Ohio State’s defense has seemingly improved since its first game against Oregon, but the Buckeyes’ defense had been the best in the country entering that game, too.
Statistically, Ohio State’s defensive struggles against Oregon are an anomaly compared to its defensive performance in every other game it’s played this season. The Buckeyes allowed 32 points on 496 yards of offense in their one-point loss to the Ducks on Oct. 12; in their other 12 games this season, Ohio State has not allowed more than 17 points or 273 yards in any game.
Did Ohio State’s defense play its worst football of the season in Eugene, or was Oregon’s offense simply that much more capable of exposing the Buckeyes’ flaws than any other offense Ohio State has faced this year? As the Buckeyes see it, both of those things were true.
“They're really good. They challenge you in a lot of ways. And we can be better, and we have to be better,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Friday. “But certainly, they're a very good team, very good offense, and they challenge you.”
Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon gave Oregon credit for how well it played offensively but said the Buckeyes’ defensive performance at Autzen Stadium was unacceptable no matter how good the Ducks’ offense is.
“We definitely did not play to our standard no matter what,” Simon said. “That's number one. But they also played a good game. And we're both good teams. That's why we're in the Rose Bowl next, playing against each other.”
Whether Ohio State’s defense plays like it did in its first game against Oregon or plays like it has in every other game this season will likely determine whether or not the Buckeyes beat the Ducks in Wednesday’s Rose Bowl (5 p.m., ESPN) and advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
Simon says the defense has a different mentality now than it had entering the first game at Oregon – a “mentality that we have to be able to win games no matter what on defense” – and he’s confident that will yield better results in the rematch.
“It's going to be on us to be able to execute and do our job to the best of our ability, and that's what we're spending all this time practicing for. We're doing walkthroughs, everything because when we get to that moment, we got to do it right,” Simon said. “It didn't get done last game for whatever reason. We'll get those fixed, and we'll make the changes necessary and go out there and get a win.”
The Rose Bowl will serve as the ultimate litmus test of how much Ohio State’s defense has truly improved. Oregon’s offense has been among the best in the country this season, ranking 14th in yards per game (449.8), better than any other opponent OSU has faced. The Ducks also rank 14th in yards per play (6.58) and 13th in points per game (36); among OSU opponents, only Penn State (who Ohio State held to 5.1 yards per play) has averaged more yards per play (6.69) and only Indiana (who Ohio State held to 15 points) has averaged more points per game (41.3).
A better defensive performance against Oregon the second time around would start with allowing fewer big plays, as the Ducks had eight plays of 25-plus yards in their first matchup with the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s defense has been much better at preventing big plays in its other games this season, ranking eighth nationally with only 36 total plays of 20-plus yards allowed in 13 games, so the Buckeyes are confident they can fix that problem this time around.
“That game, we gave up a few plays that we shouldn't have … But I think it's been pretty strong throughout the year,” Knowles said of Ohio State’s defense. “I think maybe when you get burned by something, it becomes real, even more real for you. So there's just been a continued emphasis on it.”
Six of Oregon’s eight big plays against the Buckeyes in October came through the air, so Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock says a big key to not letting it happen again is for the Buckeyes’ defensive backs to make sure they’re challenging the Ducks’ receivers on every play.
“We can't let them run free. They're very talented over there, so we got to go out there and trust our skills, trust our technique,” Hancock said. “Every dog has their day. Maybe some people didn't have their day that game, but we'll look out there and hopefully change the narrative. And we’ll still play with the same confidence, same technique.”
“We definitely did not play to our standard no matter what ... we'll make the changes necessary and go out there and get a win.”– Cody Simon on Ohio State’s defensive struggles in its October loss to Oregon
Another key will be putting more pressure on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and turning those pressures into sacks, as Ohio State did not record a single sack in the regular-season game against the Ducks. The Buckeyes have gotten more creative schematically with their pass-rush since that game and will presumably have some more tricks up their sleeve for the rematch, but Ohio State defensive linemen JT Tuimoloau and Ty Hamilton said they think the process of getting more sacks starts with all four defensive linemen working together and executing their assignments properly.
“I think it all comes down to technique,” Hamilton said. “I mean, we knew what we wanted to do getting into the game, and we didn't get it done. So I think going into this game, we have to just hone on the smaller things that can help us win against the offensive linemen. So whether that's getting past them or making a certain move to get past them, we know what we have to do. So we just have to really hone in on our technique and really do it at that time or that moment. And just rushing as four and going together, I mean, it makes it easier to get a sack.”
Ohio State’s defense did plenty of soul-searching after that first game against Oregon, with Ryan Day personally spending most of his time during the subsequent bye week working with Knowles and the rest of Ohio State’s defensive assistant coaches to enhance the Buckeyes’ scheme, and the response has been exactly what Day wanted it to be so far.
“We've made adjustments coming off of that game and we've worked hard to make sure that we're putting our guys in the best position to be successful,” Day said. “We'll do that again against these guys this week and we'll go compete our tails off, but our defense is playing with great confidence right now. You can feel that on the field on Saturday, and they've continued that build after the game that we played with these guys last time, you can see every week it's gotten stronger and stronger.”
The Buckeyes know that a better defensive performance against Oregon in the Rose Bowl doesn’t only mean fixing the problems that cost them in the first game, but also being prepared for new wrinkles that the Ducks will look to throw at them. But the Buckeyes have spent the past two-and-a-half months working hard to ensure they wouldn’t have another defensive letdown of that magnitude against any opponent, and they view the fact that they’ve already gone through those struggles against Oregon as a benefit for playing them a second time.
“It's easier to correct your mistakes than correct other teams you're watching on film,” Simon said. “So we know what we can do to be better, and we're just going to have to go and implement that and make sure we execute.”
