Steve Sarkisian admits Texas will have a 'hard time' defending Ohio State wide receivers

Steve Sarkisian was blunt in his assessment of Ohio State’s receiving corps ahead of Texas‘ showdown with the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Cotton Bowl on Friday evening.

The Longhorns head coach realizes it’s next to impossible to stop play-makers like Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, you can only hope to contain them. Sarkisian explained during a media session that his team will likely have some trouble with the talented duo, as he praised their immense ability, as well as Ohio State’s offense as a whole.

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“They’re both big, physical players,” Sarkisian said, regarding Smith and Egbuka. “They have length. They have speed. They have play-making ability on the ball. They have really big catch radiuses. They’ve got the scheme to go with it, with Coach [Chip] Kelly and Coach [Ryan] Day. They’ve got a quarterback who delivers them the ball.

“So, you add all that up, these guys are impactful players that are real issues. We’re going to have a hard time guarding them.”

All told, Texas would be far from the only team to have trouble guarding the Ohio State tandem. Smith and Egbuka ran wild against the Oregon Ducks in the Quarterfinals of the CFP at the Rose Bowl, which led to the Buckeyes advancing via a blowout win. Smith caught seven passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns, while Egbuka added five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown.

On the season as a whole, both wide receivers have put up impressive numbers. Smith has 70 receptions for 1,224 yards and 14 touchdowns, while the more experienced Egbuka has amassed 70 receptions for 896 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those are gaudy numbers, and it’s easy to see why Will Howard loves to throw their way.

Even if you do stop the Ohio State duo, the Buckeyes have plenty of other offensive weapons, like wide receiver Carnell Tate, and the running back tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. That’s why it was so frustrating for fans when the team was struggling earlier this season, but they’ve seemed to figure it out over the past couple of weeks.

Time will tell if Steve Sarkisian’s Texas bunch can figure out a way to stop the Ohio State offense, and specifically their wide receiving corps. There aren’t many teams that have been able to do it over the past couple of months, but you’ll certainly give yourself a better shot at victory if you can.