Ohio’s ACOLUMBUS — The Ohio State defense was getting ready to put out the last flames in Penn State’s comeback candle as a light rain was falling at Ohio Stadium late on Saturday afternoon.

With roughly three minutes remaining, Penn State was down 20-6 and faced fourth-and-30, an impossible distance against a Buckeyes defense that had made the Nittany Lions’ third-and-manageable situation into third-and-miserable. JT Tuimoloau, a defensive end, and his fellow pass-rushers spread out, ready to attack.

The next development was not shocking at all. In Ohio State’s 20-12 victory, Tuimoloau, ends Jack Sawyer and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. converged on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, sacking him for the fourth and final time.

Coach Ryan Day remarked, “That was as loud as I’ve heard it in a long time.” “It was like the

The next development was not shocking at all. In Ohio State’s 20-12 victory, Tuimoloau, ends Jack Sawyer and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. converged on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, sacking him for the fourth and final time.

 

Coach Ryan Day remarked, “That was as loud as I’ve heard it in a long time.” “I just felt the toughness, the physicality on defense.”

Toughness has been a Day theme all season (just ask Lou Holtz). Day often recounts the scars Ohio State carries from losses to Michigan and Georgia to end the 2022 season. But Saturday’s scene — an electric crowd erupting to play defense on a defensive day — brought State Ohio returned during an earlier period of Day’s term.
“That was the most confident, energetic group I’ve ever seen, probably in ’19, on the field today,” Day said. “The crowd was into it, the whole band, they had that look in their eyes and they got the crowd involved. A couple times, I’m like, ‘Guys, they’re about to snap the ball, let’s go.’ But I love that.
“That’s the confidence that’s building week in and week out.”

Day’s reference to defense in 2019 could be important. This season marked the last time — and only time during his head coaching tenure — Ohio State fielded a truly elite defense. The Buckeyes lead the nation in fewest yards allowed (259.7 points per game) and fewest yards per play (4.13), while also ranking fourth in points allowed (13.7 points per game ) and No. 5 in third-down defense (28.8%). ). They have incredible high-end talent – defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah will go 2nd and 3rd overall in the next NFL draft – but also leadership, depth and reliability inherent to all major defenses.
Since then, the Buckeyes have relied more on their offense to win games, with two first-round quarterbacks, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud and a host of receivers. However, after seven games this fall, the Buckeyes appear to have turned things around. This is a defensive-minded team, buying time to attack with talented pieces to piece together. Ohio State has allowed 17 points or fewer in each game, including 14 points in a Sept. 23 win at No. 9 Notre Dame. The Buckeyes stopped Penn State on 15 of 16 third down opportunities on Saturday and held the Nittany Lions to 167 yards and 11 first downs before the final drive. Statistically, Penn State has the best defense in the country, but has been overshadowed.

“They’re confident now that they can win games on defense,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said of his players. “I don’t look at the stats but I guess Penn State has a pretty good defense, so we talked to them before the game:
‘Hey, you’re not just playing Penn State’s offense. You’re play Penn State’s defense. … If they play one, we have to play two. If they play two, we have to play three. So it’s a feeling of maturity, of leadership, of having Maybe a little pep on the ‘shoulders’.
“We’ve done a lot of work to make sure everyone has confidence in this.”
Although Ohio State played for a national championship the following season, the 2019 team was the most complete of Day’s tenure. The Buckeyes ranked top-five on offense and defense and outscored opponents 656-192. Day has had a lot of success since then, but he’s also looking for a team that resembles his first team as Ohio State’s coach.
The Buckeyes are not a complete team right now. They ranked 101st nationally in rushing and 40th in yards per carry. The offensive explosion is still there but difficult to maintain. Their return spin has become a weekly roulette wheel due to health and production. Their offensive line is okay, ranked 42nd in sacks allowed.

“We’re still figuring out how to take the next steps, how to put points on the board, because obviously the defense played poorly today,” quarterback Kyle McCord said. “If we can really match our offense with the way our defense plays, it will be scary.”
McCord is right, even if his comments are shocking. Ohio State’s offensive linemen don’t often talk about keeping up with defenses, especially quarterbacks who play for the greatest developing QB in team history (Day). From 2020 to 2022, Ohio State led the nation in points per game and yards per play, while ranking 28th in points allowed and 42nd in yards per play allowed. The defense lags far behind the offense.
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Last season, Knowles’ defense, which had improved markedly over the 2021 season, faltered in several key games against Michigan. Then the Buckeyes fell in the fourth quarter to Georgia in the CFP semifinals, a game they largely controlled.
This season, the defense is making significant progress under Knowles, the $2 million assistant tasked with repairing and revitalizing a unit that has slipped. Ohio State lacks a player like Young or Okudah – Tuimoloau, who has four sacks this season, could reach that level soon – but there are plenty of contributors. Twenty-one players contributed at least one tackle in the first half for loss, while ten players had the ball dropped and eight made multiple clearances.
“Ohio State is expected to be the best in the country and I think our defense has a chance to do that,” Day said.
Knowles arrived at Ohio State known as an aggressive and creative player, something he demonstrated at stops like Duke and Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are No. 5 in the nation on defense in 2021. After getting burned on several calls late last year, Knowles appears to have taken a step back.
But lately he’s appeared to despise his “bend but don’t break” nickname, and a Big Ten offensive coordinator told ESPN that Knowles is still “pretty aggressive,” especially when opponents come forward into Buckeyes territory.
“I don’t know how much he’s lost from an aggressive standpoint,” the coordinator added.
Knowles’ comfort level with Ohio State players has increased in his second year. When asked about the Buckeyes’ historic stinginess Saturday, Knowles said, “They knew the plan.” Day praised Knowles for providing the right amount of information to players without overwhelming them and allowing them to play “quickly and confidently”.
Penn State entered the game having converted nearly half (42 of 87) of its third down opportunities.
“We had to organize the stops, we had to make them outside of scheduled times, and we made minor adjustments to the schedule that they followed,” Knowles said. “It’s huge, because winning those losses is huge.”
Last year at Penn State, Tuimoloau had the game of his life:
two interceptions, including a pick-six, a forced fumble, two sacks, three tackles for loss and a deflected pass led to another interception. But none of his other performances since have come close. He became the symbol of the Ohio State defense with its positive but inconsistent excellence.
Before the season, Tuimoloau and his teammates – along with veteran coach Larry Johnson – openly discussed being the best front in the country. Although they were solid before Saturday, Ohio State ranked 110th nationally in sacks and 99th in tackles for loss.
“We may not see layoffs, but we may see pressure,” Tuimoloau said. “Before we started getting bags today, we started moving [Allar] out of his position. … For us, it’s just about being patient, getting those bags came to us, because we knew that first we needed to stop the run and maybe be allowed to [pass] in a hurry.” ​

Ohio State’s improvement on defense has impacted how Day calls the offense and runs the game. He admitted to making some cautious decisions Saturday, including rushing to Penn State’s 38-yard line late in the first half and then kneeling to keep the ball despite a timeout, 42 seconds and only leading 10-6. But he adopted this strategy because he felt the defense “controlled the game.”
While Day’s frequent gentleness has irked some Ohio State fans, he also has a chance to do so for the first time since 2019.
“If you feel like your defense can win you a game, then you need to make sure you do your part,” Day said. “You can’t be selfish at this point, you might as well

Ohio State will need significant growth from its offense over the next month, starting this week at Wisconsin. McCord looks better, but can be more targeted and accurate on players alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Cade Stover. The Buckeyes need better health and production from a running back room that hasn’t been there since 2021. The offensive line could be a lot more consistent.
A truly complete contender awaits November. The team is No. 25 in Michigan, a team that hasn’t had any blemishes so far this season and may be the best team under coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure. Ohio State hasn’t beaten the Wolverines since 2019 — the teams didn’t play in 2020 — but will head to Ann Arbor with a defense in good shape.
“If we can play like that, we’ll have a championship-class defense,” Day said. “And if we can continue to grow as a team, we’ll be hard to beat here later on.”