Booger McFarland criticizes Ohio State's defense in loss to Oregon

ESPN college football analyst Booger McFarland did not hold back his criticism for the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes’ defense on Saturday, a team that could very well fall out of the AP top-10 after losing to No. 12 Oregon, 35-28, in their own home stadium.

“[The Oregon Ducks] went into the shoe with no [Kayvon Thibodeaux] and no Justin [Flowe] and shut the Buckeyes run game down. Most surprising thing Buckeyes defense was out of position all day long,” McFarland said Saturday on Twitter.

As McFarland mentioned, the Oregon Ducks — already tabbed as 14.5-point underdogs — had to travel to Columbus, Ohio and take on Ohio State with a shorthanded roster, as Oregon was short two of its best players on the defensive side of the ball in Thibodeaux and Flowe.

Thibodeaux, who almost certainly projects as a first-round NFL Draft selection, could go as high as No. 1 overall in the upcoming draft.  He was dominant in the season opener, forcing a strip sack in the first quarter before leaving with an ankle injury. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound edge rusher later returned to the sideline in a walking boot. A former five-star recruit, Thibodeaux won the 2020 Morris Trophy, given to the best lineman in the Pac-12 each season. In addition to the loss of Thibodeaux, Oregon was down one more defensive player with Flowe’s injury; Flowe finished Week 1’s win over Fresno State with 14 tackles before sustaining a foot injury.

Despite the short-handed Oregon defense, the offense had absolutely no problems against Ohio State’s defense, as McFarland points out. Quarterback Anthony Brown was solid, completing 17 of 35 pass attempts for 236 yards and two passing touchdowns, but it was the run game that truly set Oregon apart in Week 2: CJ Verdell, the Ducks’ leading tailback, had a wildly efficient day, rushing for 161 yards and two touchdowns on just 20 carries. Anthony Brown was solid, too, adding an additional 65 rushing yards on ten carries. In the end, Oregon had amassed 269 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, including Verdell’s long of 77 yards.

Week 2 marks the second consecutive week that Ohio State’s defense has fallen victim to its opponents rushing attack. Just last week, Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim managed to put up 163 yards and two touchdowns before he left the game due to injury — just two yards more than Verdell’s 161 yards — revealing an apparent lapse in the Buckeyes’ defense.

While Ohio State has a few weeks to correct its rushing defense, as it faces Tulsa and Akron in back-to-back weeks, the Buckeyes still have a lot to figure out if they hope to compete in the Big Ten by season’s end.