Ohio State’s Chip Kelly has high praise for Oregon star defender

The collective eye of the college football universe is going to turn to Autzen Stadium this weekend when the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes travel west to take on the No. 3 Oregon Ducks.

What was once an intriguing nonconference matchup has now become a Big Ten showdown, and it will undoubtedly be one of the more consequential games of this season with two of the best coaches in the country pulling the strings in OSU’s Ryan Day and Oregon’s Dan Lanning.

Not only will the winner remain undefeated, but whoever comes away victorious will undoubtedly be thought of as one of the favorites to win it all this season.

For Ohio State, specifically, it’s a huge opportunity to show that Chip Kelly’s Buckeyes offense can compete with the best teams in the nation since they really haven’t been tested yet this year. Yes, the team is putting up 46 points per game, but its schedule has consisted of Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall, Michigan State and Iowa.

Looking ahead to what the Ducks present defensively, the Buckeyes seem to believe their biggest test will come in the form of Oregon senior defensive end Jordan Burch. Last week against Michigan State, he racked up four tackles, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. 

“He had a huge game against Michigan State last Friday night, really kind of showed up. I think he’s really starting to embrace that role that [defensive coordinator] Tosh [Lupoi] and Dan [Lanning] have put him in,” OSU offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said, according to On3’s Andy Backstrom.

“Burch is very, very good,” Day himself said. “He’s very athletic, strong, good pass-rusher, good against the run. … They have some good guys up front. So it’s going to be a great challenge for our offensive line and for everybody.”

Ohio State’s offensive line has paved the way for 510.2 yards per game, but while Oregon is generally thought of as an offensive program, it’s worth noting that the Ducks are ranked sixth in the Big Ten in yards given up per game (263.4) by their defense and they have allowed only 17 points per game from their opponents.

They’ve also arguably played a tougher schedule so far with wins against Boise State and Oregon State in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. 

Clearly, something has got to give in this contest, and the Buckeyes have a sneaking suspicion that Burch will likely be a part of the equation.

“You got to know where he is on every play,” Kelly said of Burch. “He’s one of those guys that can disrupt a football game.”