The Ohio State Buckeyes take a time-out during the Ohio State-Tulsa game Sept. 18. Ohio State won 41-20. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Unpleased with the defense following a defeat on their home turf to then-No. 12 Oregon, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day adjusted defensive coaching duties.
Day said secondary coach Matt Barnes took over play calling duties prior to last Saturday’s bout with Tulsa. Additionally, defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs relayed information from the press box rather than his familiar stance on the sidelines.
“We took a hard look and had a lot of hard conversations and tried to figure out what gives us the best chance to move forward,” Day said. “This is kind of the rhythm and the structure that we feel like right now is best suited for the defense.”
The switches resulted in a mixed bag, but showed promise and improvement.
While the box score indicates a 21-point win, the Buckeyes surrendered 428 passing yards, the eighth-most allowed during a single game in program history. However, Ohio State stuffed the Golden Hurricane to just 78 rushing yards, a large improvement from back-to-back 200-yard games to open the season.
Defensive improvement was visible against Tulsa, but the Buckeyes still have room to tighten things up. Day said he sees Barnes remaining in his play-calling role, with other coaches taking an all-hands-on-deck approach.
“It’s a team effort over there,” Day said. “But, I think the way things went was pretty smooth and hopefully we can grow on it.”
Coombs entered the season with sole responsibilities of the defensive coordinator role after splitting the job with since-retired Greg Mattison. Typically strolling the sidelines, Day said Coombs has taken Ohio State’s defensive coaching rearrangements in stride because of his passion for the program.
“He’s a professional. He’s a proud Buckeye,” Day said. “He’s done an unbelievable job in the last week of just pushing forward. He loves this place and wants to win. He’s still a big part of the defense and still has a lot to do with it and still sees everything through the eyes of the coordinator.”
Day said it’s a “give and take” when a coach works above in the press box versus down on the sideline where they get a chance to understand and look players in the eye.
Tangibly, Day said he was impressed with Ohio State’s back end, which broke up 10 passes and snagged two — nearly three — interceptions. The Buckeyes up front under the eye of defensive line coach Larry Johnson improved greatly on pass defense, but struggled to generate pressure and complete pass rush packages.
Ohio State’s defensive staff continues to fall into new roles, and Johnson said he adds another voice to their communication. Johnson called the defensive coaching unit “professional” and understanding of one another as they try to rekindle the dominance of Buckeye defenses past.
“As a coach, you just move forward as fast as you can and try to get everybody on the same page,” Johnson said. “That’s happening right now. Kerry has been outstanding, Matt has been outstanding, and we got a lot of guys in the room. Those guys have done a great job working as one unit and one coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball.”
Entering this week’s matchup against Akron, Ohio State’s total defense is ranked No. 13 in the Big Ten Conference while allowing over 181 rushing yards and 281 passing yards per game.
After becoming more involved defensively against Tulsa, Day said that changing the defensive play calling responsibilities was “a step in the right direction,” but time will tell how effective it will prove.
“There was definitely things to build on,” Day said. “This is a journey yet to be determined, and that’s the fun part about coaching college football, is that year in and year out, the dynamics change; people change. This is a unique challenge. This is a new journey that we’re on.”
