Arkansas State's Champ Flemings, right, catches a pass over Ohio State defensive back Denzel Burke during Saturday's game in Columbus.AP

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football’s Denzel Burke was not the first cornerback to have things snowball on him as they did Saturday against Arkansas State.

Jim Knowles knows how he feels, too. The Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator said it’s happened to him as a play caller, where he feels a step behind as bad plays add up. He has no choice but to call his way out. With Burke against Arkansas State last Saturday, the Buckeyes could pull him out and let him catch up.

“Denzel’s fine” Knowles said. “Those guys at corner, they live on an island. It’s something that 99.99% of the population could never do. It’s a really tough, competitive situation.

“Sometimes you get into a little bit of a slump. You come out, reassess. He went back in and got better. So, I think he’s on track.”

Neither Knowles nor coach Ryan Day downplayed Burke’s issues against Arkansas State. He committed two pass interference penalties. Later in the first half, he was beaten badly on a 58-yard gain up the sideline by 5-foot-5 Red Wolves receiver Champ Flemings.

Both, though, expressed confidence that the sophomore will bounce back quickly.

“Denzel’s very, very talented,” Day said. “You guys see what’s he’s capable of. He’ll keep working to get better. He has some plays he wants back, but we’re all confident he will. He’s ready to make those plays.

“At the same time, he has to identify what the things are that got him jammed up on those plays and improve from there.”

Burke was expected to stabilize Ohio State’s cornerback play for the near future much as he did under unusual circumstances last season. A true freshman who had limited cornerback experience prior to college, he was forced into a starting role on opening night due to injuries to Sevyn Banks and Cam Brown. Burke not only held his own, he went on to start every game and became a freshman All-American.

Burke, though, was also credited with two pass breakups and a tackle for loss. The play has not been steadily bad, but rather wildly inconsistent.

Burke has played with a protective shoulder brace. While that may not directly affect things like penalties and blown coverage, Knowles did not dismiss it as a contributing factor.

“Repetitions stacked on top of each other and repetitions against quality opponents stacked on top of each other — and when you miss a lot of time against our offense, those are certainly repetitions — that can elevate your playing performance,” Knowles said. “So yeah, it doesn’t help.”

Ohio State may also receive a boost to its cornerback depth. Day said Jordan Hancock is expected to play Tuesday. A second-year player who created some spring and offseason buzz, Hancock missed some preseason camp due to a lower leg injury. He dressed for both games, but was officially listed as unavailable against Arkansas State.

Day said Hancock returned to limited scout team work last week.

“He’s talented enough to help, and we counted on him to be in the two-deep and be a contributor right off the bat,” Day said. “It was a significant injury. It took a long time to get back from so he’s been working hard.”

JK Johnson, a redshirt freshman who did not play in the opener, played more snaps than Burke or Brown against Arkansas State. He began subbing in for Burke in the first half and stayed on the field for extended mop-up action in the second half.

“JK has practiced, and because of that, he’s allowed himself the opportunity to get out there and earn some snaps,” Day said. “Now, what he does with those snaps, that’s going to be between him and coach (Tim) Walton. But I think you see his capability.”

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