Todd Blackledge considers how good Ohio State’s defensive line is this season

NBC’s Todd Blackledge was on the call for Ohio State-Oregon. He was stumped by the lack of havoc-wreaking plays made by the Buckeyes’ vaunted defensive line during the 32-31 Ducks victory in Autzen Stadium, especially late in the game.

Blackledge specifically zeroed in on Ohio State senior defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau Wednesday on ESPN’s “Always College Football with Greg McElroy.”

“Those two defensive ends that are both kind of all-conference guys, they were very quiet in the fourth quarter,” Blackledge said. “And so that’s the biggest thing to me I think they will have addressed in this bye week going forward as an Ohio State defense.”

The Buckeyes’ defensive line didn’t record a single sack in their one-point road defeat. Plus, that group accounted for just one tackle for loss.

McElroy brought up Tuimoloau’s game-wrecking performance at Penn State during the 2022 season: Tuimoloau caused four Penn State turnovers and, in the process, recorded six tackles, two sacks and two interceptions — including a game-clinching pick-six.

“Since then, it’s like I’m always left wanting more from the Ohio State defensive line,” McElroy said. “I’m not saying they’re not disruptive. They are disruptive, but we are applying logic to this Ohio State defensive line as if it’s Nick Bosa on the left and Joey Bosa on the right. And I don’t think that’s the case. Yet that’s the way they’re being billed.

“So is this defensive line as good as people think nationally?”

Ohio State currently ranks 24th nationally with 2.83 sacks per game. But it’s important to keep in mind that nine of the Buckeyes’ 17 sacks so far came against Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall.

Sawyer leads the team with 22 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, but has only 2.5 sacks. Tuimoloau is second on the team in pressures with 16 and first on the team with 3.0 sacks.

In other words, according to Sports Info Solutions, they are both top five in pressure percentage among all Big Ten defenders with at least 10 pressures this season. But neither are top five — let alone top 10 — in the league in sacks per game.

“I don’t think the two ends are dynamic pass rush guys,” Blackledge said. “I think they’re really good against the run. I think they’re great at setting the edge. I think they show up in the pass game because of their ability to power rush at times, but they’re not dynamic.

“And, like I said, the two offensive tackles for Oregon, I mean Jack Sawyer, I don’t remember ever calling his name in the game. He was never a factor. I think the two inside guys, their tackles [Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton], are twitchy and athletic and a handful, and they’re more dynamic, I think, than the two outside guys.”

Blackledge continued: “It’s funny, too, because in talking to [Ohio State defensive coordinator] Jim Knowles, I think he’s struggling with this balance between in other places he’s been, he’s had to be more creative, he’s had to figure out ways to bring pressure and do things. But now he’s got talent at Ohio State that he’s never had, and so he’s back and forth with how much do I need to do? How much should I do? Do I have to be creative? And I think it’ll be interesting to see just where they go from here coming out of the bye week, after some things that were exposed in that game against Oregon.”

Ohio State allowed 496 yards to Oregon. The Buckeyes hadn’t given up more than 264 yards in a single game this season before their trip to Eugene. What’s more, Ohio State allowed 32 points to the Ducks after giving up 34 points total in its first five outings.