Tim Walton and Matt Patricia’s defense is never very flashy. They don’t force a bunch of turnovers. Their 11 forced turnovers this season ranked 69th at the start of the game against UCLA, and were not added to in the win. They’re rock solid about making plays in the backfield. Their 25 sacks and 56 tackles for a loss rank 14th and 38th in the nation this season. They didn’t get a sack against UCLA, but did get five tackles for a loss.
All this defense does is get stops, and they get stops where they matter the most. They stop you in the Red Zone, giving up 11 scores on 17 trips inside their 20-yard line, and only 6 of those 11 are touchdowns. That’s the best Red Zone defense in the nation.
They only allow around 13 first downs per game, and they only allowed eight against UCLA. They’re second best in the country on third down, with opponents only converting 56.2% of the time, and held the Bruins to a 38.4% conversion rate.
The Silver Bullet defense doesn’t give up yardage. Their passing defense allows only 128.7 yards per game (UCLA got a little more with 154), which is second in college football. Ohio State’s defense is nearly as good against the run, allowing 82.9 yards per game (the Bruins only got 68), which is the fifth-best in the country.
Their total offense, you guessed it, best in the nation, allowing only 211.6 yards per game (UCLA barely got over that with 222). In the most important defensive category, they are again ranked #1, allowing only 7.2 points per game.
Ohio State is 10-0, and there are no real areas of weakness with this defense, as we’ve seen; they have the numbers and national rankings to prove it. They’ve maintained their razor-sharp edge no matter who they’ve played this season, and soon it will be the time for them to cut the deepest, and hopefully lead Ohio State to slay their greatest demons and win back-to-back national championships.