The Oregon Ducks were crowned Big Ten Conference Champions on Saturday night and were awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff on Sunday morning. With the top seed, Oregon will receive a first-round bye in the playoff, watching from home as both the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers fight for a chance to meet the Ducks in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
While the Ducks have already played Ohio State this year, it’s been over a decade since they saw the Volunteers on the field. At this point in the year, the Buckeyes also have a different roster and outlook than they did in their Week 7 trip to Eugene.
While Oregon enjoys the next three weeks off, we felt it would be a good time to examine the potential opponents and learn what the Ducks could face.
Here, we’ll look at the Ohio State Buckeyes Defense.
Defensive Line
J.T. Tuimoloau: 38 tackles, 12 TFLs, 6 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 FF
Jack Sawyer: 46 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FRs, 2 FFs, 1 TD
Tyleik Williams: 32 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2.5 sacks
Ty Hamilton: 40 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF
The Ohio State Buckeyes have one of the best defensive units in college football, and that begins with their defensive line. Across the board, the Buckeyes have elite defensive linemen who make it nearly impossible to run the ball or sit comfortably in the pocket as a quarterback.
The four D-linemen listed above account for 15.5 of the Buckeyes’ 35 sacks this season — the second-highest total in the Big Ten, only behind the Oregon Ducks (40).
J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer are the stars of the show on the D-line and the Tys offer great support. These are also just the top four guys, and the players behind them on the depth chart are fantastic as well.
Linebackers
Sonny Styles: 76 tackles, 7 TFLs, 4 sacks, 3 PBUs, 1 FR
Cody Simon: 74 tackles, 9 TFLs, 5 sacks, 5 PBUs, 1 FF
If the defensive line wasn’t enough, this linebacker duo is staggering. Sonny Styles and Cody Simon are the only Buckeyes with 70+ tackles on the year, and they get involved in the pass game two with 8 combined PBUs.
With 150 combined tackles, Styles and Simon are a big reason why the Buckeyes have allowed the second-fewest yards per carry (2.8) in the Big Ten this season, trailing only Indiana (2.5).
This season is Styles’s third at Ohio State, and Simon has been in Columbus for five. Both know the ins and outs of the Buckeyes’ defensive scheme, and they are experienced leaders from the linebacker spot. Not much gets by these two — physically or mentally.
Cornerbacks
Denzel Burke: 41 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 INTs, 2 PBUs
Davison Igbinosun: 30 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 INTs, 7 PBUs, 1 FR
Jordan Hanock: 32 tackles, 2 TFls, 0.5 sacks, 1 INTs, 6 PBUs, 2 FFs
I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself, but once again, these Buckeyes cornerbacks are nearly flawless as a unit. Their top three guys are Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, and Jordan Hancock, but they have quality reserve guys as well.
To put into perspective how good Ohio State’s pass defense was this season, the Buckeyes allowed four passing touchdowns all year. The next best team was the Indiana Hoosiers who allowed 10. Lathan Ransom and Igbinosun were responsible for one TD each, and Burke gave up the other two.
But, even the best units aren’t infallible. Burke has been one of the best CBs in college this year, but against Oregon, he couldn’t do much right. Both of the TDs he’s given up this year came at the hands of the Ducks, and he also got burnt on a deep ball that didn’t go for six in the same game.
Safeties
Caleb Downs: 62 tackles, 7 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT, 3 PBUs
Lathan Ransom: 57 tackles, 6 TFLs, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 1 FR, 3 FFs, 1 TD
There really is no weakness to this defense. At the back of the Buckeyes’ defensive formation are Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom — two of the best safeties in college football.
These two both were top four in tackles for the Buckeyes, which is rare for a safety pairing. It goes to show how impactful these two are against the run. The only two players with more tackles are Ohio State’s top LBs Styles and Simon.
Against the pass, Downs and Ransom are just as good. They deserve as much credit as the CBs for keeping the passing TDs to four on the year.