GREG SCHIANO BELIEVES OHIO STATE DEFENSE “MAKING PROGRESS IN ALL AREAS,” LINEBACKERS “HAVE PLAYED CONSISTENTLY” DESPITE CRITICISM AFTER PURDUE LOSS
After Ohio State gave up 539 yards and six touchdowns to Purdue’s offense in its 49-20 loss in West Lafayette on Saturday, many Ohio State fans want to see the Buckeyes make major changes to their defense.
But even though the Buckeyes’ defense has struggled all season with giving up big plays, and that finally caught up to them in the form of a loss this past weekend, Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano still believes his defense only needs smaller tweaks in order to start playing up to the standard that is expected in Columbus.
On Wednesday, Schiano acknowledged that his defense “had a tough night Saturday night without a doubt,” and that giving up big plays has been a problem all season. Purdue hit six plays of 20-plus yards on Saturday, including three plays of 40-plus yards that all went for touchdowns in the fourth quarter; the Buckeyes have allowed 26 plays of 30-plus yards this season, tied for the fourth-most among all Football Bowl Subdivision defenses.
While it hasn’t translated to game action, yet, though – and at this point in the season, it really needs to – Schiano likes what he has seen from his defense in practice, and is confident that the play of his unit will soon turn the corner.
“The truth of the matter is that we’re actually making progress in all areas,” Schiano said Wednesday. “There’s some things that I wish we’d make it faster. But when you watch the game and really evaluate it, there’s a lot of good plays. A lot of zero-yard gains. Negative gains. Sacks.
“Being around these guys every day, practicing with them, watching them perform and really evaluating them, I do think that they’re on this kind of ascension,” Schiano added. “I think we’re getting close, and just in the nick of time, because we need to go out and play really good defense down the stretch if we’re going to accomplish the goals that we set out for at the beginning of the year.”
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