Ohio State football reporters roundtable: How far can defense carry the Buckeyes?
Editor's note: After each Ohio State football game, beat reporters Joey Kaufman and Bill Rabinowitz discuss the lasting storylines and other key developments.
Ohio State leaned on its defense on Saturday.
It marked the second time this season that the Buckeyes defeated a top-10 opponent on the strength of that side of the ball.
After holding Notre Dame to a pair of touchdowns in a 17-14 win last month, they were even stingier against Penn State.
Not until the waning moments did the Nittany Lions even reach the red zone, moving inside the 20-yard line on a late touchdown drive.
The Buckeyes shut down one of the nation’s highest-scoring offenses in a 20-12 victory, putting themselves in a favorable position to finish at the top of the Big Ten East and moving to the forefront of the College Football Playoff race.
Kaufman: Ryan Day snatched Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State to rebuild his defense last year, and signs of progress followed. But too often they faltered when the stakes were raised, most noticeably in late losses to Georgia and Michigan. That hasn’t been the case this fall, giving up a combined 26 points in top-10 wins over Notre Dame and Penn State. The hire is paying dividends now, clearly. The combination of talent, experience and familiarity with Knowles’ scheme is making the difference.
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Rabinowitz: It's hard to find a weakness on the defense right now. The defensive line is stout against the run and is putting pressure on the quarterback. Defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau is the ringleader, but the whole defensive line is disruptive. Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg is the clear leader on the field, and the secondary is playing with confidence. Penn State doesn't have great receivers, but Ohio State didn't allow much separation all day and closed well on the ball. Cornerback Jordan Hancock was particularly good, and freshman Jermaine Mathews filled in admirably for the injured Denzel Burke.
Kaufman: There was a moment in the first quarter when it looked like Penn State found a recipe for success against the Buckeyes’ defense, turning to running back Nicholas Singleton to begin its third possession. Singleton gashed them on runs of 20 and 16 yards, and the Nittany Lions reached Ohio State’s 26-yard line. Then they tried to air it out on the next two plays, but quarterback Drew Allar was sacked and threw an incompletion. It was surprising how much offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich put on Allar’s plate as a first-time starter, though the Buckeyes had a lot to do with making him uncomfortable.
Rabinowitz: Going into the game, I didn't know whether Penn State's lack of explosiveness in its first six games was because the Nittany Lions were incapable of it or because they didn't need to be. Well, we got the answer. Allar looked nothing like the five-star prospect he was supposed to be. He'd never played on a stage like this, and OSU took it to him. It's a good thing for the Buckeyes he didn't have anything resembling a Marvin Harrison Jr. as a target. Then again, you have to put the ball near your receiver. I expect Allar to develop into a good quarterback, but he wasn't on Saturday.
Kaufman: Explosiveness was not the strength of Penn State’s offense. It was ball control. The Nittany Lions’ average time of possession in their first six games was almost 34 minutes, 36 seconds, a mark that ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision. But that was sliced by a third against Ohio State as they held the ball for only 25 minutes, 36 seconds. The Buckeyes got stop after stop. Penn State converted only one of 16 third downs. ESPN Stats & Info said that was the worst third down conversion percentage by a ranked team over the last decade (minimum 15 attempts). If the Buckeyes keep that up, they’re going to at least give their offense opportunities.
Rabinowitz: About that offense... Well, it's a work in progress, although sometimes it feels like a work in regress. Thank goodness for Marvin Harrison Jr. Without him, the offense would really be in dire straits. It hurt not to have Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson, no doubt. Kyle McCord made some nice throws but was also off-target or was off with the timing on some others that could have given Ohio State a cushion early. The offensive line again failed to get consistent push in the run game.
Kaufman: All true. But it’s fair to wonder at what point it hurts them. The Buckeyes might be more hit or miss on offense. The big plays are less frequent. Still, they handled Penn State’s pass rush and got Harrison going, producing just enough scoring. With a stiff defense, they might not need to score in the 40-point range. They’re going to be heavy favorites the next four weeks, and barring an unforeseen loss, they’ll likely be 11-0 heading to Michigan come Thanksgiving weekend.
Rabinowitz: Before the season, I thought this week's game in Madison could be a tough one. Not so much anymore. Wisconsin is 5-2 and atop the weak West division, but the Badgers haven't dazzled in Luke Fickell's first season. Wisconsin also lost its starting quarterback, Tanner Mordecai, to a broken hand. Eventually, I believe Fickell will get Wisconsin rolling, but it's going to take some time. It's hard to see Rutgers, Michigan State or Minnesota seriously challenging OSU, so the Buckeyes have time to try to fix their run game or figure out how to work around not having much of one.
Kaufman: The dynamics with Fickell, the former Buckeyes defensive lineman and longtime assistant, facing his alma mater are worth watching. He brought Cincinnati to Ohio Stadium in 2019 and was routed, 42-0. The Bearcats weren’t a bad team. They went 11-3. But something seemed off.
Rabinowitz: If I remember correctly, he said he believed he didn't prepare his team well for that game because of all the attention of an up-and-coming UC team coming to Columbus. He's a more established coach now, and truthfully, no one will be expecting Wisconsin, with a backup quarterback, to beat the Buckeyes. But that's why they play the games.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
Bill Rabinowitz covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. He also is the co-author of Cardale Jones' just-published autobiography. Follow Bill on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be reached at brabinowitz@dispatch.com
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football reporters roundtable on win over Penn State
