Ohio State pivots to a defense-first mentality

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As light rain fell at Ohio Stadium late Saturday afternoon, the Ohio State defense prepared to extinguish any flickers left in Penn State‘s comeback candle.

Down 20-6 with about three minutes left, Penn State faced fourth-and-30, an impossible distance against a Buckeyes defense that had turned third-and-manageable into third-and-miserable for the Nittany Lions. Defensive end JT Tuimoloau and his fellow pass-rushers lined up wide, preparing to pounce.

What came next was hardly a surprise. Tuimoloau and ends Jack Sawyer and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. converged on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, sacking him for the fourth and final time in Ohio State’s 20-12 win.

“That was as loud as I’ve heard it in a long time,” coach Ryan Day said. “I just felt the toughness, the physicality on defense.”

Toughness has been a theme for Day all season (just ask Lou Holtz). Day often cites the scars Ohio State bears from losses to Michigan and Georgia to end the 2022 season. But the scene Saturday — an electric crowd erupting for a defensive play on a defensive day — took Ohio State back to an earlier time in Day’s tenure.

“That was the most confident and energetic group that I’ve been around, probably since ’19, out there on the field today,” Day said. “The crowd was into it, the whole group, they had that look in their eye and they were getting the crowd involved. A couple times, I’m like, ‘Guys, they’re about to snap the ball, let’s go.’ But I love that.

“That’s the confidence that’s building week in and week out.”

Day’s reference to the 2019 defense could be significant. That season marked the last time — and the only time in his tenure as head coach — when Ohio State produced a truly elite defense. The Buckeyes led the nation in fewest yards allowed (259.7 ypg) and fewest yards per play (4.13), and ranked No. 4 in points allowed (13.7 ppg) and No. 5 in third-down defense (28.8%). They had incredible top-end talent — defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah would go No. 2 and No. 3 overall in the subsequent NFL draft — but also the leadership, depth and reliability baked into all great defenses.

Since then, the Buckeyes have relied more on their offense to win games, with a pair of first-round quarterbacks in Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud and a bevy of receivers. Through seven games this fall, though, the Buckeyes seem to have pivoted. They’re a team driven by defense, which is buying time for an offense with talented pieces to come together. Ohio State has allowed 17 points or fewer in every game, including 14 in a Sept. 23 win at No. 9. Notre Dame. The Buckeyes stopped Penn State on 15 of 16 third-down chances Saturday and held the Nittany Lions to 167 yards and 11 first downs before the final drive. Penn State came in as statistically the nation’s best defense but was outshined.

“They now have confidence that they can win the game on defense,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said of his players. “I don’t look at stats but I guess Penn State had a pretty good defense, so we talked to them before the game: ‘Hey, you’re not just playing Penn State’s offense. You’re playing Penn State’s defense. If they make one play, we’ve got to make two. If they made two, we got to make three.’ So it’s a sense of maturity, leadership, maybe a little chip on the shoulder.

“We’ve done a lot of work to have everyone have faith in this.”

Although Ohio State played for a national title the following season, the 2019 team is the most complete in Day’s tenure. The Buckeyes had a top-5 offense and defense and outscored its opponents 656-192. Day has had plenty of success since then, but he also has been searching for a team that resembled his first one as Ohio State’s coach.

The Buckeyes currently aren’t a complete team. They rank 101st nationally in rushing and 40th in yards per rush. The explosiveness on offense is there, but difficult to sustain. Their running back rotation has become a weekly roulette wheel because of health and production. Their offensive line is just OK, tying for 42nd in sacks allowed.

“It’s continuing to figure out how to take those next steps, how to put points on the board, because obviously, the defense played lights out today,” quarterback Kyle McCord said. “If we can really just mix our offense with the way the defense is playing, it’s going to be scary.”

McCord is right, although his comment is jarring. Ohio State’s offensive headliners usually aren’t talking about keeping pace with the defense, especially not quarterbacks who play for the greatest QB developer in team history (Day). From 2020 to 2022, Ohio State led the nation in points per game and yards per game, while ranking 28th in points allowed and 42nd in yard per play allowed. The defense lagged well behind the offense.

Last season, Knowles’ defense, which had clearly improved from the 2021 season, busted on several critical plays against Michigan. Then, the Buckeyes cratered in the fourth quarter against Georgia in the CFP semifinal, a game they had largely controlled.

This season, the defense is making significant strides under Knowles, the $2 million assistant charged with repairing and restoring a unit that had slipped. Ohio State lacks a player like Young or Okudah — Tuimoloau, up to four sacks on the season, could soon reach that level — but has plenty of contributors. Twenty-one players have contributed at least a half tackle for loss, while 10 have a sack and eight have multiple pass breakups.

“The expectation at Ohio State is to be the best in the country, and our defense, I think, has the chance to do that,” Day said.

Knowles came to Ohio State known as an aggressive and innovative playcaller, which he displayed at stops like Duke and Oklahoma State. The Cowboys finished No. 5 nationally in defense in 2021. After being burned on several calls late last year, Knowles has seemingly backed off a bit.

But he recently expressed his disdain for the bend-but-don’t-break nickname, and a Big Ten offensive coordinator told ESPN that Knowles is still “pretty aggressive,” especially when opponents enter Buckeyes territory.

“I don’t know how much stinger he’s lost from an aggression standpoint,” the coordinator added.

Knowles’ comfort level with Ohio State’s players has grown in Year 2. Asked about the Buckeyes’ historic third-down stinginess Saturday, Knowles replied, “They know the scheme.” Day praised Knowles for providing the right amount of information to players without overloading them, and allowing them to play “fast and confident.”

Penn State entered the game having converted nearly half (42-of-87) its third-down chances.

“We had to get the stops, we had to get them off schedule, and we made little adjustments in the scheme [that] they pick up on,” Knowles said. “That’s huge, because winning those downs is huge.”

Last year at Penn State, Tuimoloau delivered the game of his life: two interceptions, including a pick-six, one forced fumble, two sacks, three tackles for loss and a tipped pass that led to another interception. But none of his other performances since then came close. He became symbolic of an Ohio State defense with upside but not consistent excellence.

Before the season, Tuimoloau and his linemates — along with veteran line coach Larry Johnson — openly discussed being the nation’s best front. Although they had been solid before Saturday, Ohio State came in 110th nationally in sacks and 99th in tackles per loss.

“The sacks might not show, but the pressure shows,” Tuimoloau said. “Before we started getting sacks today, we started moving [Allar] off his spot. … For us, it was just being patient, letting those sacks come to us, because we knew we needed to first stop the run and be able to be allowed to [pass] rush.”

Ohio State’s improvement on defense has impacted how Day calls the offense and manages games. He admitted to several conservative decisions Saturday, including punting at Penn State’s 38-yard line late in the first half, and then kneeling on the ball despite timeouts, 42 seconds and only a 10-6 lead. But he took that strategy because he felt the defense “was in control of the game.”

Although Day occasionally easing up has irked some Ohio State fans, he also has a luxury to do so for the first time since 2019.

“If you feel your defense can flat-out win you a game, then you have to make sure that you’re doing your part,” Day said. “You can’t be selfish in that moment, as much as you’d like to push the pedal to the metal. The goal is to win the game. Sometimes, we forget about that.”

Ohio State will need significant growth from its offense in the next month, beginning this week at Wisconsin. McCord has looked better but can be sharper and target players besides wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Cade Stover. The Buckeyes need better health and production from a running back room that hasn’t been right since 2021. The offensive line can find much more consistency.

A truly complete opponent awaits Nov. 25 in Michigan, which has shown no deficiencies so far this season and could be the best group in coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure. Ohio State hasn’t beaten the Wolverines since 2019 — the teams did not play in 2020 — but will head to Ann Arbor with a defense rounding into form.

“If we can play like this, then this is that championship-level defense,” Day said. “And if we can keep growing as a team, then we’ll be tough to beat here down the road.”