Ohio State led Illinois 7-0 in the second quarter, when all of a sudden Luke Fickell found himself making a decision he didn't think he would have to until next season.
Not that Fickell wasn't worried about doing what he needed to in order for Ohio State to earn its 10th win of 2015, but the Buckeye defensive coordinator recognized a reality he probably would have to face this offseason: Life without Darron Lee.
"All you've got to do is look back at the one play Darron went out, one play in the Illinois game, (he) took a shot in the chest and the very next play they come out throw the bubble (screen) out in the field," Fickell said Feb. 3. "We put a new true freshman out there — they were going to come challenge that thing right away."
Lee pursued a throwback screen to Illini running back Jordan Ferguson the play before. As Ferguson raced for a 25-yard gain, Illinois tight end Andrew Davis nailed Lee with a blindside block that not only knocked the wind out of the future first-round NFL Draft pick, but forced Fickell to pick someone on the bench who could possibly fit the athletic mold to replace him.
We didn't know at the time Lee would leave early for the Draft, but how he burst on the scene as someone with the necessary size to help against the inside run game yet be strong and fast enough to shed blockers and cover slot receivers either down the field or in the flat on bubble screens made it likely he'd turn pro. He is now preparing for April's NFL Draft, and the Buckeyes must find who is next at the hybrid linebacker position.
Just like Fickell was Nov. 14. On that day, he tabbed true freshman Jerome Baker, and like the linebackers coach noted — the Illini went after him on the very next play.
Baker couldn't get off a block in the flat, and Desmond Cain picked up a quick five yards before Raekwon McMillan ran him down out of bounds. Lee entered quickly before the next play.
"Anytime you can have a linebacker cover slot receivers, that's such a luxury for your defense," former Buckeye linebacker and current ESPN analyst Chris Spielman said during the game's live broadcast. After Cain's 5-yard gain, Spielman pointed out it was Baker who failed to shed the block and make the play as Lee's replacement.
"Malik Turner had a good block on Jerome Baker, the replacement for Darron Lee that sprung that outside the edge," Spielman said.
Lee made the tackle on second down, a handoff to Ferguson. He then caused the quarterback to loft a pass over him to Ferguson on third down. The running back dropped the ball with McMillan all over him in coverage, and Illinois kicked a field goal. But Lee's presence was the difference, a microcosm to why he was so important to Ohio State's defensive resurgence the last two seasons.
It is also the luxury that is no longer in the program — at least that we've seen.
"Believe me, we bring it up often to whoever is going to be able to fill that spot," Fickell said.
Lee made plays in his two years as a starter at Ohio State. He tallied 147 tackles, three interceptions (one he returned for a touchdown), 12 sacks, three forced fumbles and returned two loose footballs for touchdowns against Navy and Michigan in 2014.
Lee, along with a scheme change on the back end, were the pieces Ohio State's defense needed to recover from its horrid display against Michigan State, Michigan and Clemson to end 2013.
"After that game specifically knowing all the lateral plays and handing the ball to Sammy Watkins and blocking a nickel back on the edge, the ball running over the edge laterally — we kind of sat down, said we're not going to have that again," Fickell said.
Lee was the answer, bursting on the scene the following spring as a replacement for Buckeye terror Ryan Shazier. Urban Meyer mentions Lee often as the "skinny-necked kid from New Albany" that used to play quarterback and morphed into a difference maker on the other side of the ball.
Now that Lee is gone, Fickell has a decision to make. Does he go with Baker like he did against Illinois? Or do juniors-to-be Chris Worley and Dante Booker get a shot? If he had to make a decision before spring practice, one of the elder statesmen would be the choice.
"We walk out there tomorrow and Chris Worley is going to be that guy," Fickell said. "But that goes without saying. We're going to find a way to get our best 11 guys out there."
That includes giving Baker and 2016 4-star recruit Keandre Jones an opportunity to show what they can do. McMillan, defensive ends Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis and corner Gareon Conley are really the only players you could pencil in early as starters on Ohio State's 2016 defense. That leaves seven spots open, but perhaps Lee's is the most important to fill.
Baker and Worley will battle to start.
"But we're going to move them around, find the guys that give us the best opportunity to be able to do those things," Fickell said.
Fickell spoke about how Ohio State identifies its defense as a 4-3, but the Buckeyes play a 4-2-5 the majority of the time with Lee's athleticism and skill set providing what the unit needed after the Orange Bowl loss.
"Obviously there's some give and take with having a nickel guy out there as opposed to a linebacker," Fickell said, "and we said this is what we need and this is the route we're going to go."
It helped bring Ohio State a Big Ten and national championship last season. Is Worley going to bring enough to be the next guy in line to keep it going? Or will Baker, Jones or even Malik Harrison—another player Fickell made sure received an offer—be next?
"Were we fortunate, did we know exactly what we had in Darron Lee?" Fickell said. "No, we didn't have a crystal ball, but he was the type of guy we were looking for, a guy that you could say what is he? Is he a safety? Is he a linebacker? Is he this? Is he that?
"No, but he's athletic enough to play in space, we know darn well we'll put him out there, limit all lateral plays and all bubbles and all things that are going to make sure they try to force the field make us cover 53 and a third. The reality with having that guy out there the piece we're looking for that we're going to try to shrink that field and have to play one-third of the field."
