Defensive Ends JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer Fuel Ferocious Pass Rush for Buckeyes vs. Boilermakers

This is a story about pass rush, but it's also a story about defensive end play. And there's no better microcosm of Ohio State's defensive end play against Purdue than what happened between JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer in the third quarter.

The Boilermakers attempted an outside run to the left side, but Purdue left tackle Corey Stewart had been getting schooled all game by JT Tuimoloau and offered all the resistance of a diseased fly against him on this particular down. Tuimoloau surged past him and met running back Reggie Love III four yards behind the line of scrimmage, greeting him with a fist to the football in his right arm, which popped free.

Sawyer pounced on the rock and dashed 11 yards to the end zone to put Ohio State up 38-0.

SCOOP N SCORE JACK SAWYER @OhioStatefb makes it 38-0 vs Purdue

(brought to you by @wendys #ad #WendysPartner) pic.twitter.com/iDiZ6QEPim
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 9, 2024

That tandem of Tuimoloau and Sawyer spurred on an awesome day of disruption and getting after quarterbacks for the Buckeye pass rush, which piled up four sacks with five quarterback hits and got relentless pressure on Purdue quarterback Hudson Card plus his backup, Ryan Browne.

"I thought JT and Jack were both very disruptive, and certainly the forced fumble and scoop-and-score was the epitome of that in this game," Ryan Day said. "It starts up front. Tyleik (Williams) was available, could have played, but we felt like we were gonna hold him unless we really needed him. ... But it was good to see some other guys step up and have to get in there and play. But it's everybody across the board."

Ohio State's attack on opposing quarterbacks started early.

On Purdue's third play from scrimmage, Tuimoloau flew around the left edge of the Boilermakers' offensive line while a blitzing linebacker Cody Simon met him off the right side. Tuimoloau forced Card off his spot and closed the distance as he and Simon combined for the quarterback takedown.

Also underway early against Purdue was the Buckeyes' experimentation on the defensive side of the ball. The Boilermakers' third drive brought out a three-down lineman look from Ohio State with defensive end Mitchell Melton playing a sort-of Jack role as a stand-up edge defender. Purdue marched down the field and missed a 20-yard field goal on the possession, but it was at least a different look.

"When Tyleik wasn't available, we felt like we wanted to try some different things and look at some different packages," Day said. "We'll keep building on it and evaluate it and see what worked, what didn't. But we felt like this was a good opportunity to go try some of that stuff, some things that (defensive coordinator) Jim (Knowles) has done in his past."

Such experimentation has been part of the “re-engineered” Ohio State defense, which didn't allow an offensive touchdown for a second consecutive game in its 45-0 win over Purdue. Defensive end Jack Sawyer said one of the key points of the retooling has been simplification, however, making sure that defenders have their feet set and that playmakers can just go make plays.

"When you're not thinking, you're playing faster," Sawyer said. "You're not thinking about everything. So, I think that's why you're starting to see more success up front as well with the linebackers playing well, too. And the safeties coming downhill. When you know what you're doing, it makes it a lot easier to play fast and not think and use the technique that the coaches teach us."

Sawyer said the experience of Ohio State's defense allowed it to retool and experiment midseason.

"We've got such a veteran group of guys that we've been in the system," Sawyer said. "We've all played that before and it gave us a good chance to put some of the guys in that deserve some reps while we get the other guys, the first guys a little bit of a breather too."

Be they sacks or pressures, many of the best moments for the Buckeyes' pass rush against Purdue came in such key situations. The play before Sawyer and Hancock's fourth-down stop, Tuimoloau hit Card as he threw to force a 3rd-and-3 incompletion.

Tuimoloau finished with four tackles and 1.5 sacks in total on the day. Sawyer collected five tackles and shared a sack with nickel Jordan Hancock to collect a fourth-down stop with less than two minutes to go in the first half, which gave Ohio State's offense the ball back in good field position to make it a 21-0 ballgame before intermission.

Tuimoloau and Sawyer were recruiting classmates and are close friends, so for Tuimoloau to force a fumble Sawyer ran back for a touchdown was a special moment.

"It was special," Sawyer said. "Just give all the credit and the glory to God and we're thankful to be in this position he's put us in. When I'm coming around the edge, I see JT punch it out, I said it downstairs, there's no chance in hell I was diving on that ball. I was trying to scoop and score it no matter what. So it's a special play."

He wanted to do something more after getting in the end zone than throw up an O-H to the crowd and chest/shoulder bump some teammates, but he got too lost in the moment to remember the celebrations he had planned.

"I haven't scored a touchdown in five years," Sawyer said. "So when I scored, I kind of blacked out. I had all sorts of celebrations planned the last three years (if) I scored a touchdown and you kind of do it and it all just falls away for a second. You don't know where you're at."

“When I scored, I kind of blacked out. I had all sorts of celebrations planned the last three years (if) I scored a touchdown and you kind of do it and it all just falls away for a second.”– Jack Sawyer on what he felt was a lackluster touchdown celebration

Sawyer entered 2024 with great hype after a three-sack performance in the Cotton Bowl and was arguably the defense's best player in the second half of last season, but his production this season hasn't been jaw-dropping. He had only 26 tackles and 2.5 sacks on the year before Saturday.

"I'm not gonna sit here and tell you it's not frustrating at times when the ball is not coming your way or for whatever reason you're not getting to the quarterback (like) you know you can," Sawyer said. "It definitely frustrates you a little bit but just staying where you're at, being thankful for where God's put us and knowing that it's going to come our way eventually."

As with the rest of Ohio State's pass rush, which drew great criticism after the Buckeyes recorded no sacks at Oregon in their sixth game of the year, Sawyer is hoping their success against Purdue is the start of a late-season surge. Better offensive lines are ahead, but the Silver Bullets were back to being nightmare fuel for opposing quarterbacks this Saturday.

"I hope so. That's the plan," Sawyer said. "I think that across the board, we're all playing really well. And you see guys every every game it's someone different making a bunch of plays."