-
New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.
- Thread starter MD Buckeye
- Start date
RugbyBuck
Our church has no bells.
Yes, it mattered that they were seniors, but I don't think exactly/completely in the traditional sense. What mattered additionally and critically here is that they were seniors who'd had three years in his system, some of which was time in the two-deep. That matters as to next year because while our guys will be younger, they're not necessarily younger in the system. I don't expect much of a drop off next season.
Upvote
0
Upvote
0
I was going more by general year by year. He had some thing sin 22 obviously, got better in '23 but there were get off the field when it mattered close and late issues. '24 was dominant during the regular season but got lit up pretty good against the only really good offense they played.
People can drill into the details of that and have a conversation and disagree but the narrative that he's the GOAT has a lot of recency bias in it.
Next year (assuming he stays) he will have Downs and 3 years of installing his system for the next wave of guys. They can't possibly avoid some letdown given all the experience lost. Feels like a better baseline of where he really is on the spectrum.
Are we always going to have a '22 kind of year if the defense isn't extremely experienced? Was '22 driven more by poor safety play (youth being a big part)? That is what I am interested to see.
Upvote
0
That's a very fair assessment. 2022 showed sparks of potential and was a dramatic improvement over the prior year. But he clearly wasn't ready for top level offenses. 2023 saw a big philosophy shift to limit big plays where he used far less all-or-nothing blitz packages. It's difficult to say that in 2023 he wasn't elite. No one scored 20 on the defense until the team up north did. And in that game they scored 30 on about 350 yards including a play that at worst should have been intercepted and at best was intercepted.
While looking back on the past two seasons, I just realized this: in the 29 games we played in 2023 and 2024, we held opponents to under 20 points in 25 of them. Gave up more than that twice in the regular season and twice in the playoffs - both of which came in games that were essentially over when we gave up 20+. That is crazy in today's game.
I do agree that we will see what he does without a 4th and 5th year laden team. I expect a drop off from 2023 and 2024 but a much better defense than we saw in 2022.
Upvote
0
Totally agree.
Knowles is going to suffer the same issue that all OSU coaches do in judgement of their "greatness", which is they don't get credit for knocking over the tomato cans (no matter how impressively they do it) and OSU has a roster that makes pretty much every opponent but 1 or 2 per year, said "tomato can".
First world coaching problems.
Upvote
0
Buckeye86
I do not choose to discuss it
I’m going to blame Herbstreit for this, but I think people are conflating criticism with being an insane asshole.
I’m not super invested in this given the ultimate results, but you could criticize Knowles in the championship game for continuing to put the defense in vulnerable positions by leaning too heavily on run-stopping blitzes out of cover 1 man which directly led to almost every single big play Notre Dame hit through the air.
Early in the game, and especially as a direct response to the first drive, yeah, go with that, it was important to shut down those soul crushing drives.
In the second half with a 21 point lead? Sitting back and preventing big plays out of the zone schemes they were insanely good at in the playoff run would have almost certainly been better, even if they happened to give up another nine minute scoring drive. In that context, a nine minute scoring drive is still a win for the defense and Notre Dame still needed to force some of those throws downfield if they were even trying to win.
I’d like to think I can point that out without being an insane asshole about it and demanding he be fired (or whatever).
Upvote
0
TampaBuckeyes
Assistant Coach
The defense this year was full of guys taking the graduate level Knowles class. Next year only a few guys will be at that level. Expecting some drop off.
Upvote
0
knuckifyoubuck
Heisman
I was reading somewhere 3.2m has been floated as PSU offer to Knowles. Supposedly ND also in on the mix. Could all be used just to get paid at Ohio State, could be real, who knows. Another DC name I've seen for Ohio State is John Heacock.
People here saying he sucks and talking their shit is fine, it takes all kinds, then when I post apologize people get super butthurt
No disputing the defense got instantly better when he came aboard, and this year down the stretch was the closet thing to silver billets I've seen in a decade. To each their own, but I've enjoyed Him Knowles.
People here saying he sucks and talking their shit is fine, it takes all kinds, then when I post apologize people get super butthurt
No disputing the defense got instantly better when he came aboard, and this year down the stretch was the closet thing to silver billets I've seen in a decade. To each their own, but I've enjoyed Him Knowles.
Upvote
0