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DC/LB Coach Jim Knowles (Official Thread)

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Statistically speaking, it couldn’t be a better hire. Not only is Oklahoma St ranked near the top in the total defensive statistics, they are also near the top in advanced stats - all areas where OSU struggled. My only concern is that the Big 12, while not known for their defense, had a down offensive year in 2021. Only Top 40 offenses were Oklahoma #28 offense, Iowa State #34, and TCU #36.

That being said, he should address a lot of the weaknesses of the current defensive leaders (Coombs, Barnes) because of his experience - and proven results. Ross Fulton on Twitter said it looks like he does a lot of what Barnes was trying to do with the back end of defense after the 1/4 season overhaul, but has more variety in adjustments and blitz packages.
 
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heisman said:
He's the guy on the sideline with the huge cards in his pants.

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2018 he started on the sideline. I have no timeframe of events when he moved up top but I know for a fact they highlighted him in the booth during both of OkieSt’s last 2 games.

edit- 26:15 mark against Oklahoma, 12:15 minute mark against Baylor





from 2018
 
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OHSportsFan said:
2018 he started on the sideline. I have no timeframe of events when he moved up top but I know for a fact they highlighted him in the booth during both of OkieSt’s last 2 games.

edit- 26 minute mark against Oklahoma, 12 minute mark against Baylor





from 2018
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Well, who the fuck is going to have those huge cards in their pants then?
 
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It seems to have taken a few years for the Oklahoma State players to really pick up the system, and it really excelled with a ton of experienced guys who had learned the system for 2-3 seasons, which is a luxury Ohio State obviously doesn’t have, so expecting instant top ten results seems unrealistic.

At the same time, Knowles is clearly competent at the very least which will be a huge improvement by itself even if the players make mistakes from time to time as they pick things up. He also seems to be really aggressive, which can hide mistakes, especially with superior talent.
 
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It's obvious Gundy wanted to keep Knowles.

"I think it's best for Oklahoma State football, and I think coach Knowles wants to be here," Gundy said Sunday. "It's not quite as easy as just giving somebody a blank check. There's a lot of details involved in that, but we're working hard to keep him in place."

Just sayin': Knowles was making north of $800,000 this past year. Coombs was making $1.5M as the DC, Ohio State could easily have offered double his current salary. Mike Gundy was actually taking $1M pay cuts the past 2 seasons. I kind of wonder how much the passing of T. Boone Pickens a few years ago has hurt the Cowboys' football athletic budget.
 
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Buckeye86 said:
It seems to have taken a few years for the Oklahoma State players to really pick up the system, and it really excelled with a ton of experienced guys who had learned the system for 2-3 seasons, which is a luxury Ohio State obviously doesn’t have, so expecting instant top ten results seems unrealistic.

At the same time, Knowles is clearly competent at the very least which will be a huge improvement by itself even if the players make mistakes from time to time as they pick things up. He also seems to be really aggressive, which can hide mistakes, especially with superior talent.
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Fair points and I agree. As to the first, I think talent and speed, if given the right scheme/calls, can make up for some experience. Second, fortunately, I don't think we've got to have a top ten defense given the offense we've got. It would be great, but what we need is functional competence. I think that's well within reach, at least relative to where we've been the last few years.
 
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Poe McKnoe said:


Statistically speaking, it couldn’t be a better hire. Not only is Oklahoma St ranked near the top in the total defensive statistics, they are also near the top in advanced stats - all areas where OSU struggled. My only concern is that the Big 12, while not known for their defense, had a down offensive year in 2021. Only Top 40 offenses were Oklahoma #28 offense, Iowa State #34, and TCU #36.

That being said, he should address a lot of the weaknesses of the current defensive leaders (Coombs, Barnes) because of his experience - and proven results. Ross Fulton on Twitter said it looks like he does a lot of what Barnes was trying to do with the back end of defense after the 1/4 season overhaul, but has more variety in adjustments and blitz packages.
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I like that his system meshes well with what Barnes was doing after Oregon. Players might already understand the core concepts and be able to work on additional facets to make things more confusing for opposing QBs and OCs.
 
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RugbyBuck said:
Fair points and I agree. As to the first, I think talent and speed, if given the right scheme/calls, can make up for some experience. Second, fortunately, I don't think we've got to have a top ten defense given the offense we've got. It would be great, but what we need is functional competence. I think that's well within reach, at least relative to where we've been the last few years.
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This. And the '22 defense really just need to get back to stopping the run.

The '20 defense, despite of all its woes, was actually good at stopping the run, as any functional single high defenses is supposed to be. Even playoff-caliber backs like ETN & Najee Harris had limited success against the '20 D: ETN 10 carries 32 yards, 3.2 per; Najee 22 carries 79 yards, 3.6 per. (Unfortunately, without the elite pass rush & secondary from '19, the '20 defense broke down too often against the pass.)

One could reasonably imagine that had the dudes from the '20 D returned in '21 (e.g. Togiai, Werner, etc), the Buckeyes could easily be undefeated in the regular season. The best passing offenses on the schedule was maybe Purdue? Both Oregon & TTUN have strong ground games, but mediocre QBs. I would take CJ (or any Ryan Day protégé) over Anthony Brown or McNamara in a QB duel any day of the week ... even in CJ's first year. In '22, CJ's edge over opposing QBs can only grow larger.

IMO, more consistent QB play & an improved run defense is the recipe for success '22.
 
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Agreed. Having JTT and Sawyer back with a season under their belts should help bolster the DL and more resemble the dominant pass rush we're used to seeing.. Need Tyliek and other interior guys to become that immovable wall that eats up multiple blocks so that the LB's can run free and make plays.

I hope all this positive talk about Knowles' attacking-style defense comes to fruition here at OSU bc something has to change. This defense (staff) has held OSU back for far too long. Where my Silver Bullets at?
 
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