Ohio State football: Winners, losers from OSU vs. Oregon

At an institution like Ohio State, Buckeye Nations expects to have the best in everything, but there is clearly something lacking at defensive coordinator.

I have been a Kerry Coombs defender for a long time. Last year, knowing that COVID and a shortened offseason would have crushed any chance he had of implementing a new system, I gave him a pass. In week one against Minnesota, I gave him a pass that it was the first game and the team was just trying to shake off some rust and get back to fundamentals before Oregon. But the way Kerry Coombs ran this defense today was indicative of much more.

The Buckeyes are known for having a “basic defense” in the past. Traditionally Ohio State could line up in man coverage, drop the safeties deep, and have the skill to outplay their opponent. Today, the opponent is too fast and smart for that to work. But the Buckeyes keep trying anyway.

Ohio State did not try any kind of pressure or different look until far too late in the game when they had already dug a huge hole. When they finally started mixing things up, they came up with some key stops.

There are some personnel issues, but by and large, this looked like a scheme issue all game. The Buckeyes are going to need to try a few different looks against the next few opponents, or they might find themselves in a similar situation when they face the meat of their Big Ten schedule.

The next loser is another unit that has failed to live up to expectations after a lot of preseason hype.