Doing the same exact thing on literally every single play does seem like a bad way to disrupt what the offense is doing.
That’s 100% the issue at hand with Ohio State’s defense, no doubt about it.
It’s a basic “if-then” logic statement. If Ohio State shows Single High, then we run this. Opposing offensive coordinators know what they are going to get from the Buckeyes’ defense far in advance of the game and even at game time, and OSU doesn’t have a counter. It’s literally the opposite of the offense, and it’s crazy.
It’s a lot of the same issues Greg Schiano’s units ran into later in his tenure - OCs knew how to manipulate the defense by formation and pre-snap motion (see Ohio State at Maryland 2018, with Matt Canada). The pre-snap motion back then caused the defense to react and make an awkward shift right before the snap, usually leaving defenders out of position.
Ohio State switched to the Single High with Jeff Hafley to simplify things for the defense. Gone are exploitable shifts. OSU can basically run a Cover 1 or Cover 3 with man or zone underneath. Alabama was able to use Coombs stubbornness or oversight against him using the same type of pre snap motions, attacking with the lethal passing attack. Ducks did much of the same, but instead of throwing (with their veteran QB with a 50% completion rate and unknowns at WR) they attacked on the ground.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with the Single High but OSU doesn’t have counters. It’s like a pitcher who can throw 95 miles an hour, but that’s it. That will get you pretty far, but it’s not going to make you an all-star in the big leagues. Hitters can hit home runs when they know what’s coming, and you’re seeing a lot of opposing offenses know the pitch. Coombs is clearly not the answer. That’s too bad. We knew this last year, and we’re confirming it this year. Ohio State will continue to feast on the overmatched, then give up a ton of points especially as opposing teams get more film. Coombs could rectify this, but it just doesn’t seem like he’s equipped to be the one that does.
