Football
Time to Start Thinking Differently with this OSU Defense
By Brandon CastelWe have seen this script before.
This is not the first time Ohio State’s defense has looked like an elite unit midway through the season, but that hasn’t always translated into dominant performances in bowl games.
Buckeye fans have been burned before for thinking too highly of their team’s defense, so it’s understandable why some would be hesitant to buy the hype surrounding this 2009 group, even after the way they have performed through six games.
In 2006, the OSU defense was allowing 8.6 points per game through the first 10 games of the season before giving up a combined 80 points in the final two games against Michigan and Florida. A year later, the Buckeyes held teams to less than 11 points per game during the regular season, only to give up 38 in the National Championship game against LSU.
What Makes Them Great
With that in mind, the question naturally becomes, “What makes this defense any different than those? After all, didn’t those defenses have guys like James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins and Marcus Freeman?” Yes, they did, and those are some big names to have on your defense, but none of them happened to play on the defensive line.
What separates this group from the past three, and what makes it Jim Tressel’s best group since 2003 is the play of the defensive front. With a healthy Lawrence Wilson and the emergence of youngsters like Nathan Williams and John Simon, the Buckeyes are deeper and more talented on the defensive line than they have been since the days of Will Smith, Tim Anderson and Darrion Scott.
While the Buckeyes didn't come away with a win over Texas in the Fiesta Bowl last season, it wasn’t because of letdown on the defensive side of the football. With Thad Gibson leading the way, the Buckeyes sacked quarterback Colt McCoy four times and held the Longhorn offense to nearly half the points they had been averaging during the season.
“I think going into this season, ending from last season (when) we put a lot of pressure on the Texas offensive line, we knew we had a lot of guys returning. We lost Nader Abdallah and he was a great defensive tackle, but other than that we had everyone coming back,” said Williams, who recorded five tackles and a sack Saturday against Wisconsin.
“We knew it was going to be a mature, special group this year and we’ve just emphasized out-playing the opponent's offensive line every week.”
Before the season it was just talk, but after six games, the numbers certainly support the sentiment. The Buckeyes currently rank among the top three in the Big Ten for nearly every defensive statistic. They are seventh in the country in points allowed (12.0 per game) and 12 th in total defense (271.8 yards per game). They have allowed just two legitimate offensive touchdowns since the opener against Navy and recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1996.
This defense has many outstanding attibutes, but what makes it great is its ability to pressure the quarterback. The Buckeyes have been relentless with their pressure this season, and it showed Saturday as they put Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien on his back for a season-high six sacks.
They now have 20 for the season, most in the Big Ten and fourth-most in the country. Two years ago Vernon Gholston led the Big Ten with a school-record 14 sacks. In contrast, this year’s group has been able to bring pressure from all angles as 12 different players have a recorded a sack for the Buckeyes in 2009.
“All of our defensive line is getting pressure. We stick together as a unit and we’ve played together as a unit. My pressure was because of what the guy inside me was able to do and the whole defense responds to that, but it starts up front,” Williams said.
It’s not just the sacks that have been piling up for the Buckeyes this season. Ohio State is currently 11th in the country in tackles-for-loss yardage (-190 yards). They are fourth in interceptions (10) and ninth in forced fumbles (9).
“The coaches have done a tremendous job game planning against teams, they’ve really put in work. Our players are reacting to the hype and mainly we’re having fun,” Williams said.
Despite the numbers, this group isn’t ready to call itself elite any time soon.
“We’re not even close to that yet. That’s how we see our defense. We have to get better, even from this game. People don’t see what we see on film, so we know we have to get better,” said linebacker Ross Homan, who was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after his 15-tackle, one-sack performance against Wisconsin.
Where They Can Improve
While most of their defensive numbers are in the top 10-15 in the nation after six games, the one number that jumps off the page is their opponent’s third down conversion rate. The Buckeyes have been excellent at forcing three-and-outs this season, but they have also allowed teams to convert 33 of their 92 chances on third down (35.87%). That number happens to be the second best in the Big Ten, but only the 43rd best in the country.
Two interceptions returned for touchdowns, along with a kick return by Ray Small, had a lot to do with the reason Ohio State’s defense was on the field so much against Wisconsin, but the biggest difference between the third quarter and the rest of the game was the Badgers ability to keep its offense on the field.
In that quarter, Wisconsin was 3-of-5 on third down. The rest of the game they were just 3-of-14 converting third downs. Part of that was being a little fatigued from playing three quarters of the game, but if this OSU defense wants to take it to the next level, they have to do a better job of getting off the field on third down.
Areas for Concern
The one negative aspect of having a defensive line as dominant as this Ohio State group is that it can be difficult to learn a great deal about the guys playing behind them.
Captain Kurt Coleman is obviously a playmaker and middle linebacker Brian Rolle appears to be the real deal, but it’s hard to gauge how good the rest of the back seven can be when the front is in complete control of the game. Ross Homan and Austin Spitler looked like world-beaters Saturday against Wisconsin, but how much of that was due to the line’s ability to keep blockers from getting to the second level?
Inserting Jermale Hines at strong safety after week one has been the solidifying factor for this defense, but the one area that still might cause reason for concern is the cornerback position.
What do we really know about them after six games?
Chimdi Chekwa, Devon Torrence and Andre Amos have all made some plays in the passing game this season, but none of them have had to cover a receiver very long because of the pressure applied by the defensive front. Amos got beat on a deep route against Wisconsin with no safety help over the top. The end result was an incompletion in the end zone, but it was very close to being a long touchdown for the Badgers.
While the Buckeyes have 10 interceptions as a team, none have come from the corner position. Torrence has probably looked the best of the three so far this season, but that’s not saying a whole lot considering the lack of action they have seen in coverage.
“(Our pressure) contributes to the corners being shutdown corners. Quarterbacks aren’t throwing the ball their way really, and when they do its more rollout passes,” said Rolle, who had a career-high 14 tackles Saturday.
Looking down the schedule, there aren’t many reasons to worry about the cornerbacks during the regular season. While there are some decent quarterbacks on the docket, by Big Ten standards at least, the only elite receiver they will face the rest of the season is Minnesota’s Eric Decker.
The fact they likely won’t be tested, however, could turn out to be a bad thing for the Buckeyes if they run up against a high-powered offense like Cincinnati’s in a BCS bowl game.
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