Ohio State’s Defensive Struggles Lead to their Loss

Ohio State (1-1) fell to Oregon (2-0) Saturday as the Ducks overwhelmed the Buckeyes 35-28. This marks their first loss at home since September 9, 2017. That was the game where Baker Mayfield, the eventual Heisman winner, and No. 1 pick, planted the flag in the turf, or at least attempted to.

This is also Oregon’s second-ever win on the road vs a top-three opponent. The Ducks were able to rush for 269 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per rush. The longest of the day came from redshirt-senior CJ Verdell, rushing for a 77-yard touchdown minutes into the second half. The last time Ohio State gave up 250 plus rushing yards was vs Maryland in 2018, allowing 339 rushing yards on 48 attempts.

While the Ducks running game gave the Buckeyes more than they could handle, Ohio State didn’t record a single tackle for loss besides a one-yard loss on junior running back, Travis Dye. The Ohio State defense was also unable to secure a sack on Oregon’s starting quarterback, senior Anthony Brown. Kerry Coombs, the defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes, said he takes full responsibility for setting the edge of the defense.

“Those particular plays, man-to-man coverage, cracking the linebacker,” Coombs said. “I have to do a better job, it’s very disappointing. I think our kids played hard.” The Buckeyes, for a majority, played man coverage on defense. It proved ineffective as 11 different Oregon receivers made at least one catch for a gain of 10 or more yards. When it comes to the defense, Coombs said he loves the defensive scheme. “I think the defensive structure that has been in place has been a successful one, a lot of folks have been comfortable with it,” Coombs said. “We have to execute and prepare.”

To make it even worse for the Buckeyes, safety Josh Proctor was carted off the field Saturday in the third quarter due to a right leg injury. Proctor tackledBrown on the five-yard line and didn’t return to his feet as he was clearly in pain. His leg was put into an air cast and he was carted away. Head coach of the Buckeyes Ryan Day said his injury did not look good on the field. “Our prayers are certainly with him. It was a tough moment for him out there. We’re obviously praying for the best, but it did not look good when we were out on the field,” Day said.

Proctor was initially a game-time decision on Saturday after having a late injury in the Minnesota game from opening week. Senior cornerback Sevyn Banks, who has third-team preseason All-America honors, missed his second straight game. Banks missed most of the preseason with an undisclosed injury but was listed as a game-time decision vs Oregon Saturday.

Despite the injuries and defensive mishaps to begin the season, Day, said the team just needs to go back to work. “When you go through adversity, you’ll find out a lot about your time. While this hurts, the thing you’re going to find out is who the leaders are,” Day said.

Day said his secondary is very talented, but it wasn’t good enough vs Oregon. The Ohio State defense will look to change their approach as the season goes on if they want a chance to make the College Football Playoffs. The Buckeyes have been in this situation before, losing to Virginia Tech in Week 2 at home. They proceeded to win 13-straight, capturing the national championship. Ohio State looks to bounce back as they host Tulsa, 3:30 est kickoff in Columbus Saturday.

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