How to determine if Ohio State defense has improved

The Ohio State Buckeyes have finally found their mojo this season. After a slow start to the season, mainly on the defensive end, the Buckeyes now look like a complete team. But the question many are wondering is if Ohio State is a legit contender again or are they just setting up their fans for more disappointment. 

ESPN writer Bill Connelly took on the task of examining this year’s Buckeyes team for us. Comparing their sluggish start to the season, which included a home loss to the Oregon Ducks. And going over their current winning streak which includes a dominating win against Conference foe Maryland Terrapins. 

“As far as quick fixes go, Ryan Day’s has worked pretty well thus far. The Ohio State head coach had some holes to patch in his defense after it got gashed for 913 combined yards and 66 points by Minnesota and Oregon to start the season. Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs had not come up with any offseason answers to counter some occasional glitches suffered in 2020, and secondary coach Matt Barnes took over playcalling against Tulsa,” said Connelly.

Although Ohio State got the win against Tulsa, the transition of defensive playcalling was not that smooth. The Buckeyes were able to limit the golden hurricanes to just 73 yards on the ground. But they gave up 428 yards through the air. Had it not been for the two interceptions by their defense this game could have ended completely different for the Buckeyes. 

“Granted, the Tulsa game didn’t go all that well, either — the Golden Hurricane gained 501 yards at 6.1 per play — but the Buckeyes made some late stops to pull away for a 41-20 win. Since then, they’ve outscored three opponents of varying quality by a devastating 177-37 margin,” said Connelly. “In their last game, they sacked Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa five times, picked him off twice and held the Terrapins — who are still 22nd in offensive SP+ — to 17 points and 335 yards (4.5 per play).” 

Whats left for Ohio State

Ohio State has looked good in their three wins since the Tulsa game. Last week’s 66 to 17 victory over Maryland was arguably the Buckeyes’ best performance against a quality opponent this season. But the Terrapins are not viewed in the same light as four of the last five opponents for Ohio State. After this week’s opponent, the Indiana Hoosiers, Ohio State will face four teams currently ranked in the top 25.

First will be Penn State (No.7), followed by Nebraska, then a home game against the Purdue Boilermakers (No.23). And then, to close out their season, they will face off against both Michigan schools, which are in the top 10. First will be a home game against the surprise team of the big 10, the Michigan State Spartans (No.9). Finally, they will close out their season with the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. The Michigan pro has been revitalized this year and have dominated teams with their running game. 

If Ohio State Buckeyes can run the table to finish off the season, they would be very much considered contenders. And it would be shocking to college football fans if they did not make the playoffs.