Scarlet and Game
Fansided

Ohio State Football: Three keys to victory vs. Oregon

By Ryan Stano

Ohio State Buckeyes Thayer Munford (75), Haskell Garrett (92), Miyan Williams (28) and defensive coordinator Kery Coombs sign Carmen Ohio after beating Minnesota Golden Gophers 45-31 in Huntington Bank Stadium at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN on September 2, 2021.Ceb Osu21min Kwr 65
Ohio State Buckeyes Thayer Munford (75), Haskell Garrett (92), Miyan Williams (28) and defensive coordinator Kery Coombs sign Carmen Ohio after beating Minnesota Golden Gophers 45-31 in Huntington Bank Stadium at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN on September 2, 2021.Ceb Osu21min Kwr 65 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
The Ohio State Football team played too much depth on the defensive side of the ball against Minnesota.Ceb Osu21min Kwr 36
The Ohio State Football team played too much depth on the defensive side of the ball against Minnesota.Ceb Osu21min Kwr 36 /

Play less depth on defense

Part of the reason the Buckeyes seemed to struggle to stop the run is that the Buckeyes kept playing so many different players on the defensive side of the ball. It looked like it was hard for any players to get a rhythm defensively out there because of all of the movement.

If Ryan Day wants a better defensive performance this Saturday, he needs to play his best 15 guys or so and that’s about it. The defensive line can rotate fine, but the back seven need to stay put. It’s paramount that Kerry Coombs has his best players out there in the biggest moments.

There’s nothing wrong with playing depth against an inferior team like Minnesota. It gets kids experience and helps their development. But against a team like Oregon, it’s a recipe for disaster. They have to get their best guys out there against a really good team like the Ducks.

I’d be surprised if they rotated the defense as much as they did against the Golden Gophers. It wouldn’t be smart and could get them in trouble quickly. Oregon is a team that can still score fast if a team makes a mistake. Players who are inexperienced can do that very quickly.

The last thing Ohio State has to do to get a win involves the tight ends.

Home/Ohio State Football