Defensive Observations From Ohio State's Win Over Nebraska
The Buckeyes defense has steadily looked better each week since Matt Barnes took over the defensive play-calling duties. That trend continued in Nebraska, as the defense limited the damage of the Big Ten's second-ranked offense, and helped slam the door on a 26-17 win.
It's not hyperbolic to say that without the defense, Ohio State would have been ripe for an upset this weekend. Check out the big takeaways from a hard-fought win, and click here to read about the observations on offense.
Adrian...They did it!
Ryan Day spent much of the week leading up to Saturday praising the Cornhuskers athletic offense. That starts and ends with quarterback Adrian Martinez.
What makes Martinez so dangerous is his ability to burn you as a passer and a runner. The junior did burn the Buckeyes for a couple of big plays with his arm, most notably a 72-yard touchdown pass to Samori Toure in the first half. Otherwise, Martinez was largely held in check by a stout OSU pass rush, completing just over 50-percent of his passes for 248 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
As a runner, Martinez broke off a few chunk plays late, including a game-high 21-yard run. For the most part though, OSU did a terrific job keeping him contained, despite the fact that he finished with 51 yards and a TD.
Without question, Martinez is one of the more talented QBs Ohio State has faced or will face this season, so to limit his damage was promising.
Improving pass rush
During the early stretch of the season when the defense was struggling, there were some serious concerns about the scarlet and grey's front four. Worry no more.
With the challenge of Martinez's escapability at the forefront of their minds this week, the Buckeyes defensive line feasted on Saturday. As an entire unit, the defense racked up five total sacks, with four different defensive linemen each coming away with one. (Jack Sawyer, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Tyreke Smith, Zach Harrison)
Additionally, aside from the touchdown pass to Toure and a penalty-assisted scoring drive in the fourth quarter, OSU's front four had Martinez off-balance for most of the game. That unit's ability to improve as the season continues will be critical to their playoff aspirations.
Third down defense
After some serious struggles on third down against Penn State a week ago, the Ohio State defense clearly made that a point of emphasis this week.
The Cornhuskers failed to convert a third down through the first half of the game, finally picking up their first third-down attempt early in the fourth quarter. It was total domination for the Buckeyes, holding Nebraska to 2-or-13 on third down overall. For comparison sake, the Nittany Lions were 11-for-16 on third down last week.
Players and coaches will always tell you how important it is to get off the field on third down. The Buckeyes did it consistently this week and if a championship run is in their future it'll need to continue that trend.
Bend, don't break
The phrase is generally considered overused coach-speak, but it was true for Ohio State's defense in Saturday's win. Aside from two big catches by Toure of 72 and 52 yards, the Buckeyes did a fantastic job of limiting big plays and slowing down Nebraska's offense when the field became short.
The Huskers only made five trips into Ohio State territory in total, each time getting beyond the 30-yard line, and yet, all they had to show for it was 17 points. That's because the Buckeyes held Martinez and company to just one score on two red zone opportunities, forcing them to attempt three field goals on the day. Two of those attempts were pushed wide left by Chase Contreraz.
On one hand, those could be chalked up to the lucky bounces of football. On the other hand, the Buckeyes earning stops on both those series set up those misses. The stops were huge in the grand scheme of the game.
Steele clamps
In fitting fashion, it was running back turned linebacker Steele Chambers who put the finishing touches on what was a strong performance from the Buckeyes defense with a game icing interception with 56 seconds to go. After getting tossed for targeting last week and having to sit out the first half against Nebraska, it was a fitting ending for both Chambers and the defense.
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