Ohio State Football’s Defense Is Leading The Way

The Ohio State defense is one of the best in the country, but a huge test awaits them Saturday. A good showing this weekend could lead them to playing on another level.

It is two games into the college football season and the Ohio State Buckeyes are 2-0; Pretty good start. In their first game, it was all offense which we expected. However, Ohio State’s second game was quite the opposite.

The defense saved the game. Against Bowling Green, the Buckeyes’ defense struggled early against the quick Falcons offense. As the game progressed so did the Buckeyes’ defense.

Ohio State’s run defense in Week 1 was flawless. They allowed only 69 rushing yards on 28 attempts. That’s under three yards a carry. Passing wise, the defense was very good as well as they allowed only 175 yards on 21 completions.

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Against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, you can make the argument that the defense won the Buckeyes the game. Most people would probably agree with that argument too.

It was clear that Ohio State’s offense was not clicking early against Tulsa. The score was 6-3 with a little over three minutes in the first half. 6-3! The week before, the Buckeyes had already scored 35 points at halftime.

With a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Tulsa QB Dane Evens dropped back for a pass. Instead of throwing to one of his wide receivers, he threw it to defensive back Malik Hooker for his third interception on the year.

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Not only was it an interception, but Hooker also returned it 26 yards for a touchdown! The pick-six gave the Buckeyes a 13-3 lead.

As the half was coming to a close, the rain started to really come down. Once again Evens turned the ball over and this time it was to defensive back Marshon Lattimore who returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are tied for the most interceptions in FBS with seven. They also lead the FBS when it comes to defensive touchdowns with three.

Ohio State’s new young secondary was a big question mark coming into the season. With seven interceptions and four touchdowns, that question has been answered. Especially having gone up against two big passing teams.

The passing defense been very impressive but so has other aspects. Ohio State’s rushing defense has also been very outstanding. As mentioned before, against Bowling Green, Ohio State gave up 69 yards. For Tulsa in Week 1, running back D’Angelo Brewer averaged 8.3 yards a carry. In Week 2, Tulsa as a team averaged under two yards a carry.

That said, Week 3 at Oklahoma will be a whole new challenge. Ohio State will be going up against one of the best quarterbacks in 2015, Baker Mayfield.

Coming off of a tough Week 1 loss to Houston, the Sooners bounced back with a big 59-17 win. It may have been against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks but a win is a win.

The test for the Ohio State defense will be a big one this week. Mayfield has thrown for 567 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Being able to slow him down, while limiting the number of yards he throws for will be key for a Buckeyes win.

It may be early in the season but this could determine who makes the playoffs at the end of the year. Ohio State has relatively easy games after Oklahoma. The Sooners on the other hand, have a Texas team who have proven they are better.

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There is also a TCU team who just came off of a heart breaking loss to Arkansas. This Week 3 matchup will be one of the biggest, deciding games of the year.