ARLINGTON, Texas – Ohio State safety Vonn Bell is familiar with the idea of photographic memory. When looking at Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, however, he sees something special about the Heisman quarterback with a Canon for an eye.
“I think he takes a picture before the play and he knows how to read defenses,” Bell said at media day on Saturday. “He knows what’s coming at him.”
Playing against Mariota – a quarterback with three interceptions on the season – is a challenge the Buckeyes secondary is looking forward to. It won’t be easy, but the Buckeyes aren’t backing down. They’ve done the film study on Mariota and the Oregon offense and believe their ball-hawking secondary will have opportunities to force turnovers.
“We’re going to have to find some ways to make plays,” Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry said. “We need to try and find opportunities to make plays and those will be hard to come by when they do.”
This defense, that considers getting the football the ultimate issue, has a different mentality than it did before.
Last year, nickel corner Armani Reeves said that the team was criticized and often labeled soft. They would often hesitate and let the play come to them, rather than going after it. They gave up an average of 378 yards while averaging just over a turnover per game.  This year, Reeves classifies his team as a group of aggressive attackers – dead set on getting the ball back to their high-scoring offense.
“We attack everything,” Reeves said. “Not just the pass, but also the run. We attack everything that comes our way.
“We have a lot of guys that can smother opponent’s receivers and running backs”
One thing some of the Buckeyes players have noticed throughout the preparation process is how different watching Mariota is on television from how examining him on film. Through all the vantage points seen from the eye-in-the-sky and the side cameras, Ohio State’s defense can appreciate how dynamic of a player Mariota is – in all aspects.
“On television, they always talk about how he makes great passes and his touchdowns, but you don’t really notice how good of a passer he is or how smart he is as a player until you sit down and watch the film,” Reeves said. “He’s one of the smartest players in college football right now.”
The key for Ohio State’s defense against Oregon is sticking to their game plan despite the pressure and force of the fast-paced Ducks tempo.
“We got stay on our toes, keep on our ‘P’s’ and ‘Q’s’ and stick to our assignments,” Bell said. “We need to keep everyone accountable and read our keys.”
Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt