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Quinshon Judkins, Donovan Jackson express faith in latest version of o-line
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Quinshon Judkins and Donovan Jackson know Ohio State has already adjusted the offensive line once. But if the Buckeyes want to make good on their national title aspirations, they will have to roll with even more punches.
After losing Josh Simmons to a season-ending injury vs. Oregon and re-working the offensive line after struggling vs. Nebraska, Ohio State was dealt another blow this week. It involved a season-ending injury to starting center Seth McLaughlin and more tinkering with the starting 5.
Head coach Ryan Day said Wednesday night that there is a plan to make things work moving forward. Donovan Jackson, formerly at left guard, will remain the left tackle, a spot he’s held since the Penn State game for starters.
Carson Hinzman, originally the backup center thrust into Jackson’s left guard spot, will move back to center to take over for McLaughlin. That left the Buckeyes to move Austin Siereveld, an occasional contributor at guard this season, to the starting LG spot moving forward.
While the shuffling may give fans some concern, star running back Quinshon Judkins says adversity is nothing new for this team. He also praised the new-look o-line for setting the intensity this week.
“Those guys, we’ve all as a whole have faced adversity, and that isn’t anything new to us as a team and especially as an offense. Those guys are ready to step up man and just the intensity they’ve brought all week since everything has happened and shows they’re ready to go,” said Judkins on Wednesday.
For Jackson, he believes the line has been preparing for another blow ever since the Buckeyes shuffled things after the Nebraska game. That move changed the message to the entire offensive line room:
“When we did it the first time, we told the younger guys and some of those guys who weren’t in a starting role yet that you need to change your mindset,” Jackson explained. “It’s not just a starting 5, it’s like you all have to play. The younger guys have been practicing harder, they’ve been improving at a fast rate.”
Jackson acknowledged the injury for McLaughlin “sucks” but he also believes the linemen still left standing are at Ohio State for this kind of scenario:
“You never wish that on anybody. Especially a man of that caliber and a player of that caliber… It’s kind of next man up. We all wear Block O’s on our chest for a reason,” said Jackson. “We’re not here for a free vacation, we’re here to play football. Guys need to get going, and the guys who are going, we’re all confident in what they can do.”
Even with the latest injuries, Ohio State still headlines DraftKings national title odds at +320. The Buckeyes even lead Oregon, the team to beat Ohio State, with the Ducks at +475 entering Week 13, and fans can use our DraftKings Ohio promo code to get started.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.