Dwayne Haskins will play in front of the country in prime time on Saturday night. Watch video
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Play well on Saturday, Dwayne Haskins, and you too could be soon schmoozing with ESPN's Marty Smith.
Former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow is getting that treatment this week, the subject of an interview with ESPN's charming everyman reporter ahead of Saturday's game between No. 12 LSU and No. 7 Auburn. Big game, ESPN brings out the big guns.
I am here today. pic.twitter.com/XeWKG7MqWh
-- Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) September 11, 2018
The Buckeyes play a big game this weekend, too. In case you didn't hear. No. 4 Ohio State plays No. 15 TCU on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. That's the same stadium where Burrow already caught some national attention, looking steady in an LSU win over Miami in prime time. Haskins gets that spotlight this week.
This isn't about comparing Haskins and Burrow, because only one of those two is already having his name thrown around in the too early Heisman Trophy conversation and NFL Draft talk.
Haskins isn't out for personal accolades against TCU, and he obviously doesn't care about what TV interviews might be coming his way.
"I really haven't thought about that," he said this week. "The biggest thing for me is to go win the game and that's all I want to do."
Good answer. But the Dwayne Train is already rolling with gaudy numbers against lesser competition in wins over Oregon State and Rutgers. A good performance against TCU, and there will be no slowing down the hype.
Some numbers:
* Haskins is No. 4 in the country in passer rating (218.06).
* He's No. 3 in completion percentage (79.2).
* He's No. 12 in yards per attempt (10.3).
* He's tied for second in passing touchdowns (9).
* He's No. 33 in passing yards (546) despite playing the equivalent of about one full game.
That sound you hear is people yelling, "He played Oregon State and Rutgers!" True. Also true that former OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett put up similar numbers against bad opponents, though if you've been watching the games you know what Haskins has done looks vastly different from anything Barrett did as a passer.
But that's why we're talking about this game against TCU as a proving ground for Haskins that, if handled well, would help validate the fervor around him.
"There's definitely a little more energy, more juice getting ready for this game because it's a big time game," Haskins said. "We have a lot of key games in order to go do what we want to do for a national championship this year. This is only one of them."
With the caveat that it also hasn't played any good competition yet, TCU ranks No. 6 in the country in total defense while giving up fewer than 10 points per game. The wide windows Haskins has been throwing through should be tighter, the time he's had to work in the pocket should be shorter.
Haskins called the TCU 4-2-5 defense "exotic."
Whether Haskins is worthy of having the third-best Heisman odds right now, and if the one-and-done NFL talk that's picking up steam around him is justified will play out for the whole country to see against a talented, well-coached defense.
Haskins, in the back of his mind, likely knows that. He exudes too much confidence to not be aware on some level of what another big game on Saturday would mean for his stock. The future has never been far from his mind.
"For me I've always been an ambitious person," he said. "So I always put my dreams on paper, write them down and I achieve them. So the goal is to take one day at a time, and eventually the dream is to be in the NFL. Right now I'm at Ohio State."
Haskins was then asked what dreams he has written down right now.
"Right now it's to win TCU," he said.
Another good answer.