Ohio State football: Three players to watch vs. Notre Dame

Can Cam Brown contain Notre Dame’s receivers for the Ohio State football team?

Cam Brown started last season off slowly. He was still working himself back from a torn Achilles that he suffered early in the 2020 season. Because of that, he wasn’t as fast as he normally is. It took him quite a few games to get himself back to the old Cam Brown.

Once he got there, he was pretty good. He’s not as elite as his counterpart is, but he’s still a pretty good cornerback. Ohio State needs him to be pretty good on Saturday as well. While Notre Dame is low on receivers, shutting them down is still a big priority for the Buckeyes.

We know that Denzel Burke is going to shut down his side of the field. If Brown can do the same, Notre Dame has almost no chance of moving the ball. They would be forced to rely on Michael Mayer even more than they already are going to do.

Stopping the pass also helps the Buckeyes contain what will be a dual-threat quarterback. If they force him to just be a runner, that makes the Irish more predictable. That makes them easier to stop as well. Brown locking down his receiver is part of that.

There you have it. These are the three players to watch for this weekend’s opener. If they all have good games, the Buckeyes shouldn’t have any issue winning. If they struggle, there’s a chance they could lose another non-conference game at home to a premier opponent.