Why Ohio State is better prepared to defend Oregon in Rose Bowl rematch

Ohio State’s defense has been one of the best in the country for most of the season, but there are reasons to believe it is peaking at the right time.

The Buckeyes lead the FBS in scoring defense, total defense and pass defense and rank eighth in rushing defense. They’ve also given up more than two touchdowns only once this season: in the 32-31 loss at Oregon on Oct. 12.

Now Ohio State has a chance to get revenge in a rematch against Oregon in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Wednesday in the Rose Bowl after giving up 496 total yards to the Ducks two months ago.

A lot has changed in the last two months, especially from a schematic perspective. Over the last seven games, Ohio State has allowed an average of just 11.7 points, giving the Buckeyes confidence heading into the Rose Bowl against the Ducks’ potent offense led by coordinator Will Stein and Heisman finalist quarterback Dillon can build Gabriel.

If Ohio State wants to beat the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, the defense will have to do its best to make up for its worst performance of the season.

Here are three reasons to believe that exactly that is possible:

1. The pass rush was elite

Much of the Ducks’ success in their win over Ohio State in October came in the first half, when they rushed for 285 yards and 22 points.

There were many reasons why Oregon moved the ball so well, but a big part of it was due to the time Gabriel had in the pocket. Gabriel threw for 212 yards in the half. Although Ohio State finished with a solid pressure rate of 36.1 percent, according to TruMedia, it was one of only two games this season where there was no sack. And when Gabriel wasn’t under pressure, he dismantled the Buckeyes, completing 17 of 22 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.

Since that game, Ohio State has made a point of finding more ways to attack the quarterback. According to TruMedia, Ohio State ranked 64th in blitz rate (28.1 percent) going into the Oregon game. After that, he is in 13th place (35.8 percent).

Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau were consistently more productive, due in part to the added pressure that coordinator Jim Knowles applied from the linebackers and nickel corner, as well as the mix of turns and stunts up front. The two All-Big Ten defensive ends had their best game of the season in the first round of the playoffs against Tennessee, as Tuimoloau finished with eight tackles and two sacks and Sawyer had five tackles and 1.5 sacks.

In the loss at Oregon, Ohio State completed just 25 percent of dropbacks, its lowest mark in Big Ten play this season. Since then, the blitz rate has been higher in every game except Tennessee. Ohio State didn’t need to blitz much against the Vols, as it jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and finished with a pressure rate of 43.2.

Ohio State’s defensive line played its best football game in November and into the playoffs. It will need another strong game against the Ducks if it wants to advance to the Cotton Bowl semifinals, especially given Oregon’s All-Big Ten talent at tackle in Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius.

2. Ohio State’s secondary is bent but not broken

Two of Ohio State’s strengths are limiting its opponents’ big plays (fourth in the FBS in explosive play rate allowed) and getting stops in the red zone (first in the red zone in touchdown percentage).

In the last two seasons under Knowles, Ohio State has given up just three passes of 40 yards or more, the fewest in the country. But both 40-plus passes this season came in the loss to Oregon: the Ducks had a 48-yard touchdown and a 69-yard pass that set up another touchdown.

Much of Oregon’s success came against Ohio State University standout Denzel Burke. According to PFF, the Arizona native gave up 162 yards in the game, easily the worst performance of his career. Burke has been moving closer to his potential lately, giving up 120 total yards when targeted over the last seven games.

With Burke recovering and the pass rush improving, Ohio State ranks third nationally in explosive play rate allowed as of Oct. 12, giving up explosive gains (12-yard runs, 16-yard passes) at just 8.1 percent of the games.

Knowles said it was a mix of better secondary play and an improved mindset.

“You have to apply the mix, and we talk about explosive plays all the time,” Knowles said. “I think when you commit to some, it becomes even more real to you, so it just continued to be emphasized.”

Ohio State has still been known to disrupt defensive passes from time to time and have issues with one-on-ones down the sideline, but they have not resulted in touchdowns.

Ohio State gives up just 0.97 points per drive, besting Texas for the best mark in the country. And even when Ohio State gave up touchdowns, they were all on the ground. The Buckeyes haven’t given up a passing touchdown since Oct. 12, which includes games against playoff teams Penn State, Indiana and Tennessee.

Ohio State is the only team in the country not to allow a passing touchdown during that time. In fact, it is the only team to have given up fewer than three players.

3. Ohio State has found balance with its safety measures

Knowles has experimented with a few things since the loss at Oregon, although he won’t elaborate on them publicly.

The changes in the pass rush were obvious, and there were some adjustments in the secondary as well. Jermaine Mathews Jr., for example, has played so much that Ohio State calls him a starter even when he comes off the bench, similar to Cody Simon last season.

The biggest reason for the success against the pass is that Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom have become the best safety duo in the country. Downs was a unanimous All-American this season, and Ransom was an All-Big Ten player and third-team AP All-American. But beyond that, Ohio State got Jordan Hancock a little more moving. Last year, Hancock moved to nickelback in Ohio State’s three-safety defense, which was a good option because Hancock can cover and is physical enough to play in the run game.

This year he has added more security. Against Tennessee, Ohio State moved Hancock back to a deep safety position so Downs could get into the box and play as another linebacker while still having safety coverage responsibilities.

“Whatever they need, if I need to cover someone, I’ll cover someone,” Hancock said. “If they need me to provide running support, I will provide running support.”

The flexibility has given Knowles more options as a play caller. The No. 1 rule as a defensive player is to keep your best players around the ball as much as possible, and he’s done just that on downs, knowing he has additional talent at safety in Ransom and Hancock.

“When you have a guy like Caleb Downs, you don’t want to take him out of position to make plays because he can track the run and make the pass,” Knowles said. “In this constellation you keep him closer to the action.”

With the three on the same page, Ohio State has a trio that can play against the run and also play deep, giving it more opportunities to disguise coverages.

And in a balanced game, every little confusion is a win for the defense.

(Top photo by JT Tuimoloau: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)