When Larry Johnson met with each of his defensive linemen to review game tape and put a bow on the 2016 Ohio State football season, one thing stood out. All of them needed to be quicker off the ball.
| SEASON | G | SACKS | B1G RANK | TFL | B1G RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 12 | 30 | 4th | 64 | T-10th |
| 2013 | 14 | 42 | 1st | 91 | T-2nd |
| 2014 | 15 | 45 | 1st | 110 | 1st |
| 2015 | 13 | 38 | 2nd | 83 | 7th |
| 2016 | 13 | 28 | T-7th | 87 | T-6th |
“If you go back and watch our video tape, each guy, I met with them 1-on-1, talked about how can we improve our pass rush,” Johnson said on Thursday after practice. “And what you saw in common was that we weren't taking that first step faster across the line of scrimmage.”
If that happens, Johnson believes, more sacks will come. In 2016, the Buckeyes recorded just 28 sacks. That tied for seventh-most in the Big Ten, eons behind Michigan's league-leading 46. The only other time in Urban Meyer's tenure Ohio State finished outside the top three in total sacks? The 2012 season, his first in Columbus, when their 30 quarterback takedowns ranked fourth.
The 2015 outfit had 38 sacks to finish second behind Penn State for tops in the conference. With such a stockpile of talented defensive ends and an elite coach in Johnson tutoring them, the dropoff last fall was odd. Opposing offenses did focus on getting the ball out of their quarterback's hands faster to negate the likes of Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, Nick Bosa, Jalyn Holmes and others attacking them in their famed Rushmen package.
But Johnson wants and needs more. There is talk of putting those four ends on the field with Dre'Mont Jones all at the same time in an effort to utilize the best defensive linemen on the roster in more situations. To do that, Jones must enhance his pass rushing techniques too.
“That’s what Coach Johnson emphasizes a lot is just getting to the quarterback, getting to the quarterback, getting to the quarterback,” Jones said on Thursday. “That became my philosophy too so I’m eager to get to the quarterback every trip, it doesn’t matter if it’s run or pass.”
Johnson believes if Jones becomes a real threat to get to the quarterback, ends like Hubbard, Holmes, Bosa and Lewis will have a field day. If Jones demands more attention from blockers, that means fewer bodies are available to deal with the stars on the outside.
“We deflected the ball, we got some knockdowns, some tipped balls, that's all great. But at the end of the day we gotta get the quarterback on his back.”– Larry Johnson
“We've gotta rev up our pass rush, especially from the inside-out. Our three-tech has really gotta be a great pass rusher,” Johnson said. “That's something we're working on with Dre'Mont, to change that. Once that happens, then all of a sudden the outside becomes more effective.”
It is as simple as the initial step a player takes when the ball is snapped. And, the length of that step.
“It's very teachable because you got your eyes on the ball and your first step is about inches. You go out and move on the line of scrimmage,” Johnson said. “If I take a short first step, I don't cross the line of scrimmage. If I can elongate my first step on the pass rush, I'm across the line. I gain a yard.”
Bosa entered the lineup with Holmes in place of Mike Hill and Jones in the nickel package last season, which is why the latter finished with zero sacks during a terrific first season as a starter. Bosa's five sacks ranked only behind Lewis's eight on the team last season but like everyone else on the line has another full year of experience under his belt.
“I think if we're all going full speed it's some of the best pass rushers. Nobody really uses technique like we do in the country, I don't think,” Bosa said. “Coach J teaches us well and we're going to go.”
It's not like the line didn't make plays. The four defensive ends collapsed the pocket on Alex Hornibrook in overtime of Ohio State's 30-23 victory at Wisconsin in October. Holmes tipped a pass thrown by Baker Mayfield that fell right into the waiting arms of Jerome Baker, who promptly raced 68 yards to the end zone as the Buckeyes continued to build momentum against Oklahoma. Hubbard foiled a direct snap to Jabrill Peppers with a tackle for loss to keep Michigan out of the end zone in the second quarter of the regular season finale.
“We deflected the ball, we got some knockdowns, some tipped balls, that's all great. But at the end of the day we gotta get the quarterback on his back,” Johnson said. “That's been our goal going into spring ball.”
The conversation started shortly after the team returned from its horrible 31-0 loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. It continued through the winter and Johnson is acting on it as the spring game nears.
A quicker first step off the ball does not guarantee a sack on any given play. But it does nothing to hurt a player's chances.
“The emphasis this spring has been an ability to attack the line of scrimmage faster,” Johnson said. “That's what we're seeing now. See guys really jumping off the ball. That's how you get to the quarterback.”
