ANGELES — Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins couldn’t believe what he was watching on Friday night when the Buckeyes lost shockingly to Missouri 14-3 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Earlier in the season, Michigan had defeated Ohio State three times in a row.
“I’m a hater, but that ain’t the team we played against on 25th of November,” Jenkins stated. It wasn’t depressing. Still, damn you, man. Do you sense me? Does that make sense? You want your adversary to play well even though you all despise each other. However, it was difficult to witness.”
Heisman contender Marvin Harrison Jr., linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, who led the team with 80 tackles before to the game, and safety Lathan Ransom were among the notable players absent from the Buckeyes. After Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse earlier this month and Devin Brown departed the game in the middle of the second quarter with a high left ankle sprain, they were also down to their third-string quarterback, freshman Lincoln Kienholz. Their offence managed just 203 total yards in the end.
Jenkins remarked of Harrison, “We rivals and all that, but that man’s a beast.” The dude is a skilled player. In any case, if he’s not in…”
Jenkins responded, “Teams shouldn’t be judged on bowl game performances given the number of players opting out,” in response to a question concerning Harrison’s decision to skip the game.
“If they want to opt out, they should definitely be able to opt out,” Jenkins stated. However, since that wasn’t the squad you saw, you really shouldn’t [judge teams] for real. You watched the entire regular season on tape, and that team wasn’t there.”
Jenkins stated he doesn’t see a scenario where players with high NFL draft expectations choose to skip important games in the playoff bracket as the playoffs get ready to grow to 12 teams next season.
Jenkins hinted that any school with a shot at winning the championship will hold onto players who are considering departing for the NFL or the transfer portal, even though a championship team’s schedule would likely increase to 16 games and so prolong the college football season.
Jenkins remarked, “I don’t think so if there are twelve teams in.” “[16 potential games] is a lot of football, but … I feel like if teams have the opportunity to go all the way in college, they’re gonna be full.”
