COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State’s defense ranks among the best in the nation in part due to the assertive, skilled play of its veteran cornerbacks.

To close the regular season and reach the College Football Playoff, however, the Buckeyes had to rely on their reserves for major minutes over the final month. Sevyn Banks, Cam Brown and Amir Riep all stepped up in relief of unanimous All-American Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette Jr. or Shaun Wade.

The 21-day break may give Arnette and Wade, in particular, enough time to recuperate and rest before a Fiesta Bowl matchup with Clemson in the semifinals. All three backups, though, will be watched closely. All are projected for even more significant roles in the cornerback rotation next season.

Wade, who will have a decision to make as to whether he returns to OSU or heads off to the NFL, believes the second string are frontline players waiting for an opportunity.

“They can be great players here,” Wade said. “They’ve got great players in front of them, but they’re young at the end of the day. They still got time to progress and get better.”

Banks, Brown and Riep all played their single-game season high for snaps over the final four weeks, per Eleven Warriors’ tracker. If a starter is again physically compromised in the playoffs, the late-season experience those corners gained could be essential.

Clemson’s receiving corps includes a pair of talented stars on the outside — Tee Higgins (53 receptions, 1,082 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Justyn Ross (55-742, 8 TDs) — in addition to versatile targets in the slot.

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New Ohio State merchandise for playoffs: Here’s where you can get Buckeyes shirts and hats for men, women and youth commemorating OSU’s third straight Big Ten championship and berth in the College Football Playoff at the Fiesta Bowl

Did those expanded reps on defense late in the season help cultivate the confidence necessary for such a matchup?

“Of course,” Banks said. "We always knew we could do it, we just have to show it.”

If Banks, Brown and Riep don’t get the opportunity to show it in the playoffs, the opportunity will almost certainly come in 2020.

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