IRVING, TX – With the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between No.7 Ohio State and No.9 Missouri, both teams are making their final preparations for what will be a great game down at AT&T Stadium.
Below are my top three things to watch for Friday evening.
1.) With Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. sitting out, expect RB TreVeyon Henderson to be the focal point on offense.
With reports of Harrison Jr. likely sitting out the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes offense will more than likely feature the 5’10” 212-pound junior tailback along with fellow junior WR Emeka Egbuka to try to make up for the absence of the 6’4″, 205 pound playmaker, who is likely the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in May
2.) Thanks to Buckeyes starting safety Lathan Ransom being out due to an injury, Mizzou Tigers WR Luther Burden III could have his coming out party vs. a suspect Buckeyes secondary.
A St Louis-born 5’11 208 pound Mizzou WR Luther Burden III (83 catches, 1,197 yards, 8 TD’s, 14.4 YPG) vs. a suspect Buckeyes secondary, minus their top safety in the aforementioned Ransom.
If you haven’t heard of this kid now, you will by the end of Friday night, and will be a name to keep an eye on for in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Another player to watch for to have a big game for the Tigers is running back Cody Schrader, who rushed for 1,489 yards and 13 touchdowns, while averaging 6.0 yards on 247 carries.
A 5’9 214-pound workhorse, he along with Burden III could be a formidable 1-2 combo that could give the Buckeyes some trouble.
3.) Game manager or playmaker? QB Devin Brown gets his shot. After losing out to Kyle McCord–who has since transferred to Syracuse, sophomore quarterback Devin Brown gets his chance to shine in front of an expected capacity crowd of over 100,000 at the Cotton Bowl in a nationally televised game.
Brown, a 6’3″ 213-pound native out of Gilbert, AZ, has seen limited action this season, with the only extended look of him having come in mop up duty vs. Youngstown State in a 35-7 route of the Penguins in which he completed 7-of-13 passes for 101 yards.
Depending on how head coach Ryan Day elects to utilize Brown’s dual threat abilities, he may choose to do some RPO zone-read plays to keep Mizzou’s aggressive defense at bay in calling short and easy passes to Egbuka and some play-action downfield.