The first thing that comes to the minds of many in regards to Ohio State is its record-setting offense.
It's a fair first thought, too. The Buckeyes rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in both total offense (507.8 yards per game) and scoring offense (45.2 points per game). Those numbers are good for eighth and fourth in the country, respectively.
The success of the offense is certainly a reason why Ohio State has a date with No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 as part of the first-ever College Football Playoff, but it's certainly not the only reason.
Perhaps an even bigger cause for the Buckeyes' place among the country's top-four teams is because of their defensive play this season. And nowhere was that defense more on display than in Ohio State's 59-0 obliteration of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game.
The Buckeyes held the Badgers to just 258 total yards and limited the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, running back Melvin Gordon, to just 76 yards on 26 carries.
“The biggest thing was leadership and fundamentals, but it wasn’t a perfect game," Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry said. "The thing that made the game really good for us was we were fundamentally sound on the defensive side of the ball.”
A year ago, though, Ohio State wasn't capable of putting on a performance like it did against Wisconsin. The Buckeyes' defense was simply not good enough.
| 2013 | STAT | 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| 22.6 | SCORING DEFENSE (PPG) | 21.4 |
| 377.4 | TOTAL DEFENSE (YPG) | 328.0 |
| 109.4 | RUSHING DEFENSE (YPG) | 139.8 |
| 268.0 | PASSING DEFENSE (YPG) | 188.2 |
| 24 | TURNOVERS FORCED | 29 |
| 42 | SACKS | 40 |
It was a major issue all year in 2013, but Ohio State had managed to escape a loss. That is, until the Buckeyes ran into Michigan State in last year's Big Ten title game. Ohio State's defense unraveled in that game, surrendering 438 total yards and 17 unanswered points in a 34-24 loss — the first under Meyer.
Those defensive struggles were exposed again in a 40-35 loss to Clemson in the Orange Bowl where Sammy Watkins went off with 16 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
It became crystal clear a change was needed. So, Meyer brought in Chris Ash to coach the team's safeties and become the team's co-defensive coordinator. Also coming in was Larry Johnson to coach the team's defensive line.
The results have been pretty eye-popping. Ohio State's defense is statistically better in almost every major category (with the exception of run defense). But most notably, the Buckeyes' pass defense improved from 11th in the Big Ten in 2013 (268 yards per game) to fourth in the league (188.2 yards per game).
What a difference a year makes.
"We have a lot of great players here and as long as everybody does their job, everything takes care of itself," safety Tyvis Powell said. "I feel like as long as we keep that mindset and trust in each other then the sky's the limit for us.”
A season ago, Ohio State did not have a championship-level defense. And while Buckeyes aren't among the nation's most-feared units just yet, it seems they are headed in the right direction.
They'll get their biggest test of the year Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl against No. 1 Alabama.
"Mentally we are in a very good spot. There is a lot of confidence and belief that we can be good," Ash said. "Our challenge is to play a game like (Wisconsin) consistently from week to week. Throughout the course of the year we have shown signs of improvement each week. I think that last game was a sign of what we can be and what we should be moving forward."
