ATLANTA — The Ohio State defense has been under fire the past month, the fallout from the Buckeyes’ second-half collapse against Michigan.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been around long enough to know how to handle it, and he also knows how good Ohio State looked in the vast majority of those other 11 games.
Psychologically, Knowles is already putting it to work leading up to the CFP Peach Bowl Semifinal against Georgia at 8 p.m. on Saturday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It gives us a chip,” Knowles said. “If no one is expecting us to do anything because of that, that’s good.”
UGA offensive coordinator Todd Monken has been around the block, too, and he’s not buying into any talk that the Buckeyes’ defense is suddenly susceptible.
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‘They’re very difficult to prepare for, they’re very disruptive, he has an absence of fear, is not afraid to pressure you,” Monken said, “and we have our hands full just like we do against any talented team and talented staff.”
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Ohio State is no worse now than it was before that 45-23 loss to Michigan, in Monken’s estimation.
“They lost to a good football team, that happens,” Monken said. “This week, a good team is gonna lose. Last year we played Michigan, a good team lost. When we played Alabama, one time we won one time we lost. That’s the way it goes.
“You prepare your ass off, fight like hell to have the product you want it to look like. When you play good teams there’s no guarantee it’s going to go your way.”
The Buckeyes’ national ranks in defensive categories isn’t terrible:
Total defense: No. 12, 303.9
Run defense: No. 25, 119.9 yards per game
Pass efficiency defense: No. 15, 184.0 yards per game
Scoring defense: No. 13, 19.25 points per game
Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom made it clear the Buckeyes are eager to put the Michigan game behind them and show what they are really all about.
“Sometimes people forget what our defense has done all year and how they performed all year,” Ransom said. “But at the end of the day, our defense didn’t come to play in the biggest game of the season.
“So now we are in a bigger game, and we are excited to see what our defense is all about. I can’t wait for us to show the world what our defense is.”
Indeed, the Ohio State loss to Michigan came down to six plays that went for 45 yards or more — only two that Knowles said he would scheme differently if given a second chance.
The Wolverines got 170 of their 252 yards rushing on two Donovan Edwards runs of 75 and 85 yards with the Buckeyes in a gambling mode to get the ball back in the fourth quarter.
Outside of those two flukey runs, Michigan totaled just 92 yards on 33 other rushes.
Also worth noting, Wolverines Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was only 12-of-24 passing, but he had three big TD passes of 45, 69 and 75 yards.
Time will tell if Georgia has the elite pass-catching talent outside of Brock Bowers to strike in that fashion, as Ladd McConkey has missed practices, and A.D. Mitchell might not be completely back up to speed.
Cleveland.com Ohio State beat writer Nathan Baird took time to weigh-in on who, what and where this Buckeyes defense is at in our 5-question Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl scouting report series.
QUESTION: What’s the most important thing to know about the Buckeyes’ defense, strengths, weaknesses?
NATHAN BAIRD: “Jim Knowles brought in a more aggressive approach. The linebackers in particular now play downhill and have become a real weapon.
Knowles’ goal is to confuse and frustrate quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. He wants them not to trust what they see because he mixes in disguised pressures and brings blitzes from a variety of angles.
However, this aggression occasionally backfires, such as on the first touchdown Michigan scored in the regular-season finale.
Ohio State’s cornerback play in particular has been iffy at times, especially when making plays on the ball downfield.
But the defensive line has improved, especially from a pass rush standpoint, as the season progressed.
J.T. Tuimoloau has true game-wrecker potential, Zach Harrison is an underrated veteran and defensive tackle Mike Hall, if healthy, can be OSU’s most impactful defensive player on a given night.”
