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Ohio State football: Jim Knowles has proven to be the right hire

By Ryan Stano

Oct 29, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles watches warm ups prior to the NCAA Division I football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Ohio State Buckeyes At Penn State Nittany Lions
Oct 29, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles watches warm ups prior to the NCAA Division I football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus DispatchNcaa Football Ohio State Buckeyes At Penn State Nittany Lions /
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Last year, we were all lamenting how poorly the Ohio State football team’s defense played against both Oregon and Michigan. Those were the two games that the Buckeyes lost and cost them a chance at making the College Football Playoff. This was despite having an elite offense.

We knew right after the game against TTUN that changes needed to be made. Changes came swiftly and Ryan Day made the homerun hire of the offseason by bringing in Jim Knowles to coordinate the defense. It’s worked out better than I ever thought it could in year one.

I expected this defense to need at least two years to improve significantly because of the scheme change and some personnel issues. I was wrong. Knowles came right in and made this the best defense the Buckeyes have had since that legendary 2019 season.

Jim Knowles has the Ohio State football team poised to contend for a national title.

Through eight games this season, the Buckeyes are 10th in the country in points per game, 6th in total yards per game, 11th in pass yards per game, and 10th in rush yards per game. Those are huge improvements over what the stats were a year ago (per ESPN).

Last year, the Buckeyes ranked 26th, 52nd, 97th, and 20th in those stats respectively. The improvement is unbelievable. It shows that Ohio State had the talent on the roster, they just weren’t using it right. We saw that on Saturday against Penn State.

While the Buckeyes allowed the Nittany Lions to out some yards on them, they forced four turnovers and scored themselves on defense. You’re going to win a lot of games doing that. Knowles has his unit playing lights out at the most critical time of the year.

Both Day and Knowles need to get more credit for what is happening. The defense was once looked at as a weakness that the offense had to cover for. It was something other teams could exploit. Opponents thought they could win games in a shootout.

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That is no longer the case. Ohio State has proven that they are a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball. With the hardest game on their schedule at home, they are in the driver’s seat to making the College Football Playoff. They just have to take care of business against TTUN first.

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