Dre’Mont Jones to anchor Ohio State’s defensive line against Penn State

Ohio State's Dre'Mont Jones has the size and skills of the ideal defensive tackle. He's a 6-foot-3, 286-pound redshirt junior who can be impossible to move on runs between the tackles and who also can pursue to the outside, rush the quarterback, and even grab the rare interception.

He laughs when he's reminded of the last achievement: a 28-yard interception return of a shovel pass for a touchdown two weeks ago against Texas Christian.

"We called a blitz, and I saw the quarterback kind of slow up a little bit," said Jones, who was a tight end in high school. "I slowed down, and he threw to the running back. I saw it and stepped right in front of it and went off to the races. I'd like to get another one."

Jones will anchor the defensive line Saturday night when the fourth-ranked Buckeyes take on No. 9 Penn State, and his contribution will be especially important with the absence of All-America defensive end Nick Bosa (core muscle injury).

The Nittany Lions offensive line has cleared the way for a run game averaging 275 yards per game, 10th in FBS, and has allowed just four sacks. Ohio State's rush defense (average of 142 yards allowed) has not been stellar, but the defense has recorded 15 sacks.

Jones, who has five tackles for loss and three sacks this season, said that he is impressed with "how effective their running-back and quarterback running schemes are" and that he has to be extra focused.

"Just to be more cautious in what I do," he said. "Instead of just flying up the field, I've got to be more focused about stopping the run because they have a couple of running backs and a quarterback that can bounce out of any gap."

The quarterback, Trace McSorley, who has accounted for six rushing and seven passing touchdowns, has Jones' full attention.

"I think people underrate him," Jones said. "I think he's a really good quarterback with a strong arm and a lot of speed. He's a really confident quarterback."

Jones played just two years of varsity football at St. Ignatius High in Cleveland because "I was trying to be a basketball player," he said. He grew in football to become the No. 1 defensive-line prospect in Ohio before the Buckeyes signed him.

After sitting out his first year, he started 12 games as a redshirt freshman, and made All-Big Ten last year. He briefly flirted with the NFL after the season but decided to return.

Jones said he and his teammates are ready for the noise they'll face from the "White Out" crowd at Beaver Stadium.

"The sample music is something we do," he said. "We turn it up to the highest volume and try to communicate with teammates. It helps because in a game, you're used to it. They're screaming and going crazy, then in the game it's like we're already acclimated."