By this time last year, seven linebackers had already played meaningful snaps for Ohio State.
Perhaps not so coincidentally, the quality of play at the position drew the ire of critics after a 1-1 start for the Buckeyes, who allowed 66 combined points to its first two opponents.
That’s not the case this season. At least, not so far.
Even against arguably lesser competition collectively, only four Buckeyes have seen the field at linebacker, with the lion’s share of reps going to Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers and Cody Simon. That platoon is yielding impressive results as Ohio State has given up a third as many points as it did through two games in 2021, and the Buckeyes rank among the top 25 total, scoring and rushing defenses in the country.
Suffice to say first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles likes what he’s seen from the unit with which he works most closely after a 2-0 start to the season.
“It's great. Tommy is tough, focused, driven, has the respect of the defense and continues to improve,” Knowles said Tuesday. “... I think that Steele is athletic. Cody has a good physical presence and experience and Cody has a very stable mindset that I think the rest of the team picks up on. He can handle calls, checks, and just he brings that presence to the defense. So I like the fact that he's in that mix and we got three guys, really, who can play right there.”
Eichenberg is the tip of the spear, and he’s been so good in the early going that Knowles and company have hardly taken him off the field. The fifth-year middle linebacker has played nearly every defensive snap for the Buckeyes thus far, only subbing out for the final three possessions of Ohio State’s blowout win over Arkansas State this past weekend.
Ohio State’s second-leading tackler a year ago, Eichenberg’s 14 total tackles through the first two games are a team-high, and his three tackles for loss are second among all Buckeyes. With two sacks in the season opener, Eichenberg – who didn’t record a sack a year ago – is tied for the team lead in that category as well.
“We want to be the best defense in the country, and so the best defense in the country, they don't let the other team score.”– Cody Simon
The momentum Eichenberg garnered all offseason is paying off right out of the gates, and Buckeye head coach Ryan Day has taken notice.
“(He’s been) solid. You can tell he's playing fast, productive,” Day said Tuesday. “He and Steele both last week I thought were very productive, and they're running the defense at a pretty high level right now. So that's good. Again, only two games in the system, so long way to go again. But I think that they're seeing it through the eyes of Jim which is important.”
After switching from running back to linebacker last year, Chambers finished his first season in the position room as Ohio State’s starter at Will, and he’s gotten the nod in both games to begin 2022. Chambers’ 11 total tackles are tied for second-most on the team, and he tallied a sack against the Red Wolves on Saturday.
With three sacks between them, Eichenberg and Chambers already have more than the entire Ohio State linebacker corps had in 2021. Chambers said that’s a function of Knowles’ new scheme, which creates more openings for members of his position room to get home in the backfield.
“We just feel more free, being able to just kind of play ball now. So it's really nice. … Coach Knowles has all these combinations where both of us come, Tommy comes, I come. You rarely know what's happening,” Chambers said Saturday. “So I think he just set it up really nicely on that one play. … It's fun because the offense just doesn't know what's happening sometimes. I mean, just keeps them on their toes and never know who exactly is coming and stuff like that.”
But Chambers doesn’t quite have the same iron grip on playing time that Eichenberg does. The Georgia native played one more snap than Simon at Will against Notre Dame, but Simon played 18 more than Chambers in the Buckeyes’ last matchup.
Many of those extra snaps came in the fourth quarter as the Buckeyes put their second-string unit on the field. But it still suggests that Simon, who recovered from shoulder surgery over the offseason, is giving Chambers plenty of push for the No. 1 spot at Will linebacker.
“Cody was hurt, right? So didn't get much of a chance to evaluate him. But you could tell by his presence in the meeting room and the respect the other players had,” Knowles said. “I had hoped that he would be able to show during fall camp to to be a guy who was going to merit a lot of playing time. And he did. He's really stepped up.”
Chambers and Simon were Ohio State’s co-leaders in total tackles with six apiece against Arkansas State, and the latter also recorded two TFLs and a pass breakup. Chambers said “there’s no real change to the defense” when either one subs out for the other, and Simon said the pair has plenty of faith in one another to get the job done.
“I think I think we complement each other really well,” Simon said. “I'm really confident when he's on the field that he does his job. I assume he's really confident when I'm on the field. And if we can make plays and be a solid defense all-around, there's no worries for me. We just gotta keep playing like that, keep getting better.”
Ohio State’s only allowed one touchdown so far this season, which is tied for the second-fewest in the country behind only defending national champion Georgia. Giving up just two yards per carry on the ground, the Buckeyes rank ninth in the nation. Knowles’ three-man linebacker rotation has been crucial to both of those stats.
Still, Simon believes the unit – and defense as a whole – can play even better as it adjusts to Knowles’ system in the weeks to come.
“We don't want to let any points on the board. We're holding them to three in the red zone, that's good, but we don't want to get in the red zone anymore,” Simon said. “Like we want to stop them, three-and-outs and everything. So we're just trying to get better. That's really all it is. We're gonna get back on the film, get back to practice and just get better every game.
“It might sound funny or whatever, but it's the truth. We want to be the best defense in the country, and so the best defense in the country, they don't let the other team score.”
