Ohio State graduate defensive end Jonathon Cooper (0) braces to hit Penn State redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford (14) Oct. 31. Ohio State won 38-25. Credit: Noah Riffe | The Daily Collegian
After having a less-than-impressive outing against Nebraska in its season opener, the Ohio State defensive line bounced back in a big way against No. 18 Penn State.
Sacking Penn State redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford five times and limiting the Penn State rushing attack, Ohio State’s defensive front had a strong first outing on the road. Graduate defensive end Jonathon Cooper said the Buckeyes needed this performance on the defensive front following the sluggish start to the season.
“I feel like we had a great game as a defensive line, just coming together I feel like we worked and we prepared for this in the offseason, we talked about this and I really do love my unit,” Cooper said Saturday in a Zoom conference call.
In the season opener against Nebraska, Ohio State’s defensive front struggled to limit Nebraska’s rushing attack, particularly from the quarterback position. In its bout with Penn State, the Buckeye front held the Nittany Lions to 44 rushing yards, with only five coming from Clifford — who was coming off an 119-yard performance on the ground in week one against Indiana.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he felt the defensive line did a solid job in terms of disrupting Penn State’s offensive rhythm.
Penn State head coach James Franklin said the Nittany Lions planned on taking advantage of the quarterback run, however the Buckeyes were able to shut it down.
With special attention on the Penn State running game, Cooper said that if the Buckeyes want to be an elite defense, they have to be able to stop the run.
“I feel like in order to be a great defense, you have to stop the run,” Cooper said. “That’s a huge emphasis for us, is stopping the run early.”
The Buckeyes also put pressure on Clifford in the passing game, sacking him five times.
Much of the pressure came from the inside as junior defensive tackle Tommy Togiai had a breakout performance, collecting a career- and team-high three sacks and seven tackles.
With the strong performance from the interior, Cooper praised Togiai and senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett — who added two tackles against Penn State — for their play to this point in the season.
“I think they’re amazing. I think they have been playing the best football of their careers,” Cooper said. “Just with their effort, how focused they are, their leadership and everything in between. They’ve been doing great.”
On the outside, the Buckeye ends also feasted against Penn State’s offensive tackles.
Cooper led the Buckeye exterior attack, gathering five tackles and half a sack, in what he called one of the better performances of his career.
Sophomore defensive end Zach Harrison also added 0.5 sacks and four tackles with 1.5 being for a loss.
With its strong play Saturday, Cooper said he sees Ohio State’s group of defensive ends as one of the best units in the nation.
Although the defensive line unit helped shut down the Penn State offensive attack, Franklin was complimentary of the Buckeyes’ defensive front.
“Obviously not being able to have a running game with a D-Line like that, that can just tee off on you in the passing game,” Franklin said. “You gotta be balanced.”
As the Buckeyes collected their second straight win, Cooper — who serves as a captain for the Buckeyes — said his leadership on the defensive front played a key role in the unit’s dominant performance Saturday.
“I feel like my leadership showed a lot tonight, just speaking for my defense and getting them going,” Cooper said. “I think my leadership throughout the whole entire game was my best performance regardless of what I did on the field.”
