out there and he made some plays.”
Burke’s early-season struggles come on the heels of a 2021 season in which the Scottsdale, Arizona, native stepped into Ohio State’s secondary room and won the starting job.
Last season, Burke exceeded expectations and tallied an interception and 12 pass breakups, the latter of which ranked second most in the Big Ten.
Burke said Aug. 23 he was “a lot more confident” heading into 2022 because he had a year of experience playing as a freshman.
“My job is just to be specific with my details in the game and take care of the little things out there,” Burke said. “And then everything will take care of itself.”
In 93 snaps across two games, though, Burke allowed opposing receivers to haul in seven passes for 151 yards on 12 targets. According to Pro Football Focus, Burke has a 55.7 rating in coverage this season, which ranks 519th out of 632 cornerbacks listed.
Knowles’ five-defensive-back scheme features three safeties, and that puts both cornerbacks in one-on-one situations with the receiver they are assigned to cover. In turn, this can result in catches allowed.
“Those guys at corner, they live on an island,” Knowles said. “It’s something that, you know, 99.99 percent of the population could never do. It’s a really tough, competitive situation.”
Burke’s play Saturday seemed to have a snowball effect; the penalties in the first-quarter toppled into the long pass completion in the second. Third-year safety Lathan Ransom said defensive backs can be susceptible to having big momentum swings, whether it’s on the good or the bad side of it.
Burke said in August he takes practice seriously, trying to apply everything he learns to his game. This week of practice might be one of the more important ones of his young Ohio State career.
Against Toledo, which ranks 101st in the Football Bowl Subdivision in pass yards per game and 86th in expected points added per offensive pass play, Burke looks to right the ship this week before the Buckeyes’ conference slate begins against Wisconsin.
Ransom called Burke “one of the hardest workers” he knows and is confident he will return to form.
“We all know Denzel’s a baller, and at the end of the day, he had a bad game and ballers shake back from that,” Ransom said. “Jalen Ramsey didn’t have his best first game, and he’s still one of the best corners in the league. And Denzel’s still one of the best corners in the country, and he’s going to show that soon enough.”
