Jermaine Mathews Jr. is a starter for the first time in his collegiate career.
The freshman took the field first in place of usual No. 1 cornerback Denzel Burke, who was listed as out on the team's status report on Saturday.
Mathews helped fill in for Burke in the other game that Ohio State's star junior missed against Penn State on Oct. 21. Mathews played 47 of the team's 70 defensive snaps vs. the Nittany Lions, collecting three tackles with one pass breakup to help the defense hold PSU quarterback Drew Allar to 4.5 yards per pass attempt.