There just weren’t enough depth on the defensive line
Scoreboard says starters on defense include DT Taron Vincent for Tommy Togiai and DE Zach Harrison for Tyreke Smith
— Steve Helwagen (@SteveHelwagen) January 12, 2021
You can usually absorb one hit to the defensive line when you have the depth Ohio State has, but two guys going out in the middle of the line, plus the absence of one of an edge rusher that was coming on, was just too much to handle. Especially against an offense like what Alabama rolled out on Monday night.
Tommy Togiai’s loss in the middle was huge, then his replacement Taron Vincent went down. Add Tyreke Smith out of the rotation on the perimeter of the line and there just wasn’t enough push, and not enough pressure on Mac Jones.