SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.: Ohio State junior defensive end Joey Bosa declined to say he was leaving early for the NFL this week in order to avoid taking the focus off Friday’s game against Notre Dame in the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl.
Then coach Urban Meyer announced it for him Thursday.
Asked about players on the OSU roster likely bound for the 2016 draft, Meyer said, “Three of them have already said they’re going to leave, that’s Zeke, Joey, Cardale. It is a very good junior class. I take my hat off to them because I know what’s out there. I know the agents. I know the pressures that are being put.
“I can relate it back to 2008, I believe, or ’09, where we had at least 12 to 15 guys put in paperwork for the NFL Draft. It’s tough on them.”
The deadline to declare for the draft is Jan. 18. Included with Bosa among those departing with eligibility remaining are running back Ezekiel Elliott and backup quarterback Cardale Jones, on track to graduate in June. The paperwork Meyer mentioned is a rating from an NFL scouting service on which round the player is likely to be selected.
Bosa is projected by some as the No. 1 overall pick in the April 28-30 draft.
Going deep
One matchup to watch will be Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller against Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple.
Fuller, a 6-foot, 184-pound junior, has scored 13 touchdowns — seven of at least 45 yards and nine of at least 30 yards — this season. His 28 touchdowns over the past two seasons are the most nationally of any player. The consensus second-team All-America has also amassed 2,239 yards in that span.
The Buckeyes’ secondary will have to be fully invested to avoid a repeat of the Orange Bowl two years ago, when Clemson’s Sammy Watkins caught 16 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Apple said Fuller is faster than Alabama’s Amari Cooper, who caught nine passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns when the Buckeyes upset the No. 1 Crimson Tide last year.
“He definitely has unique speed. Watching him on film he looks like the fastest receiver I’ll face, probably in my career,” redshirt sophomore Apple said of Fuller. “He’s great at route-running, great at getting separation off the line. As corners, we’re going to have to be on high alert and be fundamentally sound at the line and make sure we get our hands on him and disrupt him.
“His deep-ball skills are amazing. He has a great connection with his quarterback; you can tell they really practice hard on those deep balls and they execute it well.”
Asked what sets Fuller apart, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said, “He has the ability to track the football in the air that I have not seen before. When you have elite speed, that’s one thing, but tracking the ball is another. The other thing is generally they’re usually not great route-runners, they lose speed in and out of their cuts. He does not lose speed.”
Apple said he expects Notre Dame to take a deep shot within the first 10 plays of the game, just as it has done all season. Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said the Buckeyes could also see Fuller on screens and throws inside.
“Probably as fast as anybody we’ve seen in a long time,” Fickell said.
Conley gets serious
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Gareon Conley, a Massillon product, could also find himself covering Fuller. Conley is in his first year as a starter.
“Gareon has stepped up big time,” Apple said. “This whole year you could tell he got really serious from the start. We feed off each other’s energy. We’re roommates so we talk about football all the time. He’s somebody that goes hard whenever he can. He’s one of my favorite players, one of my best friends on the team, so it’s great to see him playing well.”
Where’s Bosa?
With two starting defensive tackles out, Fickell could move Bosa inside. But Kelly doesn’t expect to see that.
“If he comes inside, that would be awesome,” Kelly said. “If we would make an agreement before the game that he’s going to play the three-technique, we would be very happy. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Beanie’s analysis
Former Ohio State running back Beanie Wells of Garfield High School was in town to do pre-game work for the Big Ten Network, WBNS-TV (Channel 10) and Columbus radio.
“The defensive line is their strong suit,” Wells said of Notre Dame. “They’re going to get after the pass rush, try to clog those lanes. Do some of the things that Michigan State did, bully us up front, stop Ezekiel Elliott from getting going. For us it’s going to be a difficult game. Ohio State is going to have to bring their hard hats to win. They’re a well coached football team, a balanced team. They’re probably the best team we’ve faced all season.”
But Wells said he thinks the Buckeyes will be mentally ready after the defending national champions failed to make the four-team College Football Playoffs.
“Urban Meyer’s going to have this team prepared,” Wells said. “He’s been hearing all season long how it’s been a letdown, how this team and this coaching staff haven’t been able to get the most out of the talent. He wants to go out and prove a lot of people wrong and the players feel the same way. They know where they’re supposed to be right now and they want to prove they’re one of the best teams in the country.”
Making a difference
Ohio State safety Vonn Bell is among the juniors who could declare for the NFL Draft. As he reflected on his career Monday, Bell said he believed the Buckeyes would have won the 2013 Big Ten Championship game against Michigan State if he had played. MSU snapped OSU’s 24-game winning streak with a 34-24 victory.
Asked what the Buckeyes would have done if he played as a freshman, Bell said, “We would have won the Big Ten championship, that’s what I think. But it’s not my turn.
“I felt like I was ready, I had confidence. When you have a young guy you’re going to have growing pains, anyway, so go ahead and throw him out there into the environment.”
Bell didn’t believe MSU’s Keith Mumphrey would have caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from Connor Cook if he had been on the field.
“No, I don’t think so,” Bell said. “A lot went through my mind. ‘I could be out there locking these guys up. What’s going on?’ But there’s a timetable. You’ve got to wait until your number’s called.”
Secondary woes
Notre Dame’s secondary has been ravaged by injuries and suffered another blow when cornerback Devin Butler reportedly broke his foot in practice Monday. He will be replaced by sophomore Nick Watkins, who will make his first career start.
“I’ve been a Nick Watkins fan,” Kelly said. “He’s been a spotty practice player. He’s been a guy who will make a play and then won’t show up for a little bit. That’s just maturity. When I see him, and I see him a lot in one-on-ones, I love his length, I like his competitiveness and he’s 195-200 pounds. I like that in a corner.
“I think Nick’s going to play well. I’d be surprised if he didn’t. I sure would pick on him if I were them. I think he’ll hold up. He will compete, has got a lot of pride and got some innate athletic ability.”
Butler was replacing KeiVarae Russell, who broke his leg in the regular-season finale. Free safety Max Redfield was sent home from Arizona for a violation of team rules and will likely be replaced by senior Matthias Farley. Sophomore safety Drue Tranquill tore the ACL in his right knee celebrating a pass breakup against Georgia Tech in September.
Special record
Meyer and the Buckeyes have frequently mentioned how much they want to beat Notre Dame to record the 50th win for Ohio State’s senior class. It stands 49-4 over four seasons.
The Football Bowl Subdivision record for a senior class is 50 set by Boise State from 2008-11. Florida State’s seniors also had a chance at 50, but the Seminoles lost to Houston 38-24 Thursday in the Peach Bowl.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com.