Ohio State Football: Three takeaways from Rutgers win

2. Youth continues to shine on Ohio State football’s defense

Young freshmen and sophomores have been a huge factor in the defense’s improvement, that trend continued against Rutgers.

The usual suspects had another good performance for the defense. The true sophomore Ronnie Hickman had another great game with his team-high 11 tackles. Hickman has been everywhere over the last three games, constantly making plays. He is the Buckeyes’ lead-tackler and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Another sophomore Lathan Ransom had a solid game in his second showing at free safety. In addition, the true freshman stud cornerback Denzel Burke had another lockdown game. It is only a matter of time before Burke starts getting the national recognization he deserves, his play for a true freshman is mostly unheard of.

Remember how much recognition the LSU corner Derek Stingley Jr. got his true freshman year? it is kind of odd why Burke isn’t getting that same national recognition yet. One thing’s for sure, Burke will get that recognition if his play continues.

The emergence of the redshirt freshman cover safety (essentially a slot corner) Cameron Martinez also continued against Rutgers. Martinez had good coverage and made some nice plays against the run and quick passes with 7 tackles and half a tackle for loss. The youngsters in the secondary are still on an uprise.

Along the defensive line, the true freshman J.T. Tuimoloau started his second career game with Tyreke Smith out with an injury. Tuimoloau had some nice moments against the run, his pass-rush ability should come along with more reps.

The other five-star freshman defensive end Jack Sawyer had a decent game with a couple of tackles and a pass deflection. Sawyer has not generated the pressure he’s capable of yet, but just like Tuimoloau, that should come eventually this season as he develops.

Once again, Tyleik Williams wreaked havoc at defensive tackle thanks to his never-ending motor. Towards the end of the game, he generated some pressure causing an interception and had a vicious sack shortly after.

The young Bucks are hungry and are making huge impacts for Ohio State. This is really exciting when we are only five games into the season, these guys should only improve as the year progresses.