Ohio State Football: Buckeyes Have Plenty to Prove in Showdown with Cincinnati

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jalin Marshall is just a redshirt freshman, a second-year player who has only seen the field for three games in his college career.
So it’s telling that even as one of the youngest players on the Ohio State roster, he is well aware of what’s at stake for the Buckeyes in this weekend’s showdown with Cincinnati.

“It’s a big game for us. It’s a statement game for us,” Marshall said on Wednesday. “We have to come out there and play hard, play fast and play together, and I feel like we’ll come out there and get a win. Cincinnati’s definitely not gonna give it to us.”

The same couldn’t have been said about Ohio State’s opponent two weeks ago, Kent State, which rolled over and watched the Buckeyes head into their bye week with a 66-0 blowout victory.

OSU’s thrashing of the Golden Flashes gave it some much-needed confidence following a Sept. 6 loss to Virginia Tech, but the Buckeyes know that the Bearcats will bring much more talent to Columbus than KSU did before their bye.

The challenge of facing UC, however, will be a welcome one for an Ohio State squad still unsure of where it stands after having already completed one-quarter of the 2014 season.

With arguably the best quarterback they will see all season and and one of the most talented teams on their schedule coming to town for a final tune-up before the start of Big Ten play, there will be no shortage of points for the Buckeyes to prove this Saturday.

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