Ohio State had some defensive breakdowns in the passing game. We look at what caused them and what OSU can do to fix them.
Ohio State walked out of Happy Valley with a victory that had some ups and downs. One of the downs was some of the defensive breakdowns in the secondary. Granted, Jahan Dotson is really good, and with two circus catches and a perfect throw by Sean Clifford, it made some of the issues seem worse than they really were.
Still, if we’re being honest and a bit nitpicky (we are), then things weren’t as tight in the back-end of the defense as anyone rooting for Ohio State would like.
One thing we did see as a positive was the defensive line getting consistent pressure on Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford. Ohio State was also able to contain the running attack by the Nittany Lions. The pressure certainly rattled Clifford, but he made some big throws at some big times.
Some people will point directly at Shaun Wade, but he played the receiver perfectly on the first one-handed catch by Dotson and then on the throw by Clifford to Dotson for the touchdown over the middle. For the one-handed catch for a touchdown, there was some shoving that didn’t get called that got Wade got off balance, and it still took Dotson making a circus catch.
What most people didn’t seem to remember is that for a little more than a half Dotson was lined up against Sevyn Banks. Banks played soft coverage against Dotson and it showed with the Buckeyes allowing a lot of crossing routes. Banks not getting a hand on whomever he was lined up against allowed Penn State to hit multiple passes straight down the field in the opening of the second half.
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Because the Buckeyes were putting pressure on Clifford and using linebackers to add to the pass rushers, Penn State hit the crossing routes much of the night. As soon as the linebackers dropped into coverage, then that all changed. It was a way Penn State took advantage of the aggressiveness of Ohio State.
There were some times where Penn State tried to clear out the linebackers and safeties to allow a one-on-one situation and trust that the receiver could get just enough separation. It worked off and on throughout the game. Something the Buckeyes will need to focus on going forward is getting receivers off their routes earlier, and not letting them get a clean release.
As the season wears on, Banks will get more experience and should be able to come down and provide more press off the line. You can bet teams will key on. Going deep on Ohio State is going to be difficult, and working underneath and over the middle will be an issue until things get worked out through growth, experience, and development.
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