Ohio State football vs. Indiana: Defensive grades

The Ohio State football team has established that they have a very good defense this season. Jim Knowles has done a great job of establishing his system and improving the entire unit. They had another solid performance against Indiana on Saturday. Here is how each unit graded out.

It’s important for this Ohio State defensive line to set the tone up front. That’s exactly what they did in this game against the Hoosiers. They were able to keep IU from running the ball consistently and they got some pressure on the quarterback as well.

Jack Sawyer had three tackles and 1.5 sacks in this game. He’s starting to play better and make plays like his counterpart J.T. Tuimolau. Ty Hamilton had two tackles and 0.5 sacks too. It was a solid performance from the guys up front in a game without some great weather.

What more can you say about Tommy Eichenberg? He has been spectacular all season long for the Buckeyes. He is their leading tackler and had another great game on Saturday, finishing with 7 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Steele Chambers actually led the team in tackles with 10 and added half a sack as well.

Let’s start with the good from this unit. Lathan Ransom had a monster game. He had 9 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pass knocked down. He was all over the field and made plays on third down when he needed to. There was some bad with this unit too though.

Jordan Hancock and JK Johnson got beat deep on a pass once IU brought in their third-string quarterback. That can’t happen. It was a 49-yard gain. I understand Hancock has been fighting injuries most of the year, but he can’t get lost like that.

All in all, it was another solid performance by the defense.