Ohio State Football: 3 keys for OSU’s defense against Oregon

The Buckeyes need to identify their starters quickly and let the team develop chemistry

One thing the coaching staff did against Minnesota was rotating through a lot of players. I get this is the beginning of the season and you want to see who is able to step up, but during close regular-season games is not the time to be experimenting with this. There was an entire offseason to identify the best players on the roster. Now, Kerry Coombs and Ryan Day need to trust those players and let them work together.

I am expecting a smaller rotation of players in this game so that the best players are more consistently on the field. There will be time to play the backups against Akron and Tulsa (no offense to either of those schools) but a top 15 matchup against Oregon should not be that time. For Ohio State to see long-term success defensively, they need to have those players who make a name for themselves.

The Buckeyes are not far removed from having several corners all selected in the first round. They need to get back to that, and the best way is to allow their top performers the most playing time.  The secondary needs stability against a strong passing attack, and this is the easiest way to gain that missing piece.

We’ll have to see what happens in terms of what the defensive game plan is. Hopefully, the defense can get themselves together and have a strong effort on Saturday.