Ohio State walked out of Ohio Stadium with a 42-19 win over Illinois. Ryan Day still had plenty to clean up when he got back to the film. The Buckeyes gave up 462 yards. Day did not try to dress it up.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Way too many yards and too many explosive plays,” Day said. “Obviously got on the film, recognized some of the breakdowns that happened, and got to get them fixed. Too many mistakes.”
Asked Monday on 97.1 The Fan what needed to improve defensively, he went straight to the run game.
“It starts with the run game,” Day also said.
In truth, that wasn’t the only problem. Ohio State spent much of the afternoon trying to manufacture pressure, and that came with a price. The Buckeyes played more man coverage and sent extra rushers at Illinois quarterback Katin Houser.
In total, as per PFF, Ohio State blitzed on 23 of Houser’s 44 dropbacks. The pressure produced three sacks. It also opened the door for Illinois to hit big plays. Illinois averaged more than six yards per carry.
Bret Bielema’s team also broke off 15 plays of at least 10 yards. So, Ryan Day isn’t at peace with a win that looks dominant on paper. He wants improvement.
That is a notable change from what Ohio State had shown through the first three games. Before Illinois, none of the Buckeyes’ opponents had produced more than one play of at least 20 yards. Simply put, there were breakdowns in coverage and communication.
The Buckeyes were asking defensive backs to hold up in man coverage while the pass rush tried to get home. When one player lost his assignment, or a pressure failed to arrive, Illinois had room to attack.
Right in the fourth quarter, Illinois QB Katin Houser took advantage of OSU’s secondary lining up in single coverage. Since the initial pass rush failed to disrupt Illinois’ play, Houser quickly threw for a 27-yard touchdown, capping off the 75-yard drive.
Another instance is when Ca’Lil Valentine had that 33-yard explosive play. OSU was frequently playing in man coverage, and Valentine leaked easily from the backfield in the shuffle.
Man coverage also contributed to Aidan Laughery’s 113 rushing yards on 11 carries. Still, there were some good moments, though, the offense saved the day.
Ryan Day’s defense recorded 12 pass breakups, its highest total in a game since producing 15 against Indiana in 2012. Jaylen McClain had four, Devin Sanchez had three, and Jermaine Mathews Jr. added two.
The defense also managed to hold Illinois to only two touchdowns across nine drives despite all those yards. That kept the game from becoming uncomfortable for the Buckeyes.
Especially since Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith put together a massive afternoon on the other side of the ball. But the defensive margin was much thinner than the final score suggested.
That becomes important now because Ohio State is heading into October. Iowa is next, followed by road games against Indiana and USC later in the month. Those games will put more pressure on a defense that has already rotated heavily.
Twenty-one different defenders played at least 10 snaps against Illinois. The rotation is partly about finding the right combinations. Ohio State lost eight defensive starters from last season, so some of this was always going to take time.
The problem is that the schedule is not waiting for the unit to become comfortable. Curt Cignetti’s Indiana has the most obvious way to test the Buckeyes immediately.
The Hoosiers just watched Lee Beebe Jr. run for 203 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries against Northwestern. Indiana finished with 271 rushing yards in a 29-23 victory, averaging more than 8 yards per carry. The other piece is QB play.
Indiana’s Josh Hoover completed 19 of 29 passes for 201 yards against Northwestern without throwing an interception. If Ohio State commits extra defenders to stopping Beebe, Indiana has a QB capable of taking the easier throws behind it.
Linebacker Payton Pierce recognizes the problem. He said the defense’s communication has to improve, particularly when it comes to recognizing formations and situations.
He also believes the Buckeyes have enough depth to eventually settle into a more reliable group. Now, it needs to happen almost overnight since Iowa is also coming off a huge win against Michigan and will test Ryan Day to the absolute limit.