Ohio State is going to have to change the way they play football over the next few weeks. With Julian Sayin out, it's highly unlikely they will be able to keep up the high-flying offense through the air they have put together. With either Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair starting, the Buckeyes will have to rely on the defense.
Despite not being as elite as last year's defense, the Ohio State Buckeyes have come around quite a bit on that side of the ball. These three stats show why they are still capable of winning a national title because of their defense.
1. Defensive pass efficiency
Only one program in the country is better defensively when it comes to pass efficiency, and that's North Dakota State. Ohio State allows just a 97.26 pass efficiency. The secondary has been a lockdown unit for most of the year, even with a few penalties from Devin Sanchez.
Jay Timmons has shown that he is an absolute stud. He might already be the best player on the defense. Every time he is on the field, he makes great tackles and forces turnovers. Other teams have really struggled to move the ball through the air against the Buckeyes this season.
2. Total defensive yards allowed
It's hard to score points when you can't move the ball. That's what Ohio State has done well this year: keeping opponents from moving the ball. They sit eighth in the country in yards allowed per game, only giving up 264.3 total yards. The pass defense has a lot to do with that, of course.
However, Ohio State has done a much better job of stopping the run since that horrible effort against Illinois. In that game, they allowed 199 yards on the ground. Since then, they have allowed just 194 yards combined. Matt Patricia has found a way to keep backs from gouging them up the middle.
Keeping teams one-dimensional has helped Ohio State win two tough battles on the road. That was especially true once Sayin went down against Indiana. The Hoosiers weren't able to move the ball consistently enough to get into the end zone, which cost them the game.
3. Scoring defense
Of course, the name of the game is to score points. Ohio State has done a good job of keeping teams out of the end zone. They allow just 13.43 points per game, which is tied for the fifth-best in the country. In fact, no team has scored more than 24 points against them, and that was Texas in Week 2.
Without a proven quarterback, Ohio State's defense will likely have to hover around that average to win games. They likely will not be an explosive offense, so points will be at a premium. Allowing any more than 14 points per game could be cause for concern.
These stats should give fans of the Ohio State football team hope that all is not lost. A national title is still within reach, even if it will be a little harder to reach that goal than it was this time last week.
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