Grading the Buckeyes' Defense Against Indiana

Ohio State's defense hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown in five straight weeks after blowing out the Hoosiers.

The 2021 Ohio State Buckeyes continue to make history as they marched into Bloomington, Indiana and came away with their fourth consecutive 50-point performance. Ryan Day has the offense clicking on the ground and through the air. The defense has continued to develop nicely with the emergence of much needed, impactful play by the Rushmen. This has allowed the entire defense to play better and they are hitting stride at the right time.

This week the units will get two grades: the first grade will be the starters, while the second grade will focus on the backups.

As far as how to interpret the following grades:

Grading Key

• A: National Championship-level play ... dominates the opponent and executes at the highest level.
• B: Big Ten Championship-level play ... consistently beats opponents, but leaves a few areas to grow.
• C: Bowl Eligble-level play ... does enough to win in a close game to just get bye. Needs to improve quickly.
• D: Home for the Holidays-level play ... exposed multiple times and a major liability to the greater whole.
• F: Losing-level play ... unit was dominated in many facets of the game and is a major detriment to success. Major changes needed immediately.

Let’s take a look at who the top performers were in the Buckeyes primetime onslaught.

Defensive Line: A/A

Absolute domination. The Buckeyes played the entire night on the other side of the football. Zach Harrison doesn’t look injured any longer and the young group of Tyleik Williams, Jack Sawyer, and J.t. Tuimoloau are growing and will be unblockable in the near future. 

The biggest impact player on the unit still remains Haskell Garrett. He is a force in the middle. He makes the whole defense go. He only had the sack Saturday night, but he disrupts the opposition’s ability to go north and south. Similar to that of an offensive guard, you may not know his name, but when you see others around him making plays, he is doing his job well.

Linebacker A-/B+

Is this the same group that we saw at the beginning of the season? The world was on fire. This room has quietly worked hard and started to play with confidence and authority. They are tackling better and it appears every week, someone steps up and has their best game. Against Indiana, that was Tommy Eichenberg. 

Eichenberg was knocked at the beginning of the season for his lack of perceived athleticism and ability to tackle. Both of those did not look like question marks last night. He was an impact player. The former St. Ignatius Wildcat had a team high, two TFL's and was a nightmare in Matt Barnes’ blitz packages all night.

Defensive Backs: A-/A-

The group had a difficult first drive and it appeared that Peyton Hendershot was going to be a matchup problem. Once the unit weathered the storm, literally and figuratively, the defensive backs shut down any hope of the Indiana Hoosiers throwing the football. 

The Hoosiers were held to 80 yards on 17 attempts. 4.7 yards per pass is a tough night for any team. Sevyn Banks had the lone pass breakup of the night and Bryson Shaw added four tackles. The lack of depth for Indiana at quarterback, the defensive line’s pressure, and mother nature cultivated a great elixir for the unit to have a solid night. Next week, will be a much more difficult task, but Kerry Coombs and Barnes will have this unit ready to go.

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What We Learned From The Buckeyes Win Over The Hoosiers

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