Ohio State football: Three ways to fix the defense

Anthony Brown is still sitting in a nice, tidy pocket in the Shoe right now. That’s how little pressure Ohio State was able to get on the Oregon quarterback. A big reason why is because they just kept rushing four guys. Oregon was able to keep five or six guys back there to block, and they had no issue.

For as good as this defensive line was supposed to be, it’s just not. They have one sack in two games so far this year. They need help getting to the quarterback. Coombs needs to send more linebackers or defensive backs blitzing to give quarterbacks a different look.

Keeping two safeties high also helps with this. If you have two safeties back and you get caught on a blitz, there’s a much better chance of keeping the play in front of you instead of getting gashed for a huge play if you can’t get a sack. It just makes more sense.

Blitzing also keeps the defense guessing. They don’t know where it will come from or who will do it. It can be used effectively in the run game too, which the Buckeyes have had many issues stopping. Run blitzes are a great way to slow down running backs.

I didn’t think the Buckeyes would have to blitz very often for the defense to be successful before the season started. Clearly, I overestimated the talent that’s on the defensive line. They can’t stop anyone at the point of attack right now, so they need some help.

The last thing they need to fix has to deal with the personnel on the field.