Ohio State football: Three ways to fix the defense

The Ohio State football team has been rotating players in and out of the defense like a hockey line. They played over 20 guys against Minnesota. That number did shrink to 16 against Oregon, but they still need to play their best players and keep them out there on the field.

I don’t have an issue rotating defensive linemen. That’s been successful for the Buckeyes for years. It’s also the area of the defense that gets the most tired the quickest. I don’t mind rotating three or four guys out of there depending on the scenario.

As far as the back seven is concerned though, that group needs to stay mostly the same. Coombs can’t be playing four or five different linebackers at a time. He has to find the best guys and keep them out there on the field. The same goes for the secondary.

The best players need to stay on the field, period. They are the best players for a reason. Keeping them out there on the field gives the Ohio State football team the best chance to win every game. Playing depth is for games against Tulsa and Akron, which are their next two opponents.

Even in those games, I’d like to see the best 11 on the field the majority of the game until it reaches a complete blowout, assuming that even happens. Who knows with the way the unit has been playing so far.

These are easy things that Ryan Day can make happen to make his team better. Time will tell if he actually decides to do it.