Why the defensive tackles are the key to the Ohio State football team's defense

The Ohio State football team is supposed to have one of the best defenses in the country this season. Last year, they were elite as well. Not only did they have the second-best scoring defense in the country, but they also had the best pass defense in the country.

The only part of the defense that wasn't as good was the run defense. They allowed 112.5 yards per game on the ground, which was the 23rd-best mark in the country. That's not bad, but it's not elite like the other numbers they put up. They also allowed the third-fewest total yards.

That's why the defensive tackles are going to be the key to the defense this season. Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton are back up front. They combined for five sacks last season and Williams in particular showed some burst up the middle on passing downs.

Those two defensive tackles will be tasked with plugging up the middle on run plays. If they can do that better than the Ohio State football team did last year, those rush yards per game totals will go down. Teams are already going to be afraid to throw the ball against them because of how good the secondary is.

Ohio State knows that they will be a defensive team again this season. Defense is how they won most of their games a year ago because the offense didn't have a consistently explosive pass game. They won't again this season, but it will be a little bit better in that regard.

Jim Knowles has transformed this defense into a powerhouse unit. Before he took over, big plays were given up at an alarming clip. That was an issue in his first season as defensive coordinator too. Since then, they've been very good at that. This team's defense is going to be brutally tough to beat.

Those defensive tackles' ability to stop the run and push the pocket is going to be key to being an elite unit for the second year in a row.