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Ohio State football vs. Rutgers: Defensive grades

By Ryan Stano

Oct 1, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Ryan Turner (29) sacks Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Evan Simon (3) during the fourth quarter of the NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Rutgers Scarlet Knights At Ohio State Buckeyes
Oct 1, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Ryan Turner (29) sacks Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Evan Simon (3) during the fourth quarter of the NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Rutgers Scarlet Knights At Ohio State Buckeyes /
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The Ohio State football team has done a great job improving their defense and they showed that in their 49-10 win over Rutgers.

The Ohio State football team was hoping to have an improved defense this year after hiring Jim Knowles as the defensive coordinator. Five games in, and it is definitively better than it was in 2021. They were good against Rutgers too.

Ohio State Buckeyes. DEFENSIVE LINE. B+. . DL

The defensive line didn’t get to the quarterback for any sacks in this game, but that didn’t matter. They still made their presence felt. Zach Harrison finally made an impact play in this game, forcing a fumble that Mike Hall Jr. recovered. It was the first time this year that Harrison has made a big play.

While no one had a great game on the defensive line, everyone had a solid one. Everyone did their job fairly well. Rutgers did have 107 yards rushing, but that didn’t really matter. The rest of the defense helped make up for that.

A. . LB. Ohio State Buckeyes. LINEBACKERS

The linebackers are now the best unit on this defense. That’s an incredible 180 from last year when they were clearly the worst. The way Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers have played though, it’s clear that they are the strength of this defense.

Eichenberg had 9 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in this one, while Chambers added 11 of his own tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Both were flying all over the field making plays. Knowles’ work with the linebackers has been fantastic.

. DB. Ohio State Buckeyes. DEFENSIVE BACKS. A

Ohio State only allowed 80 yards passing in this game. They simply shut down Rutgers through the air. Because of that, the Scarlet Knights couldn’t really move the ball once they started trailing in this game. Even freshman Ryan Turner got a sack later in the game. There was only one player who played poorly in the secondary.

I’m sure you don’t need three guesses to find out who that guy was…yep, that’s right! It was Denzel Burke. He got burned on Rutgers’ only touchdown of the game. In fact, it was their longest play of the game. On that 26-yard touchdown, Burke lost his man yet again.

Ohio State vs. Rutgers: Offensive grades. dark. Next

Other than that, the Ohio State football team had another really good day defensively. I think it’s safe to say that the Buckeyes have a legitimately good defense.

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