Ohio State vs. Rutgers 2020: Defense grades

Ohio State beat Rutgers 49-27 last night, but it was a game that the defense would like to forget.

Ohio State is the most talented team in the Big Ten. That is not a question. Even so, they still need to play a complete game. That is especially true on the defensive side of the ball. The Buckeyes did not play a complete game on defense. The second half was a disaster. Here is how each unit graded out.

The defensive line did a good job of stifling Rutgers early in this game. The defensive line won the line of scrimmage most of the first half. In the second half, it was a different story. The Buckeyes got pushed around and allowed Rutgers to keep the quarterback upright.

This was a game that the defensive line should have dominated. They did not at all. In fact, they did not record a single sack the entire game. The defensive tackles were not able to get pressure up the middle like they did against Penn State.

The linebackers weren’t very good in the second half either. Early in the game, they did a good job just like the defensive line. Tuf Borland recorded the only sack of the game for Ohio State, so that’s something. But the linebackers got the ball thrown over their head a lot in the second half.

Baron Browing was very good early though. He was running sideline to sideline and was able to make tackles in space. He continues to improve as his career goes along. Justin Hilliard did force and recover a fumble as well. The linebackers need to play a complete game from start to finish though.

Once again, this unit was good in the first half. They didn’t allow Rutgers to move the ball through the air at all. The second half was a different story. Shaun Wade continues to struggle outside, as he got beat for Rutgers’ only touchdown pass of the game. He also got beat multiple times on other occasions.

There were no interceptions in this game for the defense. In fact, the defense only has forced one interception all year long, and that was a Marcus Hooker pick against Penn State. The secondary has to do a better job of forcing turnovers.

It wasn’t a great day for the defense, but the Buckeyes still won the game. A win is all that matters at the end of the day.