JD PicKell: How Jim Knowles’ defensive scheme will impact Ohio State
Last year, Ohio State’s defense became filled with question marks after the Buckeyes fell to Oregon early in the year. But Kerry Coombs is out and Jim Knowles is in as defensive coordinator from Oklahoma State, and On3’s J.D. PicKell expects a big years for the Buckeyes defensive unit.
Knowles runs a 4-2-5 defense, which uses four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs in the lineup. That system could fit in well at Ohio State, especially considering its depth at safety.
That’s why PicKell said Ohio State is primed for a big year — and rebound — on that side of the ball.
“What Jim Knowles wants to do defensively is he wants to play offense on defense,” PicKell said on The Hard Count. “What does that mean? It means he wants to be able to be the aggressor. They want to make sure they are creating havoc and they want to go at the offense. They’re not just content with, ‘OK, we’ll sit back and we’ll just hopefully force you to punt.’ They want to create turnovers. They want to get tackles for a loss. They want to make you uncomfortable.
“So they’re going to blitz a little bit, they’re going to do stunts. They’re going to do a lot of things to try and mix you up and those are hard for the quarterback.”
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JD PicKell: How Ohio State’s depth at safety can impact success under Jim Knowles
Earlier this week, Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook wrote the Buckeyes could have six safeties in the rotation this year, led by Ronnie Hickman and Josh Proctor. Tanner McCalister is also on board after starring for Knowles at Oklahoma State.
PicKell said that depth creates a massive advantage as Knowles takes over the unit.
“Having five DBs on the field, of those five, you have three safeties. Anytime you have three safeties on the field, that makes the picture a little bit murky for the offense,” PicKell said. “The old adage is safeties don’t lie.
“Well, if you have three safeties, you’re probably able to fib, if that makes sense. … To have that depth and have that versatility at the safety position is going to be crucial for their defense in this scheme.”