Two games into the 2023 season, Ohio State’s defense ranks sixth in the FBS with only 108.5 passing yards allowed per game. But this week will provide a much truer test of whether Ohio State’s pass defense has actually improved.
Ohio State’s first two opponents combined to complete just 26 passes on 47 attempts for 217 yards against the Buckeyes. But Indiana spent most of the game running an option offense against Ohio State, while Youngstown State is an FCS team that also only threw for 169 yards in its season opener.
Western Kentucky, on the other hand, is capable of challenging any opponent through the air despite being a Group of 5 team. The Hilltoppers have completed 61 passes on 88 attempts for 654 yards and seven touchdowns through two games this season, ranking in the top 17 nationally in all four categories.
They led the entire nation with 4,929 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns in 2022, and the stars of last season’s passing attack are still playing for WKU this year. Second-year starting quarterback Austin Reed led all individual FBS players last year with 4,744 passing yards, and Malachi Corley caught 101 passes for 1,293 yards – the most of any FBS receiver who’s still playing college football this year – in 2022.
While Corley was injured in Western Kentucky’s season opener, the dynamic slot receiver is expected to be back in action this week. Several other WKU receivers have been productive in his absence, led by redshirt freshman Easton Messer (11 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown), 6-foot-3 inside receiver Dalvin Smith (nine catches for 107 yards and a touchdown) and former Ohio State and Cincinnati wideout Blue Smith (eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown).
While Indiana often had multiple tight ends or running backs on the field, Western Kentucky frequently plays with four or even five wide receivers on the field at once, which will test every member of Ohio State’s secondary and the Buckeyes’ ability to cover all areas of the field.
“I think it's a big test. I really do,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said on Tuesday. “This is an offense that will attack on the perimeter and downfield. We had some issues with that last year. We've gotten better in our first couple games in terms of explosive plays and minimizing that, but we haven't really been tested yet. So this will be important.”
Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton said the Buckeyes need to be prepared for a wide variety of schematic looks from Western Kentucky’s offense.
“They give you every look that’s imaginable,” Walton said on Wednesday. “They spread it out, they push the ball down the field vertically, they’re a tempo team, the quarterback has a good arm, the quarterback does a good job of looking guys off. He's a seasoned guy, so they create and they like to vertically push the ball down the field and they'll run four and five wideouts at times. So they do enough to keep you honest.”
As Knowles acknowledged, Ohio State can’t get satisfied thinking its pass defense is fixed based on how it has fared in its first two games. After all, Ohio State had allowed only 161.2 passing yards per game through 10 games last season – in which it played solely against teams that ranked outside the top 45 in passing yards per game last year – before it got exposed in the final three games of the season against Maryland, Georgia and Michigan, in which it allowed more than twice that many yards per game (331.3).
Facing a strong passing team like Western Kentucky in Week 3 will provide a litmus test for Ohio State’s pass defense much earlier, which should help the Buckeyes as they prepare for a top-10 matchup next week against a Notre Dame team that has been much more dynamic passing the ball with new quarterback Sam Hartman.
“It's gonna be a challenge for our defense,” Ryan Day said. “This is a good challenge for us, and I think we'll have a better feel about that coming out of this game.”
“This is an offense that will attack on the perimeter and downfield. We had some issues with that last year. We've gotten better in our first couple games in terms of explosive plays and minimizing that, but we haven't really been tested yet. So this will be important.”– Jim Knowles on facing Western Kentucky’s passing offense
Of course, Ohio State has to beat Western Kentucky first before it can turn its attention to the Fighting Irish. And the Hilltoppers’ passing attack could make securing a victory a bit more challenging than it usually is for the Buckeyes against a Group of 5 opponent.
Ohio State’s defensive backs are looking forward to that challenge, though, and strive to turn it into an opportunity to show how much they have improved this season.
“It’s gonna be really nice, people on our team can make plays and kind of showcase the world how talented we are,” cornerback Jordan Hancock said on Wednesday. “It feels like a test, but every game’s a test for us. So we're just excited to show everybody what we're capable of.”
The first order of business for the secondary will be limiting Corley, who had six 100-yard games in 2022 as well as a 99-yard game against Auburn. Specifically, that means Ohio State defenders will need to be sound tacklers in space, as Corley led the entire FBS with 975 yards after the catch in 2022 – 292 more than any other FBS receiver, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Gotta gang-tackle,” Hancock said when asked what Ohio State must do to keep Corley in check. “He may catch a pass, but it should be bang-bang. He shouldn't get too many yards after that catch, and we just got to wrap up and tackle and everyone swarm.”
While Corley does most of his damage after the catch, Reed is also plenty capable of making plays as a downfield passer, tallying 2,445 yards and 30 touchdowns on throws of 10 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage last year including 1,424 yards and 18 touchdowns of throws of 20-plus yards in 2022, per PFF. That means Ohio State’s pass coverage will need to be adept at all levels of the field.
“He operates with impunity. He just has a catch the ball, sling-it around mentality,” Knowles said of Reed. “A cool operator, and he just never seems under pressure, doesn't make a lot of bad throws. Just slings it with a purpose, like knows where he's going, doesn't get caught off-guard too much.”
Ohio State’s success against Western Kentucky won’t only be determined by how well its defensive backs cover and tackle the Hilltoppers’ receivers, but also by whether the Buckeyes’ defensive line can generate pressure against Reed to force sacks and incompletions. Ohio State’s defensive ends will be under the microscope in particular this week as they collectively have yet to record any sacks through two games this season.
Knowles and Day aren’t overly concerned about the lack of sacks yet, seeing it as a product of a lack of opportunities based on the styles of offenses they’ve played against so far, but they will expect to see more pressures against a pass-happy opponent this week.
“Everything starts up front on both sides of the ball. And one of the things that the defensive line, Larry (Johnson) takes a lot of pride in, is getting pressure on the quarterback. So this will be an opportunity this week doing that because of how much they throw the football and they have a really good quarterback and a really good scheme,” Day said. “And it goes hand in hand with the coverage. If the coverage is really strong, then the quarterback has to throw the ball or hold the ball longer. If the coverage is loose, the ball comes out a little sooner. It's the same thing with the D-line. They have to rush. If they're not getting to the quarterback, he can hold onto it longer. They have to work together. And so, you know, again, different approach this week than what we've seen in the last couple.”
One positive of playing a pass-first offense this week is that it could lead to more possessions for Ohio State’s offense, which had only 10 possessions in each of its first two games as it played against opponents who sought to run the clock down against it. But that will be contingent on the Ohio State defense’s ability to force incompletions, stop drives and get the ball back for the offense.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that Western Kentucky could look to run the ball more than usual against the Buckeyes. Although the Hilltoppers have had only 48 rushing attempts through two games this year, they will still look to run the ball at times, and Reed is a threat to make plays with his legs himself, having run for 10 touchdowns dating back to last season. Walton also considers much of Western Kentucky’s short passing game to be an extension of the run game, so the Buckeyes can’t simply be focused on defending the downfield pass this week.
“When they’re throwing the bubbles and throwing the ball on the edge of the perimeter, that's outside run game in reality. They’re just using that as a substitute for outside zone and stretch plays,” Walton said. “So we gotta make sure, we'll be involved in the tackling game as well. And then they’ll sprinkle in enough runs, the running back does a good job that we gotta be ready for that and he will bounce the ball on the perimeter.”
But while Indiana and Youngstown State both played more conservatively offensively against Ohio State than they likely will against most other teams, Knowles doesn’t expect Western Kentucky to do the same. That will create different challenges for a defense that struggled with giving up big plays a year ago, but Knowles knows it’s his job to make sure his defense is prepared for whatever the Hilltoppers throw at them.
“That's coaching. You have to show them what they're up against, prepare them, have a plan,” Knowles said. “But yeah, I think they ran 90 plays against Auburn last year. So, I don't expect that they're going to try to slow the game down like we've seen the last two weeks.”
