Clemson vs Ohio State: Early Look at Buckeyes Defense

Ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between Clemson and Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, we take a sneak peak at the Buckeyes defense.

For the second time in as many seasons, Clemson and Ohio State will square off in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff. This time in the Sugar Bowl set to be played on New Year's Day.

After having already taken an early look at the Ohio State offense, today we take check out what the Buckeyes have to offer on the defensive side of the ball. 

Head Coach: After serving as Urban Meyer's co-offensive coordinator for two seasons, Ryan Day took over as head coach prior to the 2019 season. In that time the Buckeyes are 19-1, with their only loss coming to Clemson in last season's Fiesta Bowl. He also served as acting head coach for three games to start the 2018 season while Meyer was out on administrative leave, and went 3-0 in those games, making him 22-1 overall as a head coach.

Defensive Coordinator: The Buckeyes sported one of the best defenses in the country last season. However, after losing a ton of talent, including three players that were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, this Ohio State defense has taken a step back. Kerry Coombs and Greg Mattison serve as co-defensive coordinators, but it is Coombs who is really in charge. They are in their first season running the defense, taking over for Jeff Hafley, who just finished up his first season as the head coach at Boston College. 

Defense National Rank

• Total Defense: 34
• Scoring Defense: 24 (T)
• Passing Defense: 104
• Rush Defense: 7
• 3rd Down Defense: 19
• Sacks Per Game: 26 (T)

Defensive Line: Chase Young is now playing on Sundays and the Buckeyes have had issues replacing his 16.5 sacks. They like to rotate several guys along the defensive front but sophomore Zach Harrison and fifth-year senior Jonathon Cooper lead the way at defensive end. The two have combined for 4.5 sacks and 7 TFL. Senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett is probably their best player up front. He has developed into a very good pass rusher from the inside and is even better defending the run.

Linebacker: This is a veteran group of linebackers. After being named to the Butkus Award watch list prior to the season, senior WLB Pete Werner leads the team with 37 tackles, He also has 2.5 TFL for and one sack. He and MLB Tuf Borland, a fifth-year senior who is second on the team with 26 tackles, are a big reason why the Buckeyes have been so good against the run. Senior ILB Baron Browning has also had a solid season.

Secondary: This is where the Buckeyes have really struggled in 2020. Both starting corners from last year's defense, Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette, were first-round picks last April, and Jordan Fuller, one of their starting safeties has also moved onto to the NFL. Fifth-year senior Sean Wade, who was so good in that secondary last season, has not fared so well this year after moving over to one of the outside corner spots. Junior Sevyn Banks mans the opposite corner spot and while he has mostly been solid in coverage, he still has room to improve. Junior Josh Proctor plays a hybrid-safety type role and has been inconsistent at times in coverage. He will also sometimes move up into the box in run support. The fact that the Buckeyes are allowing over 261 passing yards per game is indicative of exactly how much the backend of this defense has struggled at times during the 2020 season.