Ohio State Buckeyes' Secondary Hitting Stride At Best Time

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been elite in pass defense this season, but are set to face their biggest challenge yet.

The Ohio State Buckeyes secondary has been great all season, but with almost a fully healthy roster Saturday against Minnesota, they played like a top defense in the country.

Highlighted by junior cornerback Jordan Hancock's third-quarter interception, the Buckeyes' secondary made big plays, shut down the Gophers, holding Minnesota sophomore quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to complete only 11 completions for 89 yards, plus the interception. 

More impressively, the Buckeyes were able to do so without starting senior safety Lathan Ransom in the lineup.

Ohio State's secondary has everything you could ask for, including hard-hitting players in sophomore cornerback Davison Igbinosun and senior safety Josh Proctor. A great ball tracker in junior corner Denzel Burke.

The team has also gotten production from freshmen corners Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Malik Hartford at critical times.

Altogether, the Buckeyes haven't given up more than 17 points in a game this season. Most notably, the secondary has only allowed seven, 30-plus yard pass plays in 11 games, with their longest pass play allowed being 36 yards vs Youngstown State in September.

The Buckeyes' pass defense has also limited offenses to less than 150 yards per game and has only allowed seven touchdowns all season. They have forced both the lowest passing percentage and yards per completion in the conference.

Going into 'The Game' next week will face arguably its toughest test of the season, with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has passed for 2,335 yards and 18 touchdowns, completing 73.8 percent of his passes, with just four interceptions. 

Despite that, however, the Buckeyes top pass defense will be up for the challenge.