CLEVELAND, Ohio — Against Rutgers, Ohio State’s run defense was lacking, or at least lacking in the ninety yards before its own end zone.
Despite gaining 232 yards collectively in the air on 43 carries (5.4 yards per attempt), Rutgers was unable to capitalize on several promising drives that would have resulted in seven points because of the Buckeye defense.
There was a moment when Ohio State trailed 9–7 in their 35–16 victory, and it might have been worse if the defense hadn’t made crucial red zone stops. Rutgers saw drives end at the Ohio State four, three, two, twenty, and thirteen-yard line. They managed to score nine points on those five possessions.
“Give us an inch, and we’ll defend it,” stated Jack Sawyer, a defensive end. “Everyone gets a little higher when we get down there, for whatever reason. When we force field goals, coach Ryan Day refers to those huge stops as four-point plays.
This red zone defense has been effective, as demonstrated by its performance against Wisconsin one week ago.
Wisconsin was closing the gap on Ohio State and was on track to lead 10-0 at the half. Instead of giving up, the Buckeye defense forced the Badgers to settle for a field goal. That proved to be crucial because Wisconsin tied the score at ten points apiece on their opening drive of the second half.
Both games may have come down to the wire if Ohio State’s defense had given up in either situation.
However, in the most crucial times this season, the nation’s top defense—that of the Buckeyes—has stood firm. Red zone stands are part of that, as the past few weeks have demonstrated.
The biggest game on the Big Ten schedule this week—Michigan at Penn State—could be affected by some seismic news by the time you read this.
When our picks went to press on Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten had not yet penalized Michigan for its scandal involving stolen signs. They may have imposed some serious penalties by the time you read this, which would have a big effect on Michigan vs. Penn State. (5).
Although both of these teams have had difficult seasons thus far, they come into this one fresh off victories—Indiana over Wisconsin and Illinois over Minnesota. It seems improbable that Illinois will now compete for a bowl berth in the last few weeks of the campaign. Luke Altmyer, the QB for the Illini, left the game on Saturday because of an injury.
After losing to Michigan State, a team that had lost six straight, on Saturday, Nebraska’s offense struggled to find a rhythm after the break, which put a dent in Matt Rhule’s otherwise idyllic debut season. Maryland’s defense has dropped to 10th in the Big Ten, and the team has lost four games in a row following a 5-0 start.
