Ohio State Football: No need for concern about the defense yet
The Ohio State football team cruised to a 46 point win Saturday but allowed Oregon State to score 31 points. Is that a cause for concern?
Even though the Ohio State football team had an easy victory over Oregon State Saaturday, the defense gave up 392 yards and 31 points. Is that cause for concern and time to hit the panic button?
Not according to defensive coordinator Greg Schiano who told reporters on Monday that he thought his unit’s play was mostly good and the bulk of the Beavers’ damage was done on just seven plays.
Three scoring plays to be exact. A 49-yard pass play to tie the game at seven, an 80-yard run to start the second half and a 78-yard run on the Beavers’ next series.
The game was out of reach by that point, but the play to start the second half was sloppy.
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Were the lapses due to personnel packages and layoff from the rain delay, or are there deeper issues to fix?
Looking at those plays, it appears the issues were more based on a few guys like Isaiah Pryor, Pete Werner, Baron Browning and Jahsen Wint getting their first collegiate starts and the absence of Jordan Fuller who sat out due to a hamstring injury.
Regardless, the memories of last season are fresh when the defense looked vulnerable in the opening game against Indiana and then followed it up with a really bad performance in the loss to Oklahoma.
Those memories can be forgotten. Despite a few bad plays against Oregon State, the Silver Bullets revealed their power the rest of the afternoon getting five sacks and forcing two fumbles including one in the end zone that Nick Bosa grabbed for a touchdown.
Getting another game in before traveling to TCU on September 15 will help too. The coaches can make their corrections and Rutgers will provide a better test to measure the strengths and weaknesses of the defense.
Next. 4th and short, questions following week 1. dark
The extra week will also give Fuller and Tuf Borland more time to heal. Their return will bolster the middle and backend and help eliminate the big play potential for opponents.