It's no secret Urban Meyer's roster is stacked with proven commodities at multiple positions.
While the plethora of talent at quarterback and H-back have generated the most buzz this offseason, another position group loaded with proven experience can be found at safety where junior Vonn Bell and redshirt junior Tyvis Powell combine to give the Buckeyes a tandem with the potential to be become the greatest in school history.
On a resurgent defense, Bell and Powell not only stepped up in run support to the tune of ranking 2nd and 4th respectively in tackles, the pair combined to intercept a historically significant 10 passes as part of a retooled secondary helping the Buckeyes go from good to great.
| PLAYER | TACKLES (RANK) | SOLO | ASSIST | INT | PASSES DEFENSED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VONN BELL | 92 (2) | 57 | 35 | 6 | 12 |
| TYVIS POWELL | 76 (4) | 45 | 31 | 4 | 8 |
| COMBINED | 168 | 102 | 66 | 10 | 20 |
Bell, a 5-foot-11, 205-pounder out of Georgia who is probably a top-five "sure-tackler" in school history, didn't even start the season opener against Navy last season. He still managed to post the most stops by a Buckeye safety since Mike Doss blew up for a ridiculous 107 back in 2002.
His sluggish start to the season was partially due to missing spring ball with an injury and not coming on in fall camp as the staff had hoped after he showed flashes of what was to come in Ohio State's Orange Bowl loss to Clemson.
Bell was a force once he got going, though. He registered no fewer than seven tackles in each of the last seven games, starting with Ohio State's 49-37 win in East Lansing, which helped the Buckeyes jump back into the fringe of the playoff conversation.
Bell also had four of his six interceptions over the final seven games, furthering his reputation as a big play guy. His 4th quarter pick in frigid Minnesota helped Ohio State turn a 24-14 lead into a 31-14 game and essentially salt away the win. Two weeks later, he set the tone against Michigan by intercepting Devin Gardner's first pass of the day, helping Ohio State take a 7-0 lead in what became a 42-28 victory.
In the B1G championship romp over Wisconsin, Bell intercepted Joel Stave on the Badgers' first play in Buckeye territory to trigger a 17-0 lead before things got out of hand. Finally, in the Sugar Bowl defeat of Alabama, Bell came up huge. He picked off Blake Sims at the 1-yard line with the Buckeyes nursing a tenuous 34-28 lead in the 4th quarter of an eventual 42-35 win.
Powell, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder out of Bedford, Ohio, isn't on the same level as Bell as a tackler or even as a cover guy. Still, he's no slouch. Powell's 74 tackles last year rank favorably against other "second safeties" in school annals, as shown in the graph below and like Bell he has shown a knack for the big play.
A springboard to his 2014 season, Powell intercepted Devin Gardner's two-point conversion try to end the 2013 regular season preserving Ohio State's 42-41 victory in the Big House.
Last year, Powell posted four interceptions including another historical one as he picked Alabama's Blake Sims in the end zone on the game's final play to vault Ohio State into the college football playoff championship game against Oregon.
A dynamic leader on the team, it should also never be forgotten Powell was the first Buckeye commit following the resignation of Jim Tressel.
| YEAR | SAFETY | TACKLES (RANK) | SAFETY | TACKLES (RANK) | COMB TACKLES | COMB INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | V. BELL | 92 (2) | T. POWELL | 76 (4) | 168 | 10 |
| 2013 | C.J. BARNETT | 84 (2) | P. BROWN | 55 (6) | 139 | 5 |
| 2012 | C. BRYANT | 70 (2) | C.J. BARNETT | 56 (4) | 126 | 3 |
| 2011 | C.J. BARNETT | 75 (1) | C. BRYANT | 69 (3) | 144 | 2 |
| 2010 | J. HINES | 66 (3) | O. JOHNSON | 50 (5) | 116 | 2 |
| 2009 | K. COLEMAN | 68 (3) | J. HINES | 57 (4) | 125 | 7 |
| 2008 | K. COLEMAN | 78 (3) | A. RUSSELL | 67 (4) | 145 | 6 |
| 2007 | K. COLEMAN | 64 (3) | A. RUSSELL | 63 (4) | 127 | 0 |
| 2006 | B. MITCHELL | 60 (4) | J. O'NEAL | 30 (9) | 90 | 3 |
| 2005 | N. SALLEY | 39 (6) | T. EVERETT | 30 (10) | 69 | 1 |
| 2002 | M. DOSS | 107 (2) | D. NICKEY | 67 (5) | 174 | 2 |
| 1996 | D. MOORE | 89 (1) | R. KELLY | 66 (5) | 155 | 8 |
Looking at the numbers for the last 10 years and throwing in the 2002 and 1996 safety combinations since they were outstanding in their own right, Bell and Powell stack up incredibly well.
All stats can be influenced by variables, making it tough to compare years and eras. Ohio State played 15 games last year for the first time in school history; nevertheless, Bell and Powell's combined 168 total tackles were the most since Doss and Donnie Nickey racked up 174 during the 2002 national championship season.
Further illustrating their big play ability, Bell and Powell's combined 10 interceptions last year served as the most by a safety duo since Chico Nelson (6) and Roger Harper (4) posted 10 of their own way back in 1992.
Should the Buckeyes repeat as national champions with Bell and Powell as key cogs on defense, it will be hard to deny their place in history as the most formidable safety duo in school history.
