Ohio State's Defense Posts First Shutout Since 2019, Allows Just 99 Yards in Dismantling of Western Michigan

The universe is full of crazy little coincidences. Or, depending on what you believe, perhaps it was fate that Ohio State shut out Western Michigan on Sept. 7, 2024.

See, it was on that exact date five years ago that the Buckeyes last registered a shutout, a 42-0 win over Cincinnati. Thinking of the journey the defense has gone on since then, from its doldrums under Kerry Coombs to a revamped Jim Knowles defense that lapsed in the biggest games in 2022 to a top-three unit in 2023 that couldn’t close the deal against Michigan, it just feels fitting.

But that’s the past. Here and now, Ohio State ached for a shutout all last season and achieved it with unrelenting oppression of the Broncos’ attack during a 56-0 victory on Saturday. And they took a lot of pride in throwing that zero on the scoreboard.

“All the preparation we've done in the offseason, being in our third year here under Coach Knowles, we knew that's kind of what we've been chasing the last couple of years,” defensive end Jack Sawyer said. “It’s really cool to see it happen.”

The Buckeyes held their opponent under 100 yards for the first time since they allowed 66 yards against Maryland on Oct. 7, 2017, with the Broncos gaining just 99 yards total.

There were no turnovers from the Broncos, but 11 of their 13 drives ended with a punt on their side of the 50-yard line. One of the other two drives was a one-play possession on which Western Michigan ran the clock out on the first half.

Western Michigan’s best scoring chance came on its second possession, which culminated in a 42-yard field goal attempt that missed wide right. From there, Ohio State’s defense was galvanized.

“All I could hear the defensive guys talk about at halftime was ‘shutout,’” Ryan Day said. “So, yeah, there's a mindset there, and our guys are competitive. I think you can see that. Even at the end, they're competing. That’s a good sign. I’ve said that all summer, and you can feel it on the field. So, yeah it's something these guys have pride in.”

Western Michigan gained just five of its 99 yards in the second half. Ohio State picked up three sacks to go with the five it racked up against Akron in Week 1, the first going to Cody Simon, returning from an injury that held him out vs. the Zips.

“Cody Simon, he's a huge part of this defense, a huge part of this team,” Sawyer said. “Cody's a really tough, fast, really good player, and having him back definitely helped. Having him call the defense and having him out there with Sonny definitely helped, and we're happy to have him back.”

Sawyer’s been throttling quarterbacks seemingly every drive he’s been on the field thus far this season, making sure Western Michigan’s Hayden Wolff felt his presence. For all the quarterback hits he’s accumulated, he got his first sack in the first half, coming off the edge with a vengeance off a play-action fake.

“It felt good,” Sawyer said. “It's like having a weight removed off your shoulders. Me and JT (Tuimoloau) always joke about it. That first one's the hardest. Coach (Larry) Johnson always talks about it, too. Once you get the first one out of the way, you kind of forget about them and just go to play, and that's when you get the most.”

What made the second-half dominance particularly impressive was that much of it was accomplished by second and third-string defenders. The next waves of Ohio State’s defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs all had standout performances.

Jermaine Mathews Jr. stepped in at cornerback after a first-quarter targeting ejection for Denzel Burke and there was no noticeable dropoff. Sixteen different Buckeyes had multiple tackles in the contest, though none had more than four.

“The standard is the standard no matter what,” Simon said. “We talk about it during practice and in the locker room all the time. Whoever's in, it doesn't matter. We should be doing our job no matter what and everyone knows their job. I'm happy for our team, but we know the next game we've got to do the same thing. That's going to be the goal no matter what. Every game we play.”

Arvell Reese continued to stand out from the linebackers behind Simon and Sonny Styles, collecting three tackles as the first backer off the bench in 4-3 packages and as a rotational piece.

“It's kind of scary for me because that guy, when he starts getting more and more seasoned and into his roles, he's going to be a monster,” Simon said. “I'm just excited for his future and what he can do here.”

Simon doesn’t want his teammates resting on their laurels and taking things for granted, though, even if the team’s first bye week – or “improvement week,” as they called it – arrives. The end goal is a national championship, and ultimately the Buckeyes have only taken two steps toward that achievement.

“We joke about it in the linebacker room, but don't take the sugar,” Simon said. “Don't get too gullible that you're this guy, this team that's unstoppable. Every week you've got to bring your best because every team is going to bring their best against us. You can see here in college football, stuff's going crazy right now. We have to be on our P's and Q's every single week, no matter what happens.”

“You can see here in college football, stuff's going crazy right now. We have to be on our P's and Q's every single week.”– Cody Simon

The shutout was a cathartic one, if not fateful given how the dates lined up between 2024 and 2019. But there are many more opponents to dominate on the Buckeyes’ schedule.

“I feel like we've been close 100 times in the last three years,” Sawyer said. “It's definitely something that we're chasing week in and week out. And we think that we’ve got the guys, we know we’ve got the guys to do it. So to get that first one was great, but I hope we get a couple more.”