Cleveland, OH
Ohio State football’s defense pulled back in 1 key way and unlocked elite potential
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Ryan Day operates under no illusion that Jim Knowles has abandoned the blitz.
Yes, the Buckeyes’ second-year defensive coordinator has backed off of sending extra pressure. Day, though, knows what lies in both Knowles’ heart and mind.
“I know he’s got a whole bunch of blitzes lined up down the road for when the right time comes,” Day said. “He’s got a great defensive mind, and finding that balance is critical.”
Knowles said recently he is blitzing less than ever before. In the game prior to that statement, he blitzed only six times on Western Kentucky’s 72 plays. Later that week, he sent extra pressure 11 times on Notre Dame’s 64 plays.
Compare that to the standard he set early last season. Tommy Eichenberg came on blitzes 15 times in one game against Arkansas State. The Buckeyes blitzed on over 25% of their plays in last season’s opener against Notre Dame.
Knowles admits it. He coaches with a little devil on his shoulder, egging him on to keep those attacks coming. He could be miserable right now showing this level of self-restraint — except the approach is working so well.
Knowles pulled back on pressure because that risk-reward cost the Buckeyes too much last season. They allowed 14 touchdowns of 20-plus yards in 2022. Several covered 50, 60 even 70 yards. It killed them against Michigan, and it kept a playoff semifinal upset of Georgia — and a possible national championship — out of reach.
Through four games, the four touchdowns OSU has allowed have covered a total of 6 yards. Only two teams — Iowa and UCLA — have allowed fewer than OSU’s nine plays of 20-plus yards. Limiting explosives also keeps opponents out of the red zone. Six possessions allowed inside the 20 are the fewest in the nation.
Maryland comes to Ohio Stadium on Saturday. It built its first 5-0 start in over 20 years in part on big-play touchdowns. The Terrapins will test Day and Knowles’ joint goal to come after opposing quarterbacks without chasing after their receivers when one blitz too many leaves OSU exposed.
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BETS
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
BET $50, GET $250 BONUS BETS
CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BETS & $100 OFF NFL SUNDAY TICKET
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
$1,000 FIRST BET OFFER
BETMGM
BET $1, GET $200 BONUS BETS
BET365
FanDuel Ohio is live and accepting wagers. There are also other OH Sportsbook offers like the bet365 Ohio promo, DraftKings Ohio promo, and the BetMGM Ohio bonus code.
“That mentality is not what we want on defense,” Day said of the ‘bend but don’t break’ philosophy. “We’re going to be aggressive. We’re gonna get in your face. We’re gonna get after you — but also not give up big plays.”
A year ago, OSU allowed, on average, four plays per game of 20-plus yards. So far, it’s allowing about half that.
Blitzing less means fewer one-on-one matchups in the secondary, especially for safeties who might not be as adept in coverage as cornerbacks. The entire secondary, though, has raised its level of play, none more than cornerback Denzel Burke. (Additionally, utilizing Jordan Hancock as a passing-down nickel safety, though, might alleviate that threat and give Knowles some options later this season.)
It also means trusting the four-man rush up front to create enough pressure. Third-year defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer both still seek their first sack. The defensive line has affect the pocket fairly consistently, though. Pro Football Focus gives OSU the nation’s sixth-highest pass rush grade among Power 5 teams.
Knowles has his own, less objective measurements of success. He sees more resiliency, more accountability and more commitment to improvement.
“it’s always, ‘What have you done for me lately,’ so we need to focus on and keep pressing forward,” Knowles said. “But there’s enough good things that we can look at and say, ‘This was good,’ and there are enough things that we can fix to always stay hungry.”
Ohio State football’s defense has not allowed a touchdown longer than 2 yards through four games.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Notre Dame settled for four 20-plus plays. It averaged over seven in its other five games.
Ohio State will need a similar performance against a Maryland offense that ranks 13th nationally in plays of 20-plus yards.
Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s quarterback efficiency rating sits at 160.28. If it holds, he’ll be the Big Ten’s first non-Buckeye QB to post a rating that high since 2019. He has run or thrown for seven of Maryland’s eight touchdowns of 20-plus yards. (He also has a 19-yard touchdown run.)
Knowles respects Tagovailoa’s ability to extend plays into explosive opportunities. He kept coming back to the same phrase to describe the necessary approach against the veteran quarterback: “Coordinated rush.” He did not want to divulge specifics of what that will entail, but he did describe what it won’t look like.
“It’s not like a typical quarterback where you say, ‘Hey, let’s present some different pictures, get them to hold the ball and just go after it,’ ” Knowles said. “You can’t do that with him, because if you present different pictures and he holds the ball — now you better be coordinated with your rush.”
So what does this less aggressive approach mean for Eichenberg? His downhill attacks in Knowles’ first year made him a second-team All-American and infused the defense with an aggressive edge. Through four games he has blitzed 13 times on his own and nine other times in tandem with fellow linebacker Steele Chambers or a safety. That frequency easily leads the team, but is well off the pace he set last season.
Ohio State’s Tommy Eichenberg (35) is acting more as a “quarterback on the field” than a weapon in the pass rush.AP
Knowles said he is utilizing a different asset of the senior captain from St. Ignatius.
“We’re using him more to be a quarterback on the field,” Knowles said. “He’s become that guy that can see things that I see, think like me. He can make changes and adjustments on the field.
“So I don’t know — maybe we’re using him more for his mind and less for his aggression. But they’re still both involved.”
The blitz clearly still has its place in the defense. J.T. Tuimoloau has been rightfully credited for making two huge plays on Notre Dame’s penultimate offensive possession. The second, a leaping pass breakup on a screen pass that likely would have gone for a touchdown, made OSU’s game-winning touchdown drive possible.
Making that PBU possible, though, was Lathan Ransom storming into the backfield on safety blitz. Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman hurried his throw. The rest is history.
Aggression still has its place in OSU’s defensive approach. That devil on Knowles’ shoulder will simply need to be patient.
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.