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2019 tOSU Defense (Official Thread)

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No question that it's already a VAST improvement from last year's dumpster fire. We gave up 31 to Oregon State to start the season.

However, I don't think we'll be really tested by a balanced elite offense until the playoff. I think this defense will pull its weight, especially if the improvement continues as the competition gets better in-conference, but until we see Clem's son, Okie, Dawgies, or Bammer, we won't know for sure.
 
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One thing I noticed is the success early happened with Borland on the field. He came off the field and the issue seemed to go away. Then he came back in and Miami runs an option for a first down.

If there's a weakness to this defense it's when Borland is in and teams force him to run.

I have no doubt Borland will play a nice role when we play Wisconsin and even MSU but I think the staff is realizing the limitations in his game.

I even saw Mitchell in there very early on Okudah's INT.
 
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FILM STUDY: OHIO STATE'S RUN DEFENSE HAS BEEN CHAMPIONSHIP-CALIBER THROUGH THE FIRST FOUR GAMES OF 2019

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After two games, I declared in this very space that "The Silver Bullets are back," only to be told by cautious readers that the sample size was far too small. Now, even though many fans are still settling into their game day routines, Ohio State is one-third of the way through their 2019 regular season, meaning it's fair to judge the results in front of us.

In their four contests, the new-look Buckeye defense from coordinators Greg Mattison and Jeff Hafley appears to not only be improved from last season but to be one of the nation's best, especially when it comes to stopping the run. As of today, they sit second nationally in total defense, allowing just 222 yards-per-game, thanks in large part to a stingy run defense that has surrendered just 1.71 yards-per-carry, trailing only Wisconsin in both categories.

Not every statistic correlates toward success, but it's worth noting that the last two national champions, Clemson and Alabama, finished with the top mark nationally in yards-per-carry allowed in those seasons. For the Buckeyes to reach their ultimate goal of raising the CFP trophy, this is one area in which they must remain elite.

While it's true that they've yet to encounter a top-tier opponent, the Buckeyes have handled their business in a way that's totally counter to last year. In 2018, they held just one opponent, Rutgers, below 3.0 yards-per-carry, on their way to allowing an average of 4.52 ypc and ranking 79th nationally.

Such a drastic change can lead many to wonder how such a change could take place so quickly. As we heard all offseason from the entire defensive staff and head coach Ryan Day, the new system was supposed to allow the unit to simply play faster and more aggressively.

In Greg Schiano's man-coverage system, shifts and motions were handled by the entire back-seven. This meant linebackers and defensive backs could be easily manipulated to line up far from the ball in fear of giving up an easy pass, resulting in countless mistakes and mismatches.



This season, thanks to a zone-centric coverage philosophy, Buckeye linebackers have been allowed to focus primarily on stopping the run, leaving the secondary to handle any quick passes with a conservative shell over the top. This allows the linebackers to play 'downhill' at the first sign of a run, filling their assigned run gaps with aggression.

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"Just being physical at the point of contact and being nasty," middle linebacker Baron Browning said of the guidance he and his teammates have received, following the 76-5 shellacking of Miami (Ohio). "Just being felt every play, and sending a message every play. I think that's something that's resonated a lot and something we try to focus on."

Time after time, OSU 'backers can be seen shooting gaps as soon as they come open, taking away running lanes before runners can even find them. This is also a subtle difference from a season ago, when the same players would shuffle and try to mirror the steps of the running back instead of coming forward.

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Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...-caliber-through-the-first-four-games-of-2019
 
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https://www.pff.com/news/college-fotball-week-4-highest-graded-secondaries

College Football Week 4: Highest-graded secondaries

1. OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes have had plenty of NFL-caliber talent cycle through their secondary in recent years with five first-round selections coming from their defensive back group in the last four years alone – Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, Gareon Conley and Denzel Ward. Jeffrey Okudah is the most likely member of the current highest-graded secondary to join those ranks, as he came in 10th overall on our preseason top-50 big board for next year’s draft, drawing comparisons to Aqib Talib from PFF Lead Draft Analyst Mike Renner. He hasn’t disappointed to open the season with a coverage grade of 83.1, allowing just over six yards per target and a passer rating of 63.9 on throws into his coverage.

It’s not just Okudah, either. All five members of their secondary with at least 70 defensive snaps have recorded overall grades of 75.0 or higher. As a unit, opposing quarterbacks have produced a stat line of 43/79, 390 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a passer rating of 67.0 when targeting Ohio State cornerbacks and safeties. With continued performances like that, the pool of Buckeye secondary members to make their way to the NFL is soon to grow.

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Jeff Hafley: ‘I Wanted to Get Our Hands on These Guys’

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The Ohio State defense came into Saturday night’s game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers as one of the top defenses in the nation, at least statistically. There were still doubters out there, of course, citing Ohio State’s schedule as proof that they had not yet been truly tested.

Against Nebraska, however, any test that was put in front of them was passed with ease. So much so that it didn’t ever really look like there was actually a test underway.

Rather than waiting for the problems to come to them, the Buckeyes initiated some difficult questions of their own, and the Huskers never had any answers.

Nebraska came into this game averaging 38 points and 486 yards of total offense per game. They left with seven points to their name, and it was little more than charity tossed to them by the Ohio State coaches.

“Those guys competed today,” co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said of his Buckeye defense. “I wanted to be really aggressive today. I wanted to get our hands on these guys and I wanted to challenge them from the start. Those guys put it on the line. We didn’t back off, we didn’t bail. We played a lot of press too.”

Ohio State held Nebraska to 231 total yards, including just 47 yards passing. This was a dominating outing defensively for the Buckeyes, unlike last season when the Ohio State defense allowed 450 yards of total offense in a 36-31 win over the Huskers.

This defense continues to grow, and also continues to distance itself from past iterations.

“Forget last year, and that’s my message today too because a lot of people are bringing that up, even in games like this,” Hafley said. “This is a new team, it’s a new attitude. Not knocking last year, but that talk’s over. We had to come into this game and play really well. Fundamentally, schematically. I think they have a really good offense. Scott Frost does a really good job. I was worried about this. The quarterback run game, the different things that they showed us on offense. I didn’t sleep very much this week. I’m just really proud of those guys.”

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2019/09/jeff-hafley-wanted-get-hands-guys/
 
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buchtelgrad04 said:
Wandale Robinson had a rough game. Almost every time he was tackled, it was violent. He has to be sore as hell today.

They clearly wanted to make sure they kept him in check and were successful in doing so.
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All of their speed guys got tossed around I though. We made them feel us.

Most will be upset with the rushing yards but 56 came on one play against a mix of 1st and 2nd team players. It looked like we really were trying to prevent the big play though and had to make the choice to play fairly light in the box.

This defense has cemented itself as a top 5 unit and IMO that was going to be one of the top offenses we play all year.
 
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bukIpower said:
All of their speed guys got tossed around I though. We made them feel us.

Most will be upset with the rushing yards but 56 came on one play against a mix of 1st and 2nd team players. It looked like we really were trying to prevent the big play though and had to make the choice to play fairly light in the box.

This defense has cemented itself as a top 5 unit and IMO that was going to be one of the top offenses we play all year.
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I would be shocked if Nebraska is held to a touchdown in any game they play for the rest of the year. Further, I highly doubt anyone else shuts them out in the first half
 
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