Ohio State Football: Confidence level against Youngstown State
By Eric Boggs
The defense – Confidence Level 10
I’ve been preaching all off-season that this defense could win games for this team. They are good enough to hold opponents to well under their average and allow the offense to be just good enough to win. Wherever Jim Knowles has gone, his defenses have improved from season one to season two, and given the fact that so many veterans returned to this team for another go at it, there is no reason to think the Silver Bullets can’t stifle offenses this season.
If week one was any indication, this sentiment about the defense is true. They only gave up three points on 153 total yards. Yes, I understand that it was against Indiana, but if you do what you are expected to do, how is that a negative?
I expect more of the same this week as Youngstown State rolls into town, and in all honesty, the Penguins might present a little more of a challenge for this defense than Indiana did. Youngstown State racked up over 450 yards of offense, with a little over 300 of that being on the ground. This plays into the perceived strength of the Buckeye defense. As long as they stay disciplined once again, read their keys, and play fast, it will be a long afternoon for YSU.
The Buckeye D only produced one sack last week and came away with no turnovers. That will change this weekend. I look for the defensive line to be living in the backfield most of the game, which in turn should cause there to be both more sacks and turnovers.