Buckeyes' Defensive Expectations Are 'Perfection And Domination'

Generally the day after a win, the Ohio State coaches will announce to the team the offensive, defensive, and special teams players of the game. It’s a way to point out the most stellar performance on each side of the ball.

Following the Buckeyes’ 49-14 win over Marshall on Saturday, running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were named co-players of the game for the offense, and defensive back Lorenzo Styles, Jr. was named the special teams player of the game.

There was no defensive player of the game announced, however.

Why?

“Well, you’ve got to speak truth,” said defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. “And while we had some champions, we had no one that we thought really showed a Silver Bullet of the Game performance.”

Despite holding the Thundering Herd offense to just 264 yards of total offense, the Buckeyes did give up a pair of touchdown drives in the first half. The first drive featured Marshall converting on three third downs. The second touchdown drive featured some Buckeye penalties which helped matriculate the Herd down the field.

Asked if it was good for the defense to go through a few struggles before reaching Big Ten play this weekend, Knowles bristled at the thought.

“No, it’s never a good thing,” he said. “It’s not a good thing, but you have to make the best of it. So it’s a learning experience. Everything happens for a reason. ‘Okay, this happened. Here’s how we didn’t play it right. Here’s how we have to play it right.’ So we learn from it.”

Ohio State is currently fourth nationally in points per game allowed (6.7), and no team has allowed fewer scoring drives than OSU’s four. They are also currently first nationally in yards per play allowed (2.97) and second in total defense (180.0).

The schedule is responsible for some of those numbers, but the play of the defense has been outstanding this season, save for that first half where Marshall scored 14 points and posted over 200 yards of total offense.

“I think Bear Bryant said you learn a lot from a loss — we’re not allowed to lose around here — but you learn even more from a win where you don’t play your absolute best,” Knowles said. “But I don’t ever think it’s a good thing. You just take what you have and make the best of it.”

Tuesday was a relatively perturbed interview session with head coach Ryan Day, and Knowles wasn’t exactly glowing. With the Big Ten season opening Saturday night in East Lansing for the Buckeyes, a similar first-half performance as last week could lead to more than just 14 points.

Asked if he was frustrated by the performance this past Saturday, Knowles was honest.

“Yeah, a little bit, yeah,” he said. “I mean, our expectation has to be perfection and domination all the time. I thought we had a slow start. I thought I could have done a better job.”

On Marshall’s first drive of the game, they converted a third-and-four, a third-and-three, and a third-and-one. Two of those happened in Marshall territory. Had either have been stopped, there would have been no points scored on that drive.

“You get into those situations where it’s like third-and-three, third-and-four, and you kind of scramble around and you don’t get off the field on the third play or the sixth play. And then I think that’s when you get into trouble,” Knowles said. “You get off the field that first third-and-three or even the second third, I mean, you may not see those two touchdowns. It’s just kind of the way the game rolls, which brings up the importance of getting off the field on third down.”

The second half went much better for the Ohio State defense, holding the Marshall offense to just a handful of first downs and a smattering of yards.

When it comes to the secret of the Buckeyes’ success over the final two quarters, Knowles was once again blunt and to the point.

“Yeah, we did what we’re supposed to do,” he said.

The Buckeyes will next be on the field Saturday night for a 7:30 pm kickoff at Michigan State. The Spartans are in the bottom half of the Big Ten in most offensive categories.

The messaging from the Ohio State coaches is that last week will not be good enough this week. The players have heard it loud and clear. Now it’s time to get back to the quest for domination and perfection, and maybe a Silver Bullet of the Game as well.