Remember when Urban Meyer-coached teams were known for their dynamic, high-powered offenses?
Those were the days.
For the better part of the last two seasons, however, Meyer’s teams at Ohio State have become more dominant — and consistent — on the other side of the ball. The Buckeyes’ defense has been among the best in the country.
Let's be clear here: The offense is still plenty good — Ohio State ranks 13th in the country in total offense at 501.7 yards per game — but the inconsistency, particularly in the passing game, slowed the Buckeyes down at times during the last two seasons.
Ohio State’s defense hasn’t really had such struggles as the Buckeyes did a complete overhaul following a poor 2013 season. They haven’t really looked back since.
This year, Ohio State ranks fifth in the country in total defense, allowing 278.4 yards per game. The Buckeyes are also fifth nationally in scoring defense, surrendering 14.4 points per game. Last season, Ohio State finished ninth in the country in total defense, allowing 311.3 yards per game and was second in scoring defense at just 15.1 points per game.
Those are numbers that illustrate a team built on defense.
To be a great team, a championship-level team, Meyer knows the Buckeyes need to play at a high level on both sides of the ball. In the loss to Penn State, Ohio State’s defense played well, but the offense did not. The Nittany Lions should get some credit for that, but a lot of the struggles fall on the Buckeyes.
If someone told you Penn State would have just 276 total yards (74 in the second half) and 13 first downs, that the Nittany Lions would go 2-for-13 on third down and quarterback Trace McSorley would complete just 8-of-23 pass attempts, and All-American running back Saquon Barkley would get just 12 carries for 99 yards, Ohio State would cruise to a win. That’s not usually a formula for success against the Buckeyes.
But because of Ohio State’s offensive struggles, particularly in pass protection and the inability for wide receivers to get open, the Buckeyes let Penn State hang around. You know how things ended. The Nittany Lions blocked both a punt and a field goal in the second half and scored 17 unanswered fourth-quarter points.
It’s weird to see Meyer’s teams struggle offensively at times. He’s an offensive mastermind and his spread attack somewhat revolutionized college football. This could be a rough patch and it's important to keep in mind Ohio State's offense is still pretty good and far from broken. This is more about what the defense has become under Meyer, and that's championship level.
Truth be told, the Buckeyes head coach probably doesn't care what his team is known for — offense or defense. There's only one thing that really matters.
As Meyer often says, "Just win the darn game."
