Following the Illinois game, the easy conversation around Ohio State was the offense. That part made sense. Jeremiah Smith delivered one of the best wide receiver performances I have ever seen, and Julian Sayin turned in one of the most complete games of his career, the kind of outing that makes him look like the quarterback Ohio State needs if it’s going to win it all.
But the defense still left plenty to chew on.
Illinois only scored 19 points, and that number can make it look like the Buckeyes handled things cleanly on that side of the ball. The deeper look says otherwise.
Illinois piled up 492 total yards, converted 25 first downs and actually held the ball a little over 30 minutes. The Fighting Illini also rushed for 199 yards at 6 yards per carry, and they would have cleared 200 on the ground if not for sack yardage.
Katin Houser added 263 passing yards and a touchdown, while Illinois receivers averaged 12.5 yards per catch.
Those numbers stand out even more when you put them next to what Ohio State did a year ago. Over 14 games last season, nobody rushed for more than 170 yards against the Buckeyes, and no opponent cracked 350 total yards.
That’s what makes this feel more serious than a one-game blip. Illinois was able to move the ball consistently, and that matters because Ohio State’s schedule still has better offensive teams ahead.
USC, Indiana and Oregon are still on the slate, and all three bring better offensive staffs, quarterbacks and receivers than Illinois. That means they’re better equipped to test this defense in the passing game, and they’ve already got plenty of tape showing what can bother the Buckeyes.
If Illinois and Texas could find those openings at times, those teams can probably do it more often and with more damage.
Then there’s Michigan waiting at the end of the year. That matchup may not be about the air attack, but it absolutely can stress Ohio State on the ground. Michigan has the quarterback, running backs and offensive line to go after this front seven, especially a group of young, raw linebackers.
Aidan Laughery showed how much room there can be. He ran for 113 yards on just 11 carries. That raises the obvious question: what happens if Bryce Underwood, Savion Hiter and Jordan Marshall get the same kind of runway?
The good news for Ohio State is that this doesn’t look like an unsolvable mess. Matt Patricia can still make changes that help the defense improve and become one of the better units in the country.
The biggest adjustment needed is simplification. Patricia has to trim this thing down and make it easier to play.
Last season’s defense was so effective in part because it was so complex. Patricia could lean into that because Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese were the kind of players who could line up in different spots, do different jobs and handle it all with a high football IQ.
That’s not the same situation now. Those former first-round picks are not walking through the door, and while Ohio State still has a talented group, these are not those kind of generational college defenders. They can’t be asked to do everything the same way, and they also aren’t working with a full grasp of the defense yet.
That isn’t a shot at the current players. It’s just reality. A lot of young players are learning the system together for the first time, and they’re doing it inside a Matt Patricia defense, which is not a simple ask.
The answer, then, is to reduce the mental load and cut down on the mistakes that have nothing to do with talent. Ohio State has had too many breakdowns that come from execution, not ability.
Ty Robinson’s 27-yard touchdown catch late in the game was a perfect example. It wasn’t about Robinson winning a one-on-one battle with Devin Sanchez.
Ohio State was in cover 2, and the safety didn’t get to the deep half, which left Sanchez exposed. Those kinds of miscommunications in the secondary have been showing up since Texas, and Illinois finally made the Buckeyes pay for them.
If Patricia can simplify things, the defense can play faster, think less and get more physical. That won’t make this unit look like Ohio State’s best defenses of the last two years, but it could make it much better than what has shown up so far. The Buckeyes do not need to out-scheme everybody to be good.
In Other News...
Ohio State Defense Faces A Road Test Iowa Can Expose
Ohio State heads into a ranked road matchup at Iowa with the kind of test that can sharpen a defense or expose a flaw. The Buckeyes will have to deal with a difficult environment and an Iowa offense that leans on quarterback Hank Brown, a productive backfield and a defense led by linebacker Cam Buffington and safety Zach Lutmer, while the bigger worry for Ohio State is whether it can hold up against the run and stay sound in coverage against tight ends.
The Hawkeyes have enough moving parts to make this more than a routine Big Ten trip, especially at home where the crowd can turn every series into a grind. Ohio States defensive front will be under pressure to set the tone early, because if Iowa can keep the Buckeyes guessing and force them to chase the game, this matchup could become a lot more uncomfortable than the rankings suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Defense Isnt In Trouble But One Concern Isnt Going Away
Ohio States defense has spent enough time under the microscope already this fall, and a former Buckeye who has been watching the unit closely sees a group with real room to grow rather than a unit in panic mode. He pointed to the kind of issues that can show up early in a season, including miscommunications and the absence of veteran star power, while still saying defensive coordinator Matt Patricia remains effective in his job. He also gave credit to Illinois quarterback Katin Houser for making the defense work for it.
The bigger takeaway, though, is that the concerns do not appear to be structural in his view. He expects the Buckeyes defense to keep improving and believes it will be good by the end of the season, even if the ceiling may not be quite elite. For a program used to treating every defensive hiccup as a minor crisis, that is a useful reminder that some early-season problems can be real without being fatal. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Sounds Different As Ohio State Heads Into Kinnick
Ryan Day spent part of the week laying out where Ohio State stands as it heads to Kinnick Stadium, and the conversation touched just about every corner of the roster. He gave updates on player availability, pointed to Julian Sayins continued growth, and said the running backs have made progress as the Buckeyes keep sorting out roles for Jeremiah Smith, Khary Wilder and Kyle Parker. It was the kind of check-in that comes with a road game like this, where the details matter and the margin for error tends to shrink.
Kinnick has a way of making even experienced teams feel uneasy, and Day acknowledged the challenge while framing Ohio States current state as a product of steady development since the season began. He also left open a few questions about how the lineup will look once the Buckeyes get through the week, including one involving Legend Bey and how much he can get done in practice before a decision has to be made. [Read more 🡒]