Alabama Legend Blasts Ohio State Buckeyes' Defense

An Alabama Crimson Tide legend feels that the Ohio State Buckeyes' defense was exposed against the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson gets tripped up by Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes suffered a very disappointing loss last Saturday, falling to the Oregon Ducks by a score of 32-31.

Ohio State's defense encountered a lot of difficulty stopping Oregon's offense, and former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban made his feelings on the Buckeyes' defense clear this week.

“They didn’t affect the quarterback in any way. ... They didn’t ever pressure,” Saban told ESPN's Pat McAfee. “I mean, there was just four guys rush, which, you know, that’s kind of an antiquated way to play defense."

Saban went on to say that he wasn't "being critical" of Ohio State's "philosophy," but it's clear that he didn't think much of the Buckeyes' defensive effort.

Ohio State surrendered a hefty 496 yards of total offense to the Ducks, as Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel racked up 341 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

The Buckeyes actually went into the matchup with the Ducks ranked No. 1 in the country defensively, but Saban doesn't seem to be buying Ohio State as the nation's best defense.

“The thing you have to be careful of is we talk about these teams that have the No. 1 defense in the country, they're the number one scoring defense, but who did they play to come up with those stats? And then they play somebody really good and they sort of get exposed a little bit and you start to wonder exactly how good are they, especially when they play somebody good, because that's when it counts,” Saban said.

Saban added that "you're going to be behind the 8-ball" if you play the style of defense that the Buckeyes employed against Oregon in Week 7.

The loss to the Ducks was certainly a wake-up call for an Ohio State squad that absolutely had a very easy schedule in the lead-up to the showdown. Yes, the Buckeyes routed the Iowa Hawkeyes the week prior, but Iowa is not exactly known for its offense.

We'll see if Ohio State can right the ship against the Nebraska Cornhuskers next Saturday.