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There will be talk of disappointment about the pass defense, but let’s be honest, Fann is not a regular MAC QB. He should in the transfer portal next week, lol! He can start for a number of P5 schools right now(aTm, ND, scUM st, and Auburn come to mind)! He’s the only dual threat QB we’ll have on the roster until scUM in November. I could count a number of times that there should’ve been sacks, and Fann got away, guys like Graham Mertz and Sean Clifford ain’t getting away from that pass rush so easily and finding open WRs.
Sean Clifford is Dual threat but he has JT Barret in a knee brace level athleticism.

Tualia doesn't run much though he could and scUM while he's a dual thread he's not on the same athletic planet when it comes to running as what we just played. There are probably 10 in all NCAA on that level of athleticism
 
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I‘m sure I don’t grade as harshly as the coaches do, but I was okay with the defensive performance last night. Obviously the corners leave a bit to be desired, but D. Finn is an NFL athlete. He may not be an NFL QB yet, but his athleticism is that of an NFL athlete. That dude is going to make a lot of people look silly.

That's what I took away, Finn is seriously a great player and pretty much every play Toledo had was him being great rather than our defense screwing up. Not saying we couldn't have done better, but overall I think our defense played fairly well. We still will have to see how we fair against a better offense, but this game doesn't have me concerned.
 
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That's what I took away, Finn is seriously a great player and pretty much every play Toledo had was him being great rather than our defense screwing up. Not saying we couldn't have done better, but overall I think our defense played fairly well. We still will have to see how we fair against a better offense, but this game doesn't have me concerned.

9 TFL 3 sacks 2 takeaways
 
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I think most people's checklists before the season were

1. Can one of the edge rushers of Harrison, JT, Sawyer break out and be a 9-10 type sack guy? This hasn't happened yet, which is a little concerning.
2. Can we get at least solid play from the LB group? Success on this one.
3. Is there enough depth in the secondary? This one is also starting to get a little concerning. I'm not even worried about how bad Burke has been b/c he's been so bad he has to get better lol
 
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I think most people's checklists before the season were

1. Can one of the edge rushers of Harrison, JT, Sawyer break out and be a 9-10 type sack guy? This hasn't happened yet, which is a little concerning.
2. Can we get at least solid play from the LB group? Success on this one.
3. Is there enough depth in the secondary? This one is also starting to get a little concerning. I'm not even worried about how bad Burke has been b/c he's been so bad he has to get better lol

I don't know about #1. JT and Sawyer have been showing that kind of pressure, regardless of their stats
 
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I don't know about #1. JT and Sawyer have been showing that kind of pressure, regardless of their stats
Agreed on that one. If Fann wasn't so athletic the defense would've had no less than 6-7 sacks against Toledo. We would've also had multiple sacks against ND too if Buchner wasn't a runner too. I think the sacks will come the rest of the season, I can see Mertz getting destroyed on Saturday
 
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I think most people's checklists before the season were

1. Can one of the edge rushers of Harrison, JT, Sawyer break out and be a 9-10 type sack guy? This hasn't happened yet, which is a little concerning.
2. Can we get at least solid play from the LB group? Success on this one.
3. Is there enough depth in the secondary? This one is also starting to get a little concerning. I'm not even worried about how bad Burke has been b/c he's been so bad he has to get better lol

On #1, I agree with the folks above that JTT and Sawyer have been very disruptive with tipped passes and QB pressures, many of which have resulted in incomplete passes because the QB hasn't had enough time. Plus our DTs (namely Hall) have been getting there when the edge collapses. Now that said, I do want to start seeing our DE's get home.

On #2, the LB's look phenomenal, seems like Knowles' defense was a match in heaven for Eichenberg and Chambers (and also Simon, who has looked good when in). On #3, love the depth at safety and we have looked very good there. At CB, the depth is a little concerning. Burke will turn it around (or better, elsewise we are in trouble) but he's just one guy, and Brown hasn't been all that spectacular either imo. Then JK and Hancock I haven't noticed much when they are in, which could be a good thing I suppose...both were highly ranked recruits and it sounded like they had a great offseason, but that is a big question mark.
 
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WILL OHIO STATE UNVEIL A THREE-LINEBACKER PACKAGE TONIGHT?
While Ohio State experimented with a three-linebacker package during the offseason, the Buckeyes have yet to put three traditional linebackers (not including the Jack linebacker) on the field at the same time in any game yet this season. That said, the belief has always been that Jim Knowles would be more likely to deploy that package against teams like Wisconsin that regularly utilize multiple tight ends and/or fullbacks.

If the Buckeyes opt to utilize a 4-3 defensive package and put a Sam linebacker on the field against the Badgers, that could open up an opportunity for a backup linebacker like Palaie Gaoteote IV, Teradja Mitchell or Reid Carrico to see their first significant playing time of the season on defense. Another option for the Buckeyes could be to utilize Kourt Williams or Lathan Ransom in a hybrid safety/linebacker role, as Knowles said this preseason that those two safeties specifically “may be able to get the job done without bringing in another linebacker.”
 
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I love the safety play and Ransom has been a very bright spot so far. However, I can't help but hope Palaie gets some run tonight and shows out and a part of me wants to see Sonny Styles running a serious hybrid role and put his imprint on the game. His size and speed combination is incredible
 
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I hope Knowles feels the way I feel right now. I should be ecstatic the way the team played and how much improved they are but I'm actually pissed tf off because of the late Allen run against what looked like all freshmen. Padding fucking stats when we could have put close to 100 on a team just makes me salty as hell. Sorry Schiano, but you are going to feel the brunt of the angst next week most likely.
 
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