Marshon Lattimore did not want to be outdone.
So, after Malik Hooker, his fellow companion in the secondary, returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against Tulsa, Ohio State’s talented redshirt sophomore cornerback got his hands on a pass and then zigged and zagged the other way toward the end zone.
Lattimore crossed the goal line to give the Buckeyes a 20-3 lead in a game they would eventually win 48-3. It was Ohio State’s second pick-six in a matter of minutes.
“I knew he was throwing to No. 2 the whole game so I just tried to go over there and make a play,” Lattimore said afterward. “I was waiting on it.”
Making big plays has been a constant theme for Ohio State’s defense through the first two games of the season, though. And not only have the Buckeyes forced some timely turnovers, but they’re turning them into points as well.
Ohio State recorded six Tulsa turnovers Saturday. The Buckeyes intercepted Golden Hurricane quarterback Dane Evans four times — Lattimore had two, Hooker had one and Gareon Conley had the other — and also forced a pair of fumbles. In last weekend’s 77-10 thrashing of Bowling Green, Ohio State racked up three turnovers — all interceptions.
In the two games combined, the Buckeyes have turned those nine turnovers into 38 points.
“We always want turnovers. That’s what we call money plays and we give a lot of people chances to make some money.”– Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley
“We always want turnovers,” linebacker Chris Worley said. “That’s what we call money plays and we give a lot of people chances to make some money.”
Ohio State’s defense is certainly getting paid through two games in that regard. And it’s certainly possible this could be the Buckeyes’ calling card for 2016. They’ve given up chunks of yards here and there, but when a big play has been needed, Ohio State’s defense rose to the occasion.
“Our defense is playing so well right now,” Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said.
Meyer was quick to acknowledge what lies ahead for Ohio State, however, and next weekend’s matchup at Oklahoma will certainly provide this young defense with a much more difficult task.
“The challenges come next week against a very good team,” Meyer said. “We’re going to jump on that one early and get ready to go.”
Tulsa entered Saturday’s game with a potentially potent offense. But after a relatively successful first quarter in which the Golden Hurricane gained 103 yards of total offense, Ohio State’s defense clamped down the rest of the way. Tulsa finished the game with just 188 total yards.
The Buckeyes limited the Golden Hurricane to just seven first downs over the final three quarters after they recorded seven in the first quarter alone. A Tulsa offense which ran for over 300 yards last week ran for just 61 on Saturday.
“I think it’s the level of confidence right now,” Conley said. “All these young guys, they know they’ve got something to prove and they’ve all got a chip on their shoulder. They’re ready to prove that they’re the best and I know as the leader that they work hard every day and they push me to that high standard.”
Turnovers, too, help the cause.
“We worked a lot of that during the offseason and we see the finished product coming out here on the field,” middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan said. “All that work that we’ve put in over the summer is finally coming out on the field and it’s one of the things we’re sticking on and hopefully we can keep it going.”
Ohio State knows its challenge next week is a much greater one, but if the Buckeyes’ defense is going to continue to create “money plays” at this rate, they will certainly like their chances in Norman.
“We’re definitely playing really well right now but we can’t just keep sitting around talking about this,” Hooker said. “We can get better and we’ve gotta get back in the lab tomorrow and start watching film on Oklahoma and start preparing for the game next week.”
