Through three games, there's a lot wrong with Ohio State's defense.
Thee group ranks No. 118 nationally in total defense giving up 471.3 yards per game, No. 117 in passing defense yielding 289.7 yards per game, No. 126 in third down conversion percentage allowed (53.2%) and No. 92 in scoring defense allowing 28.7 points per game.
With those results, it's impossible to blame any one facet. Fact is, there's plenty of blame to go around and Ryan Day took a major step in trying to address the concerns by effectively stripping defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs of his playcalling duties after week two.
Defensive backs coach Matt Barnes took over the playcalling duties versus Tulsa and while it was indeed good to see the group deploying different looks, the results were still far from ideal as the Golden Hurricanes tallied 501 total yards including 428 through the air. The Buckeyes did come up with a pair of interceptions and held Tulsa to just 2.6 yards per carry.
While the entirety of the defense is underperforming, one group garnering some attention for its lack of production is a defensive line many felt would be a strength the linebackers and secondary could lean on, particularly early in the season as the depth sorted itself out on the backend.
Instead, with the front four doing little to generate a pass rush and not really helping stop the run in two of the first three games, Ohio State ranks No. 97 in sacks per game (1.33) and No. 120 in tackles for loss per game (3.67).
Asked about the defensive line's performance to-date during his Monday media availability, Day offered the following:
It needs to improve. When you play with a four down front, you want to see disruption in the backfield... We're going to continually work on that try to find ways to put them in the best position to be successful... There are some one-on-one situations that we've got to do a better job executing."– Ryan Day
Through three games, the defensive line is responsible for eight tackles for loss, three sacks and nine quarterback hurries. Interestingly, the defensive ends - Zach Harrison, Tyreke Smith, Javontae Jean-Baptiste and J.T. Tuimoloau primarily - have accounted for just two tackles for loss and one sack. The foursome does have six of the defensive line's nine pass breakups but there's no question coaches, players and fans alike all expected more production to-date.
Antwuan Jackson is the only defensive lineman with at least two tackles for loss and no Buckeye has more than a sack through three games.
Again, it's a small sample size of three games but the defense's overall tackles for loss and sacks per game averages do not stack up favorably with Ohio State defenses over the past 10 seasons and it's not like all those groups were juggernauts.
| SEASON | TACKLES FOR LOSS | NATIONAL RANK | SACKS PER GAME | NATIONAL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3.67 | 120 | 1.33 | 97 |
| 2020 | 5.75 | 76 | 2.63 | 37 |
| 2019 | 8.86 | 2 | 3.86 | 3 |
| 2018 | 7.07 | 28 | 2.93 | 15 |
| 2017 | 8.14 | 8 | 3.21 | 10 |
| 2016 | 6.69 | 34 | 2.15 | 58 |
| 2015 | 6.39 | 60 | 2.92 | 9 |
| 2014 | 7.33 | 14 | 3.00 | 13 |
| 2013 | 6.50 | 36 | 3.00 | 7 |
| 2012 | 5.33 | 79 | 2.50 | 29 |
There's obviously plenty of football to be played but right now, the 1.33 sacks per game would be the first time since 2011 an Ohio State defense didn't average at least two sacks per contest.
The trajectory of Ohio State's defense could however start to turn this weekend as the Buckeyes welcome a truly awful Akron team to the Shoe. The Zips rank No. 121 nationally giving up 4.0 sacks per game and No. 92 allowing 6.67 tackles for loss.
Maybe a big game on Saturday in creating disruption up front can serve as a springboard for a defense seemingly capable of more than we've seen through three games.
