Pressure bullets: Kerry Coombs, Shaun Wade, Ohio State defender preparing for the challenge of Alabama’s attack

And now the Buckeyes will face an even bigger test on Monday night, facing Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and two more Heisman finalists in Alabama quarterback Mac Jones (who finished third in the vote) and running back Najee Harris (which ended in fifth).

How will the Buckeyes deal with this high-powered unit? Will they have to prepare for the return of receiver Jaylen Waddle?

Kerry Coombs, Shaun Wade, Jonathon Cooper, Haskell Garrett, Justin Hilliard, Pete Werner and Marcus Williamson took the podium on Wednesday to answer these questions and more. A detailed summary of what they discussed:

Kerry Coombs

• Coombs called this season “the most rewarding year” due to the players’ willingness and ability to adapt to the adversities that happened and because they are eager to do “whatever it takes” to have a successful season.

• On the Alabama attack challenge: “This is a great attack. It is a complete attack. They have five All-Americans, a Heisman Trophy winner and a runner-up.”

• He says that Tide not only has great players, but also a great scheme, and they “always have an answer”.

• Details such as placing hands inside attackers and filling in gaps are essential to Ohio’s defensive line, says Coombs.

• On Lathan Ransom’s growing role: “He just kept getting better every day … Those are the types of kids who suffer from the summer structure and the shortened season.” He says that Ransom was doing well in practice and continued to improve and develop: “We are excited about his future.”

• Coombs believes the Buckeyes’ attack had “a completely different feeling for the passing game” after Ryan Day took over. Said Day is “very, very creative in what it does with the passing game” and that the feeling was tangible that it started to change from the moment he arrived.

• Coombs praised Day’s leadership on this team: “He’s a player coach … He talks to players all the time. That’s one of his greatest gifts.”

• Day gives the coaching staff suggestions on what to read and see that have nothing to do with football and even more on how to treat young players on your team.

• Coombs was on the team for the Buckeyes’ Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama at the end of the 2014 season. He says the evolution of Tide’s passing attack “is exceptional”.

• Coombs believes that the three-game stretch that included Ohio State’s 2015 national championship victory helped solidify Urban Meyer’s recruitment and helped the program take off: “At least for me, that three-game stretch was a turning point. play here. ”

• On a possible return by Jaylen Waddle: “I think you absolutely have to prepare yourself as if he were going to return. … He is a special player. I take his hat off. I think it’s great for college football. ”

• Coombs: “You can’t play with fear. This is probably the worst thing you can do.”

• On teaching deep ball cornerback techniques: “It is an art to play deep ball … It really is one of those skill sets that get better with this. The best way to do this is to get more repetitions in practice.” But Coombs says it is a difficult balance to have players doing repetitions against deep balls without overloading them in practice.

• In DeVonta Smith: “He’s very, very talented as a runner. He’s physically unbelievable. … He takes short balls and makes great plays. He obviously takes deep balls, just like anyone else we play against, I appreciate good players. . He’s a good player. I like to watch him play. ”

Shaun Wade

• Wade alluded to Ohio State’s recent five-star cornerback, Jaheim Singletary, each of whom came from Jacksonville as a highly rated defensive back. He says “it’s crazy” as their situations are similar.

• Wade meets Mac Jones after playing 7 against 7 with him in Jacksonville during high school. He says he called Jones “Money Maker Mac”.

• He believes that John Metchie compares to Jaylen Waddle, calling Metchie “a great player with a great future.”

• When asked which Alabama receiver he would most like to face, Wade said “you already know who I want to face”. He confirmed that the receiver he wants to play against is DeVonta Smith.

• Wade says that Chris Olave is “one of the biggest recipients of college football” and that Olave and Smith have some similarities in height and skill. He says that facing Olave helped him prepare to face the winner of the Heisman Trophy.

• Wade says Josh Proctor “is going to play a big role for us on Monday night”. He says Proctor is a safety hawking ball and is “looking forward to seeing him make some moves … He just needs to be Josh”.

• Wade says that all that matters is “winning this national championship”.

Jonathon Cooper

• Cooper on the struggles of a season full of adversity: “Obviously, we are not silent about how difficult it has been. … But the message as a team is that we have one more. There is nothing left after that. That’s why you come to the state of Ohio. ”

• Cooper says he returned for a fifth season after last year’s injury “to my teammates” to “show the world what I can do” and “to win a national championship”.

• Alabama’s offensive line, which won the Joe Moore award for best offensive line in the country, will be the Buckeyes’ biggest challenge this season: “We have to go out and attack them” as they do with any other team. He says that the challenge of facing them “is no different than going against our guys in practice”.

• Cooper says he is “special” because he grew up in Ohio seeing guys like Troy Smith stand out and having a chance to dispute a national title: “I will have a chance to reflect on all of this later, but now my focus is on beating Alabama . … This is where all my focus and energy are directed. ”

• He believes Ohio State has a deep defensive line: “He’s not just a guy. In every way, we have great players we can trust”.

• Having that depth is the key to overcoming an offensive line like Alabama, he says.

• Trevor Lawrence got the ball out quickly, and Cooper says the defensive line should play Mac Jones the same way and “do everything I can to make sure the defender doesn’t feel comfortable there”.

Haskell Garrett

• As Cooper and Pete Werner argued, Garrett believes that the Buckeyes’ iron-sharpening approach in practice will help the defensive line go against the Alabama offensive line. Playing against guys like Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers, says Garrett, is a big help.

• Garrett says Taron Vincent “did an excellent job” in the defensive system and is impressed that Vincent struggled with injuries to produce in the postseason.

• Garrett remembers seeing Najee Harris at The Opening in high school. He praised Harris’ speed, versatility and physicality. The Buckeyes have “a great challenge ahead” with the talent between the two teams now “matched”.

• Alabama’s offensive line is “the best of the best”. Garrett appreciates the chance to play against them because “you want to play the best … There is nothing that makes you more motivated than playing against a great offensive line.”

• Garrett believes the game “will be won in the trenches. Undoubtedly … If you cannot move the offensive and defensive lines, there is no chance, in my opinion”. He says the line’s attackers and defenders are “anonymous heroes”.

• Each year, Larry Johnson brings something different to the table and gives “a different flavor” based on personnel among defensive line players.

• Johnson: “He has nothing to do with the rah-rah. He touches your soul … I trust him for anything. Once you believe him and everything he is telling and teaching you, it will play your game stand out. This is a testament to him. After trusting him, the sky is the limit. ”

Justin Hilliard

• Hilliard: “It’s no secret that Najee Harris is one of the best running backs in college football. … As long as we have 11 players running for football, we’ll be fine.”

• After going through so many injuries and so many adversities, Hilliard says that “it makes him much sweeter”.

• This is Hilliard’s last game as Buckeye and the last game for many other veterans. He says they are “pouring out their hearts” in preparation for the game.

• The team’s leadership and “next man mentality” has been even more impressive this season and even more imperative to have that mentality with the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19.

• Not considering a return to a seventh year, Hilliard says he doesn’t think he has anything left to give Ohio State after six years of work. He confirms that it is “completely” his intention to make this his last game with the Buckeyes and pursue a career in the NFL.

• Hilliard believes that Day “brought the atmosphere of love and brotherhood” to the state of Ohio even stronger than Urban Meyer.

Pete Werner

• Werner praised Hilliard for everything he overcame to get to this point where he is playing the best football of his career. He says that Hilliard is a close friend who received him on the show and seeing his success is “unbelievable”.

• Werner says that Najee Harris and Travis Etienne “compare quite a bit”. He says Harris has a more physical stance, but “as long as we do the same things we did for Etienne, we would do well to stop him.”

• The growth of Ohio State linebackers has been an important part of the Buckeyes ‘defense: “The coaches put a lot more on the linebackers’ table at the end of the season because they know we are capable.”

• Alabama has “a great plan for (Harris) to take the ball”. It can seem cloudy at times, but then you see it advance seven or eight meters when it should have hit zero. He calls Harris “a great threat”.

• Emil Ekiyor Jr., holder of Alabama’s right guard, is Werner’s former teammate at Cathedral (Indiana) High School. He says the two have already talked about their next match and “we are ready to catch each other.”

• “It’s nothing different” against Alabama’s offensive line. Werner says the Ohio State defender likes to compare the Buckeyes’ own offensive line with that of the Crimson Tide and that facing their teammates in practice will help prepare them for the challenge.

Marcus Williamson

• Despite being “a strange year”, Williamson believes that the Buckeyes’ secondary has evolved over the season.

• Williamson calls Sevyn Banks “an incredible athlete” and that Banks has reached a new level of comfort with his body and technique: “Sevyn can make some moves and help us bring a ring home.”

• On preparation for Alabama receivers: “It’s an extensive preparation for these guys. Of course DeVonta just won Heisman, and around them they are great players … Being able to get into the film and prepare for what we think they’re what I’m going to do was also fun. ”

• Williamson says he plans to return next season, taking advantage of the NCAA extra year eligibility rule implemented for this year: “I’m still enjoying being a Buckeye, man. This year was crazy. I know we had a season cut and we lost games , … but I am very excited to bring our unit back to the standards we have defended … I am not ready to leave yet. We still have business pending. ”

• He says this secondary is “savoring” the opportunity to go against Alabama and prove his worth against Tide’s explosive receivers.

• Williamson calls Ransom’s growth and performance this season “notable”.