Ohio State football vs. Tennessee film breakdown

Ohio State Offense vs. Tennessee Defense

Ohio State enters this game after playing their worst offensive performance of the year against Michigan. They were held to a season-low 252 yards and 10 points in the loss. It was a horrific performance by Ryan Day and the offensive coaching staff. Flipping the page to the playoffs Day and company will have another tough task against a talented Tennessee.

Tennessee comes into this game as one of the best defenses in college football. They are fourth in college football in total yards per game holding offenses to under 300 yards per game. They are especially stingy against the run allowing rushing under 100 yards per game.

Dynamic edge rusher James Pearce leads them. Pearce is a game wrecker at defensive end, and he is projected as a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. With Ohio State's offensive line losing two starters this season, Pearce could be a major problem for Ohio State to block in this game. 

James Pearce below shows how talented of a pass rusher he is in the clip below. Ohio State better plan for how to block him or he can take over the game.

Looking through Tennessee's two losses the one common denominator was a leaky pass defense. In their upset loss against Arkansas, they allowed Arkansas to throw for 297 yards with two different quarterbacks. In their loss at Georgia, Carson Beck threw for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns.

In both games, Arkansas and Georgia threw the ball on Tennessee, but neither ran it particularly well. Looking at these breakdowns one can sense that the key to this game is Ohio State throwing the ball on the Tennessee defense.

The key for Ryan Day and Chip Kelly is getting the ball in wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka's hands early and often. I think Ohio State needs to force-feed them the ball on wide receiver screens, bubble screens, underneath throws, and deep shots.

The quicker you get the ball out the better it will be for Ohio State. They cannot abandon the run, but they need to focus on concepts and situations so that they can run the ball effectively. The coaching staff needs to self-scout and come up with a game plan to take advantage of a leaky Tennessee pass defense. It won't be easy, because Tennessee's defense is excellent, but Ohio State has the talent to overcome them and score points on them. It is up to Ryan Day and Chip Kelly to unlock them in this game. 

Tenneessee Offense vs. Ohio State Defense

Tennessee's offense is slightly down compared to where they were two years ago with Hendon Hooker. This year, they are led by quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a talented first-year starter who was a five-star recruit out of high school. Nico Iamaleava is super talented, but he has been up and down most of the season for the volunteers.

The other big player on their offense is running back Dylan Sampson. Sampson is a tough and physical running back who has rushed for 1485 yards and 22 touchdowns. Tennessee relies on both as they have become a power rush team. They are ninth in rushing yards, averaging 232 yards per game.

Ohio State has been excellent against the run allowing under 100 yards per game, even though Michigan did run for 172 yards in their last game. I thought Ohio State's run defense was excellent overall as Kalel Mullings only averaged 3.6 yards per game.

Ohio State's play has drastically improved against the run because they do a great job of keeping their rushing lanes and forcing everything into their linebackers Sonny Styles and Cody Simon. Styles and Simon continued to get better and play at a higher level as the season progressed.

The play below is a perfect example of the Ohio State defense. Cory Simon got pressure on the quarterback and Caleb Downs had the interception.

Looking at their two losses, Tennessee was held to 14 points against Arkansas and 17 points against Georgia. In both games, Dylan Sampson was good, but it was the lack of passing game that hurt them. In the Arkansas game, Iamaleava only threw 156 yards, and he was sacked four times.

Against Georgia, he had 167 yards passing and five sacks. The Tennessee offensive line has struggled to pass block this season, and Nico Iamaleava holds onto the ball too long. He is a dynamic player, and if Ohio State isn’t ready, he can burn them in the passing game. He is especially lethal when the play breaks down, and he can scramble around to find an open receiver.

The Ohio State defense has also turned the corner since the Oregon game and has been one of the most dominant teams. In terms of this game, they need to be able to put pressure on Iamaleava, by blitzing and trusting their corners on islands.

None of Tennessee's wide receivers are huge threats like Oregon has, but they could be in line for a big game if Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun struggle as they have at times this season. Ohio State needs both cornerbacks to play well in coverage and get pressure on Iamaleava to win this game. They are more than capable of doing this.

Final Thoughts

Ohio State vs. Tennessee should be a fun game with both teams having a ton of talented players on their respective teams. In my opinion, Ohio State has the advantage because they are at home, and they have the better team overall. The defense should do enough to slow down Tennessee and if the offense can find its groove through the air, they should have a good chance of winning.