An Improved Buckeyes Defense Ready for Youngstown State

The Ohio State Buckeyes are 1-0 to start the new college football season. Thankfully they don't take into account style points. After a 23-3 win at Indiana on Saturday, one of the biggest concerns for the Bucks should be fixing the offense. Thankfully, Jim Knowles had his side of the ball ready to play.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are 1-0 to start the new college football season. Thankfully they don't take into account style points. After a 23-3 win at Indiana on Saturday, one of the biggest concerns for the Bucks should be fixing the offense. Thankfully, Jim Knowles had his side of the ball ready to play.

Knowles' unit allowed just 153 total yards and only three points all day to the Hoosiers. And after a whole summer of blaming the defense for the Georgia loss in the playoffs, it might have been the brightest spot on the field for the Bucks.

Who stood out and why? Sonny Styles got his first career start in a Buckeyes uniform and registered four tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Josh Proctor hasn't shown much in five-plus years in Columbus, but on Saturday, he had four tackles, one for a loss, and one pass broken up. Denzel Burke notched two passes defended and shadowed his receiver targets all night in coverage. The Buckeyes need all three of these players to continue this trajectory.

While the defense looks to be starting the season on solid ground, there should be concern about the offense carrying its weight. Coach Ryan Day hasn't publicly named Kyle McCord as the starting quarterback, but there's no other way to explain the limited playing time Devin Brown saw against Indiana. Between his performance and that of the offensive line, it's easy to see where improvement needs to come from.

“I thought it was all right,” McCord said of his performance. “I thought there were some good plays, some bad plays. I want to look at the film and see where I can improve."

Knowles' crew allowed just 82 yards passing and 71 on the ground. And that rushing total is in 33 attempts, meaning the Hoosiers averaged just 2.2 yards per attempt. That's a stifling defense and one that can carry an offense, albeit only so far.

The Buckeyes defense certainly appears ready to make a run for the College Football Playoff, but the offense will have to be fixed.