When he sat down at a table Monday to meet with a swarming group of reporters, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell had to have known the questions about the Buckeyes' pass defense were coming.
Right off the bat, he got one.
“You can’t give up big plays, it’s not rocket science," Fickell said in response to the first question he was asked. "We can’t turn guys loose, we’ve gotta do some things. We’ll have some change ups, as well. It’s not that we’re gonna change everything that we do, it’s just we’ve gotta make sure we’re sounder in some of those things."
Fair or unfair, Fickell has probably been the most scrutinized member of the Buckeyes' coaching staff over the past three seasons, especially when it comes to the pass defense as the Buckeyes ranked 11th in the Big Ten a season ago. It was part of the reason Chris Ash was brought in to revamp the team's scheme and make it a much more aggressive defense.
But after three games this year, it was sort of a mystery where Ohio State stood as it simply hadn't been challenged through the air.
That wasn't the case with Cincinnati on Saturday as the Bearcats brought one of the most potent aerial attacks in the country to Ohio Stadium and lived up to the hype. Quarterback Gunner Kiel threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns as Cincinnati scored on long passes of 60, 83 and 78 yards.
Those big plays seemed to be what didn't sit right with Fickell and the rest of the coaching staff.
"Live by the sword, die by the sword sometimes, but you don't like to die by three of them," Fickell said. "If you take one of them, you feel all right, but if you take three it digs a little deeper. We’ve gotta build upon the positives on those things.”
Cincinnati only gained 131 yards through the air outside of those three long completions for scores, but Fickell and the rest of the staff know you can't simply look past the fact Ohio State gave up three big plays that resulted in touchdowns.
What they need to worry about now is how to prevent those from happening again.
“I’d rather this happen early in the season than happen later in the season," starting nickel Armani Reeves said. "I know it won’t happen again because of the way we act, the way we perform and prepare ourselves and that’s something that we’re just gonna eliminate and not something we’re gonna worry about anymore."
Ohio State will be quickly challenged again through the air this weekend against Maryland and wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who enters Saturday's contest with 29 catches for 398 yards on the year.
And while the game against Cincinnati may not have been what the Buckeyes were looking for from their secondary, they remain confident in what they have installed with the defensive overhaul this offseason.
“We’re gonna bet on our guys and that’s what I told them yesterday," Fickell said. "It’s not like we’re changing, we’ve gotta do some things better, but if I had somebody to bet on, I’m gonna bet on us. I’m gonna bet on myself, I’m gonna bet on those guys and we’re gonna continue to put them in positions and situations that are gonna give them opportunities to make plays and they’re gonna have to do it, as well.”
