Despite struggles, Ohio State football Buckeyes praise cornerback Denzel Burke's grit

Denzel Burke’s return against Rutgers on Saturday came with an early blemish.

Covering wide receiver Sean Ryan in the first quarter, he surrendered a 14-yard touchdown. It unfolded on an end zone fade route as Ryan leapt over him over to snag the pass thrown by quarterback Evan Simon.

Though the Scarlet Knights never returned to the end zone and Ohio State prevailed in a comfortable 49-10 win, the sequence marked another setback for Burke.

After breaking out as a freshman last fall and stepping up as the Buckeyes’ top cover cornerback, Burke has experienced an up-and-down first half of this season.

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It’s involved injuries that began in preseason training camp, and a hand injury prompted him to miss the Big Ten opener and undergo a procedure.

When he’s been available, he’s been flagged for pass interference and slipped in coverage, vulnerable to big plays. He didn't allow a touchdown a year ago, but he’s given up one in each of his past two appearances. A 58-yard completion he ceded against Arkansas State last month was also a career-long.

According to data from Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed 10 catches on 17 targets, a mark of 58.8% that is 10 percentage points higher than last season when he gave 31 receptions over 64 targets.

The struggles, though, have not caused concern among the Buckeyes’ coaching staff.

“We certainly believe in him,” coach Ryan Day said.

Both Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles on Tuesday praised Burke for pushing through the bumps and bruises.

“It goes to show you how tough he is,” Day said.

Tape was wrapped over the glove that Burke wore on his right hand against Rutgers. It was in a cast a week earlier as he warmed up before Wisconsin until he was held out.

Knowles considered the hand injury a serious limitation for Burke, impacting him in man-to-man coverages when he he’s keeping receivers in check.

“A hand injury for a corner is a big, big deal,” Knowles said, “because you're constantly jamming receivers or shooting your hand up in the right place to get the ball out.”

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A lot of one-on-one situations have ailed Burke. On Rutgers’ opening possession of the second half, Simon again targeted Ryan, who was running a go route that hovered toward Ohio Stadium’s east sideline.

Burke had stayed with Ryan, but was unable to prevent the pass from falling into the receiver’s grasp, appearing to turn his body in the wrong direction.

“He’s been right there for a lot of these plays,” Day said. “He just hasn’t quite finished them. That’s an area he’s got to work on. But the good news is he’s right there.”

Day added secondary and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton would help to “drill the heck out of it” in practices this week.

“His footwork and the way he’s moving is all really good,” Day said. “His cover ability is still really strong. He just has to finish at the point of attack. I know he understands that.”

When Burke stumbled in a non-conference game against Arkansas State last month, the Buckeyes rested him. JK Johnson rotated in for him for the remaining series of the second quarter.

But they took a different approach against Rutgers, leaving Burke on the field into the fourth quarter. He played 52 out of 58 snaps, according to PFF’s tracking.

Depth remains limited at the position. With Cameron Brown and Jordan Hancock sidelined last week, only four scholarship cornerbacks were available.

Knowles also felt Burke’s effort to return to the lineup and recover from a hand injury merited playing time.

“He’s shown a lot of grit being out there,” Knowles said. “He definitely deserved the chance to work his way through it.”

Knowles sees Burke’s resolve as a significant step. In a role in a defense that leaves him in isolated situations in coverage, he’s pushing forward. Confidence matters.

“He's a tough kid,” Knowles said. “I was really grateful that he wanted to be back and he pushed himself to be back. In this business, for a corner, wanting to get back out there and compete as quickly as possible, that's a big deal. He's going to keep getting better.”

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Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football cornerback Denzel Burke deals with hand injury