Jami Jurich
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Ohio State’s defense holds the keys to victory against Oregon
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Despite a near-perfect performance against Iowa, any cracks in the foundation need to be patched before the Silver Bullets get to Eugene.
After what should have been a pedestrian day of football turned into absolute carnage across the college football world this past Saturday, all eyes will be on No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon next weekend.
In many ways, this is the beginning of the season for both teams, with everything up to this point seemingly merely a warmup for this moment. As two of just a handful of remaining unbeatens in the top 25, next Saturday’s game presents a huge test for both teams in a matchup that could very well be a Big Ten Championship preview.
And while the Ohio State offense has been spectacular up to this point, it is the defense that holds the keys to victory for the Buckeyes in Eugene.
Despite leading the country statistically in multiple categories (including points allowed per game and yards allowed per play), Jim Knowles’ defense has been on the receiving end of some criticism—some of it fair, all of it nitpicky.
The criticism has run the gamut, from lack of press coverage from the cornerbacks to lack of discipline from the linebackers. And there is validity in nearly all of the concerns, though not at the catastrophic levels some of the Buckeye faithful would have you believe.
One of the biggest points of contention has come around the defensive line, both in terms of their failure to get home consistently and in the rotation itself, with questions around whether the right guys are being put in the best position to set the team up for success.
Where the rotation is concerned, I have to believe the coaching decisions were being made with games like this upcoming one in mind. There is considerable value in playing around in the early weeks to find out who fits best where so that by the time you face an opponent like Oregon, you’ve got a well-oiled machine. And there’s no harm in this approach so long as you’re not losing football games. The Buckeyes have, ultimately, managed to play with the rotation while still dominating opponents defensively. And they did it without star defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in some cases, as he missed a few games with an injury.
As for the rest of the criticisms? I’m ready to put them to bed after the defense’s performance against Michigan State and Iowa. The Silver Bullets very nearly shut out both teams and played two close-to-perfect football games.
Against Michigan State, the defense held the Spartans to 246 total yards and finally started forcing turnovers, with two forced fumbles (one apiece from linebacker Sonny Styles and defensive end Jack Sawyer) and an interception from cornerback Denzel Burke. Safety Caleb Downs continued to live up to the hype with nine tackles, along with one for a loss.
Then came another spectacular showing from the Silver Bullets this weekend against Iowa, holding the Hawkeyes to just 226 yards total yards and holding star running back Kaleb Johnson, arguably the biggest threat the Buckeye defense has seen to date, to just 86 rushing yards on 15 carries. They also held quarterback Cade McNamara to fewer than 100 passing yards.
Iowa remained scoreless until a late, 28-yard touchdown rush from Johnson against the second-string defense. For added context as to just how impressive the Buckeyes were, Johnson had not rushed for fewer than 100 yards in a game this season until he faced them.
The Silver Bullets didn’t stop there, though. They doubled down on their ability to create big plays in the form of three more forced turnovers (an interception and two forced fumbles), plus four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Sawyer alone tallied two sacks.
None of this is meant to invalidate very real critiques of the defense—the players themselves have nodded to the fact that they are constantly trying to improve as a unit and we should expect this of them as the season moves forward. But even with a few kinks to work out, they’ve looked the part of a championship-caliber defense, and now we get to put those optics to the test on Saturday.
In spite of their stellar performance against Iowa (and in the four games prior, if we’re being fair), the Buckeye defense has yet to face a quarterback of Dillon Gabriel’s caliber—in a hostile road environment nonetheless—nor have they faced receiving weapons or a running back room quite as well-rounded as Oregon’s (outside of practicing against their own team, that is).
The Silver Bullets have one decided advantage, in that there’s no better way for a defense to prepare to stop an offense like Oregon’s than by practicing against the likes of the Buckeyes. You want to learn to stop the run game? You practice on TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. You’re worried about opposing teams’ receivers? Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka are here to help you get ready.
Even so, there is no room for error. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with Gabriel, he’s considered a Heisman contender this season, has more than 16,000 career passing yards (the fourth-most in NCAA history), and has the third-most career passing touchdowns in NCAA history (136). With Gabriel at the helm for the Ducks, Ohio State won’t have the luxury of the slow starts we’ve seen in previous games. He is just too talented, and he has his own arsenal of weapons in Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden and Evan Stewart who will help Oregon capitalize on any cracks in the defense’s foundation.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25663789/usa_today_24405525.jpg "NCAA Football: Michigan State at Oregon")
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Then there’s Jordan James, the star running back who has tallied 552 yards and five touchdowns on 88 carries so far this season. Oh, and did I mention the Ducks have a tight end who excels at the receiving part of the job? They do. Terrance Ferguson already has 16 receptions for 259 yards.
Suffice it to say, the Buckeyes need to be near-perfect right out of the gate defensively. They must keep the pressure on Gabriel, who, for all his talent, is not immune to sloppy errors under pressure, if they want to force turnovers or prevent first downs, while simultaneously shutting down the run game.
If the defense can manage to deliver on all their promise, the Buckeyes should leave Eugene as they came—undefeated. But if the defense starts slow or leaves room for error, look to the Ducks to expose the cracks in the foundation.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Despite a near-perfect performance against Iowa, any cracks in the foundation need to be patched before the Silver Bullets get to Eugene.
After what should have been a pedestrian day of football turned into absolute carnage across the college football world this past Saturday, all eyes will be on No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon next weekend.
In many ways, this is the beginning of the season for both teams, with everything up to this point seemingly merely a warmup for this moment. As two of just a handful of remaining unbeatens in the top 25, next Saturday’s game presents a huge test for both teams in a matchup that could very well be a Big Ten Championship preview.
And while the Ohio State offense has been spectacular up to this point, it is the defense that holds the keys to victory for the Buckeyes in Eugene.
Silencing the Critics
Despite leading the country statistically in multiple categories (including points allowed per game and yards allowed per play), Jim Knowles’ defense has been on the receiving end of some criticism—some of it fair, all of it nitpicky.
The criticism has run the gamut, from lack of press coverage from the cornerbacks to lack of discipline from the linebackers. And there is validity in nearly all of the concerns, though not at the catastrophic levels some of the Buckeye faithful would have you believe.
One of the biggest points of contention has come around the defensive line, both in terms of their failure to get home consistently and in the rotation itself, with questions around whether the right guys are being put in the best position to set the team up for success.
Where the rotation is concerned, I have to believe the coaching decisions were being made with games like this upcoming one in mind. There is considerable value in playing around in the early weeks to find out who fits best where so that by the time you face an opponent like Oregon, you’ve got a well-oiled machine. And there’s no harm in this approach so long as you’re not losing football games. The Buckeyes have, ultimately, managed to play with the rotation while still dominating opponents defensively. And they did it without star defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in some cases, as he missed a few games with an injury.
As for the rest of the criticisms? I’m ready to put them to bed after the defense’s performance against Michigan State and Iowa. The Silver Bullets very nearly shut out both teams and played two close-to-perfect football games.
Against Michigan State, the defense held the Spartans to 246 total yards and finally started forcing turnovers, with two forced fumbles (one apiece from linebacker Sonny Styles and defensive end Jack Sawyer) and an interception from cornerback Denzel Burke. Safety Caleb Downs continued to live up to the hype with nine tackles, along with one for a loss.
Then came another spectacular showing from the Silver Bullets this weekend against Iowa, holding the Hawkeyes to just 226 yards total yards and holding star running back Kaleb Johnson, arguably the biggest threat the Buckeye defense has seen to date, to just 86 rushing yards on 15 carries. They also held quarterback Cade McNamara to fewer than 100 passing yards.
Iowa remained scoreless until a late, 28-yard touchdown rush from Johnson against the second-string defense. For added context as to just how impressive the Buckeyes were, Johnson had not rushed for fewer than 100 yards in a game this season until he faced them.
The Silver Bullets didn’t stop there, though. They doubled down on their ability to create big plays in the form of three more forced turnovers (an interception and two forced fumbles), plus four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Sawyer alone tallied two sacks.
None of this is meant to invalidate very real critiques of the defense—the players themselves have nodded to the fact that they are constantly trying to improve as a unit and we should expect this of them as the season moves forward. But even with a few kinks to work out, they’ve looked the part of a championship-caliber defense, and now we get to put those optics to the test on Saturday.
Shutting Down Dillon Gabriel
In spite of their stellar performance against Iowa (and in the four games prior, if we’re being fair), the Buckeye defense has yet to face a quarterback of Dillon Gabriel’s caliber—in a hostile road environment nonetheless—nor have they faced receiving weapons or a running back room quite as well-rounded as Oregon’s (outside of practicing against their own team, that is).
The Silver Bullets have one decided advantage, in that there’s no better way for a defense to prepare to stop an offense like Oregon’s than by practicing against the likes of the Buckeyes. You want to learn to stop the run game? You practice on TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. You’re worried about opposing teams’ receivers? Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka are here to help you get ready.
Even so, there is no room for error. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with Gabriel, he’s considered a Heisman contender this season, has more than 16,000 career passing yards (the fourth-most in NCAA history), and has the third-most career passing touchdowns in NCAA history (136). With Gabriel at the helm for the Ducks, Ohio State won’t have the luxury of the slow starts we’ve seen in previous games. He is just too talented, and he has his own arsenal of weapons in Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden and Evan Stewart who will help Oregon capitalize on any cracks in the defense’s foundation.
Then there’s Jordan James, the star running back who has tallied 552 yards and five touchdowns on 88 carries so far this season. Oh, and did I mention the Ducks have a tight end who excels at the receiving part of the job? They do. Terrance Ferguson already has 16 receptions for 259 yards.
Suffice it to say, the Buckeyes need to be near-perfect right out of the gate defensively. They must keep the pressure on Gabriel, who, for all his talent, is not immune to sloppy errors under pressure, if they want to force turnovers or prevent first downs, while simultaneously shutting down the run game.
If the defense can manage to deliver on all their promise, the Buckeyes should leave Eugene as they came—undefeated. But if the defense starts slow or leaves room for error, look to the Ducks to expose the cracks in the foundation.
Continue reading...