From the standpoint of moving forward with its season, it’s long been past time for Ohio State to move on from its loss to Oklahoma.
The No. 6 Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) are no longer harping on their loss from six games ago, instead looking forward to their even bigger and more consequential game this Saturday against No. 2 Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten).
From a game preparation standpoint, however, there is still reason for Ohio State to go back and look at its film from the loss to Oklahoma, as there might be still be things the Buckeyes can learn from that film to apply to playing better in games going forward.
That’s especially true this week for the Buckeyes defense, as they face a Penn State offense that is similar to Oklahoma’s offense in numerous ways.
"Me personally, I love doing that," Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker said of watching film from the Oklahoma loss. "It’s funny how football works. It kind of repeats itself a lot. So if you don’t look at what you made a mistake on, it’s going to happen again. So I always go back and look at the losses, what teams really did well against us."
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| PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS |
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7-0, 4-0 B1G ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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3:30 P.M. – SATURDAY, OCT. 28 OHIO STADIUM COLUMBUS, OHIO |
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Ohio State’s defense struggled in the Buckeyes’ 31-16 loss to Oklahoma, giving up 490 total yards – the most any offense had accumulated on the Buckeyes in any game since 2014. Against Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and an offense that was heavily predicated on run-pass options, the Buckeye defense often looked lost and gave up 11 plays of 15 yards or more.
Penn State’s offense has a similar weapon at the quarterback position in Trace McSorley, who like Mayfield is known for taking chances as a downfield passer and using his athleticism to evade pressure and extend plays. The Nittany Lions also lean heavily on the run-pass option and enticing defenders out of position in order to get their playmakers open.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano says there are similarities between McSorley and Mayfield, though he believes the schemes they run are different. Ohio State defensive end Tyquan Lewis, however, said McSorley is skillful in operating the run-pass option and that the 6-foot quarterback’s limited height, paired with his athleticism, actually works to his advantage.
"They run a lot of RPOs, so he has the run-pass option, and he’s a smaller quarterback, so he’s got 6-6 guys in front of him and it’s hard for us to see," Lewis said. "He’s going to try to evade all pressure and get up through the line and make some plays on his feet probably.
"He’s really good at running, reading. He reads the ends and then the linebackers on read options very well," Lewis added. "I can’t really explain it, but on film, you can just tell, his reads are very, very efficient."
The Nittany Lions are also similar to Oklahoma in the types of weapons they use regularly in their passing game. Oklahoma’s backs and tight ends combined for 14 catches, 177 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against the Buckeyes. Penn State, meanwhile, has arguably its two best offensive weapons at those positions in running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Mike Gesicki.
Lewis said he has seen similar offensive concepts between Penn State and Oklahoma in watching Penn State on film. He believes the Buckeyes will be better prepared, however, to defend those concepts this time around.
"We’ve faced it more, we’ve seen a lot more people run it, had a lot more reps in practice at it so eventually, you have to get better at it," Lewis said.
As Lewis suggested, Ohio State should be prepared to defend the run-pass option – after all, the defense faces it regularly in practice against the Buckeyes’ offense, which also regularly utilizes RPOs. When going against their scout team, the Buckeyes face a quarterback in Tate Martell who offers similar attributes in terms of athleticism and size to Mayfield and McSorley.
Schiano says the Buckeyes have faced at least some RPOs in just about every game they have played this season. He says Penn State’s RPOs will still put his unit to the test, however, because of both their personnel and the way their offense, coordinated by Joe Moorhead, is coached.
"They do a really good job, not only do they recruit talented players but they do a good job with their scheme using those players. So it’s going to be a challenge," Schiano said. "We do get to see a lot of (RPOs) in practice and in training camp. Doesn’t make it easy though. With the advent of those type of plays, they force defenses to be really athletic, because you have so much ground to cover and they cover really good athletes in that space, so it’ll be a challenge."
The Nittany Lions are also likely to add some new wrinkles to their offense this week, and Baker says he won’t be surprised if they steal some concepts from Oklahoma because of the success the Sooners had against the Buckeyes.
"I’m pretty sure that there are going to be some plays that Oklahoma ran," Baker said. "They might not even run them usually in the season, but they’re definitely going to go back and try to do their offense."
Having gone back and watched that film himself, Baker acknowledges that he and the Buckeyes defense didn’t play well in that game. He believes the Buckeyes have learned since that game, however, how to work together effectively as a unit and execute the way they need to win games.
"We communicate a lot better, and really just do our job," Baker said. "That’s pretty much the whole focus this whole week is just do your job. And it’ll work out in itself. Our defense is made to just do your job and it’ll work out, got to make plays. Just do your job and there’s anything you can handle."
