FILM STUDY: JORDAN FULLER PLAYED TWO POSITIONS AND THE BEST GAME OF HIS YOUNG CAREER AGAINST NEBRASKA
Replacing Malik Hooker was no enviable task.
Although 18 trees in the Buckeye All-American grove feature the names of former defensive backs, few can claim to have made an impact quite like Hooker did last fall. Though he only started for one season in Columbus, Hooker allowed new coordinator Greg Schiano to transform the Ohio State defense from a structured, yet sometimes rigid, quarters defense into an aggressive man-to-man system, knowing one of the nation's best athletes was lurking deep in the secondary.
After Hooker departed for the NFL last spring, it wasn't entirely clear who would replace him, however. Senior Erick Smith seemed the logical choice, given his pedigree from Glenville High School and time spent in the program. But a sophomore from New Jersey that, like Hooker, had done a little bit of everything during his prep football days, stole Smith's assumed starting free safety job last August.
Jordan Fuller came to Ohio State with his ultimate position unclear, but plenty of potential. As a senior, he led Old Tappan to a state title while rushing for 747 yards and 10 touchdowns, hauling in 33 receptions for 886 yards and five touchdowns, making 44 tackles and reeling in six interceptions on defense, and even throwing for 135 passing yards.
But as of this writing, it's quite likely that most Buckeye fans think of him as 'the guy who tripped Spielman's nephew and saved a touchdown.' They aren't necessarily wrong about that, given the way the Huskers' slot receiver was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal night for the Huskers.
However, to think of Fuller's performance in Lincoln last Saturday night only through that lens would be unfair to the excellent performance he put on throughout the evening; one that required him to follow in Hooker's footsteps and become the Swiss Army knife of Schiano's secondary. Though Hooker made his name as a ball-hawking centerfielder, picking off deep balls and drawing comparisons to Earl Thomas, he was asked to do quite a bit more last fall.
Once teams could expect the Buckeyes to line up in Schiano's 'Cover-1' with everyone but the free safety in man-to-man coverage, opponents began isolating their best players on fellow safety Damon Webb, who struggled to live up to the high standards of surrounding cover-corners like Marshon Lattimore, Gareon Conley, and Denzel Ward. Hooker, then, was thrust into the role of slot-corner against four-receiver looks, while Webb retreated to patrol the deep middle.
This fall, Ohio State's defensive backs continue to often play the same coverage scheme, especially on passing downs, with Ward, Damon Arnette and Kendall Sheffield manning the three cornerbacks spots. But with Arnette lost for the first half in Lincoln due to his targeting penalty against Maryland the week prior, Schiano didn't look to the bench for a replacement. Instead, he simply bumped Fuller into the starting slot-corner position while Smith came at free safety.
While Nebraska slot receiver J.D. Spielman had a big night, nearly all of his yards came in the second half once Arnette returned and the game was already in hand. Fuller only gave up one reception to Spielman while in coverage (which resulted in the shoestring tackle) and was nowhere near the play when Spielman took off for a 77-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...dan-fullers-versatile-performance-in-nebraska