What's Wrong With the 2013 Defense?

[RB07OSU]

Yep...giving up 21 points to Illinois is the problem. Having Bosa and Grant out doesn't help but it is still inexcusable. The D is the only thing holding us back from being an elite team. I thought we would have to wait until the Indiana game to see our defense get truly measured but it turns out that question was preempted. I think this is our true composite and the Penn State game was an outlier. Throw Purdue out the window, they are one of the worst teams in the country, not just worst in the Big Ten.

 

[matcar]

Right now... A LOT. Looks like Penn State and Purdue were a myth...

Simply not a National Championshop defense. Back 7 are not effective in pass situations. Coverage soft. Oh well.

 

[kujirakira]

Yep...giving up 21 points to Illinois is the problem. Having Bosa and Grant out doesn't help but it is still inexcusable. The D is the only thing holding us back from being an elite team. I thought we would have to wait until the Indiana game to see our defense get truly measured but it turns out that question was preempted. I think this is our true composite and the Penn State game was an outlier. Throw Purdue out the window, they are one of the worst teams in the country, not just worst in the Big Ten.

The D is responsible for 14 of those points.
Not that I think it's an excuse but... more than pass defense right now, I'm worried about consistency. They played great for most of the half, but then just stopped caring.

We're also missing Grant and Perry. And while I haven't always been impressed with them, I can clearly see why they're playing instead of Williams. He's had a lot of missed tackles.

 

[RB07OSU]

The D is responsible for 14 of those points.
Not that I think it's an excuse but... more than pass defense right now, I'm worried about consistency. They played great for most of the half, but then just stopped caring.

We're also missing Grant and Perry. And while I haven't always been impressed with them, I can clearly see why they're playing instead of Williams. He's had a lot of missed tackles.

True. I mean, I know we were going to see some drop-off with the guys out but too much drop-off. With how pathetic Illinois is and the expectations of an Ohio State defenses (and I mean depth too), this is still a disappointment.

 

[TampaBuckeyes]

The D is responsible for 14 of those points.
Not that I think it's an excuse but... more than pass defense right now, I'm worried about consistency. They played great for most of the half, but then just stopped caring.

We're also missing Grant and Perry. And while I haven't always been impressed with them, I can clearly see why they're playing instead of Williams. He's had a lot of missed tackles.

How many points is the D responsible for now? From the first drive the secondary has been getting killed. We had some success when we started to bring pressure the next few drives. But then they added a lineman onto the left side and we now have no pressure. Our secondary isn't good enough to stop much of anything for very long, and their o-line is giving them more than enough time.

 

[matcar]

Coaches need to figure something out.

 

[kujirakira]

It's about what I expected. Going after the QB does wonders against inexperienced pocket passers.
But a team that can hold off the pass rush or the QB can keep a play alive... they'll make plays on us. I think that's just the reality of where our defense is at.
Poor tackling has been an issue today, however.

 

[buckeye4ever21]

It's very apparent that we need Bosa's pass rush is desperately needed, but the LBer play was not very good outside of shazier. Braxton's struggles in the passing game throu the wind didn't allow us to put the game out of hand. Michigan state gave up only 3 points to the Illinois offense. We won't be tested until MSU but that leaky performance against Illinois isn't very encouraging in our bid to try and reach the title game.

 

[matcar]

I don't see a positive result in a title game if we don't have a drastic change in this defense. I'll be interested to see if coach Meyer suggests that change is needed again.

 

[MaxBuck]

I don't see a positive result in a title game if we don't have a drastic change in this defense.

I don't see any result in a national title game for the Buckeyes, unfortunately.

 

[matcar]

I don't see any result in a national title game for the Buckeyes, unfortunately.

That's a good thing if we can't improve on D.

 

[Buckeye86]

I think, like everything in the world, the problem is a combination of things- the primary two being a lack of motivation and injuries in this game.

Oh, and to give credit where credit is due, Scheelhause stayed calm and made some nice throws under pressure and on the run all game.

 

[buckeyebri]

I think, like everything in the world, the problem is a combination of things- the primary two being a lack of motivation and injuries in this game.

Oh, and to give credit where credit is due, Scheelhause stayed calm and made some nice throws under pressure and on the run all game.

He also threw some soft ones up in the middle and late when under pressure and no secondary player was around. I thought the Dline played well, especially with Bosa getting hurt. The secondary is a huge concern, even Roby and Barnett. Both make some big plays, but they also both seem to give em up as well.

 

[Buckeye86]

He also threw some soft ones up in the middle and late when under pressure and no secondary player was around. I thought the Dline played well, especially with Bosa getting hurt. The secondary is a huge concern, even Roby and Barnett. Both make some big plays, but they also both seem to give em up as well.

Well, they did have those two interceptions early. I think the miscues may have been due to a lack of motivation and focus, which is a problem in and of itself, but I think it would be reduced against a more interesting opponent- like Penn State, for instance... or even "we've lost to them WAY too much over the past three years" Purdue.

 

[kujirakira]

I actually think that was, for the most part, the defense' best effort. Missing 2 LBs hurt us, but we've seen teams throw TDs to wide open receivers all year.
I still like the choice by the staff to be more aggressive, go after the QB, force turnovers -- but it's not like the defense suddenly became world beaters. A QB that can keep the play alive and make plays, will make plays.
I came to grips with the reality that this is kind of the reverse of the typical Tressel team -- dominant defense, "good enough" offense. Now it's a dominant offense, and a defense with some lights-out players but just not able to get all the pieces together. Whatever bowl game we're in, it'll come down to how the Offense executes.
I'd also point out the defense gave up 28, but also got us 9 points.