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Oct. 2—COLUMBUS — This week in Ohio State football defensive coordinator Jim Knowles hopes his unit needs less time to find its footing.
On the other side of the ball, Ryan Day and Chip Kelly still sound more worried about continuing to develop their attack over the long haul.
Let’s examine five areas of interest for the Buckeyes this week as they prepare to play host to an Iowa team looking for a signature win:
1. Caleb Downs has been “activated.”
The sophomore safety who transferred to Ohio State after an All-SEC season at Alabama could be the ace in the hole for Knowles.
He calls the free safety position Downs plays primarily the “Adjuster,” but the Georgia native showed he can be a fixer Saturday when he had a team-high six tackles.
That included one for loss on the first play of the third quarter that set the tone for a second half in which the Buckeyes allowed 60 yards and no points after giving up 186 and seven, respectively, in the first.
“I think for the first couple of games, the game got a little bit lopsided later on so you don’t see them playing a full game, but that’s here now,” head coach Ryan Day said. “And Caleb made some huge plays, especially in that middle eight (minutes of the game).
“His preparation is remarkable, and just the amount of work he puts in and his ability to play really fast certainly is part of his makeup.”
2. Ohio State wants to start faster on defense
The Buckeyes’ last two opponents both came out looking sharp on offense.
Marshall went 75 yards for a touchdown on its first possession and tacked on seven more just before halftime two weeks ago while Michigan State reached the red zone three times in the first half (not counting when the Spartans got the ball at the Ohio State 12 after a turnover).
Neither opponent did much after halftime, but Knowles would prefer not to have to wait…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/week-ohio-state-football-defense-010800210.html
Author : Dayton Daily News, Ohio
Publish date : 2024-10-03 01:08:00
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