The Silver Bullets are now
#1 in pass defense (rating)
#1 in total defense (ypp)
#2 in scoring defense (but #1 are cheaters)
Unreal turnaround and we would be #1 if every category if the cheaters didn't have such a soft schedule.
I like how Knowles stuck to his plan without throwing people under the bus.
He definitely gets kudos for not throwing anyone under the bus and manning up in taking the blame for the last two games in '22. But he deserves even more kudos imo for not being stubborn on blitzing 8 guys every down this season...he stuck with the same base scheme but he also quit being dead set on gambling on 85% of defensive plays. He is letting the talent do what talent does.
From what I have heard Ransom had a non contact injury, and that he had a leg issue, which may mean the dreaded hamstring to me.
If it's a hamstring, odds are he is out for the season. Which sucks so bad, because he is one the key pieces this season.
What do you guys think will be the player utilization with him potentially out?
Hopefully I am being over dramatic and it's a sprain.
Really hoping for good news on Ransom, he would be a devastating loss in our secondary. Could very well be a sprain, those hurt like hell after the adrenaline wears off and a boot helps with that. That said, safety is one of our deepest positions. Proctor and Styles are really good, and I would imagine both will rarely come off the field while Ransom is out...we can play more two-safety formations with Burke, Davison and Hancock manning the other secondary spots (and Mathews). Martinez I would expect to play a little, although I think that would turn into our biggest liability on defense...tbh I would like to see Hartford out there over Martinez (and Stokes for that matter). Good news is Hartford has played a lot this year and has looked really good in action.
I have made it a point to watch Klatt's take on the Ohio State game every week, the dude is so spot on with his analysis and really fair. Agreed 1000% that I like this version of Ohio State better then in the last few years...excellent defense and you know the offense has the pieces to be great but McCord is still coming along. Said the exact same thing during the game on Saturday, we've seen our team fall short when there are issues with the defense and it sounds so cliche, but reality is that offenses win games but defense still wins championships.
And hell, I will admit it is frustrating to see the offense sputter and not score a ton of points...but I haven't looked forward to seeing the defense come onto the field for some time now. I will take an elite defense over an elite offense any day in terms of likelihood of success and that is coming from a more offensive-minded guy. Game will never be out of reach if our defense keeps playing like this and MH Jr alone gives you a chance in one play to overcome any deficit, especially once Egbuka comes back.
