Ohio State’s defense lives by the battle cry “Give us an inch of grass and we will defend it.” It is a motivational motto heavy on heart and hell-bent on pulling the plug on electric offenses that grab all the headlines.
There is nothing sexy about short-yardage defense, at least not compared to the trapeze act of the modern passing game, of which Ohio State is the most high-flying of them all.
Kids don’t grow up wanting to be defensive tackles. Fans don’t buy jerseys sporting double-digit numbers beginning with 9. Even the name of the area where short-yardage defenses do business – the trenches – fails as an appealing office location.
Yet looking back at Ohio State’s season, the biggest determining factor in why the Buckeyes made it to the College Football Playoff championship game against Notre Dame was because the Buckeyes refused to give an inch.
Most famously, needing to stop Texas on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the Cotton Bowl semifinal playoff game, the Buckeyes threw four fastballs, the last of which struck out the Longhorns.
It will be remembered mostly that Texas went down swinging when OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer sacked quarterback Quinn Ewers, then scooped up the fumble and lumbered 83 yards for the clinching touchdown, creating a tagline − The Adventures of Jack Sawyer − that will live on in scarlet and gray lore. The three stops before that were just as important: a Texas run up the gut stopped for no gain; a 7-yard loss on second down when safeties Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom shot through to tag-team the Texas running back on a toss sweep; and a Ewers incompletion on third down while under pressure from Sawyer.
It should be noted that Texas wasn’t driving for the lead, unless the Horns opted to attempt a two-point conversion, but the goal-line stand stalled Texas’ chance to tie, and Sawyer’s rumble with the fumble ended things in the 28-14 win.
So on a night when freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith caught one pass for 3 yards, the stars of the show were hulking linemen, with strong assists from linebackers and safeties.
Ohio State defense deserves MVP award
A not-so-secret? More than OSU’s flashy offense, it is the defense that deserves to be named team MVP of the 2024 season.
“Coach Day tells us all the time that we win the game,” defensive tackle Ty Hamilton said. “If the defensive line is playing good and making plays, you can win the game all by ourselves.”
Ohio State proved that against Texas. But shutting down the Longhorns was not OSU’s only season-saving stop. Lost in the euphoria of the playoff run was a huge goal-line stand against Penn State that preserved the Buckeyes’ 20-13 win in State College on Nov. 2
In a tough setting, Ohio State’s defend-the-inch mantra lived itself out. The Nittany Lions faced first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, tried three times to score on runs and turned the ball over on downs when quarterback Drew Allar threw incomplete on fourth down with 5:13 left. The Buckeyes then powered out from near their goal line to run out the clock.
Were there incredible offensive performances this season? Of course. TreVeyon Henderson’s 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run off a swing pass late in the first half against Texas immediately comes to mind. Smith was a beast all season and Emeka Egbuka was the trustworthy go-to guy when Ohio State absolutely needed a first down. After transferring from Kansas State, fifth year senior Will Howard transformed himself into a more than just capable, and sometimes great, quarterback. The Buckeyes don’t make a playoff run without him.
Were there incredible offensive performances this season? Of course. TreVeyon Henderson’s 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run off a swing pass late in the first half against Texas immediately comes to mind. Smith was a beast all season and Emeka Egbuka was the trustworthy go-to guy when Ohio State absolutely needed a first down. After transferring from Kansas State, fifth year senior Will Howard transformed himself into a more than just capable, and sometimes great, quarterback. The Buckeyes don’t make a playoff run without him.
But the offense, more than the defense, also was responsible for melting against Michigan, when puckered-up play calling contributed to a 13-10 Wolverines win.
Silver Bullets perform like trustworthy pickup truck
If the Buckeyes’ offense was the muscle car that jumps 0-60 mph in four seconds, except when it stalls out, the defense was the dependable pickup truck that can be relied on to get the job done.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles deserves credit for having been behind the wheel of that truck, but he consistently downplayed his role, saying his players were the real defensive drivers.
“The guys deserve all the praise in the world,” Knowles said. “We have the No. 1 defense in the country. We have a bad play every now and then, but these guys for two years have been pretty damn good.”
Now for some Ohio State history that is almost spooky in its similarity to this season, as if the spirit of defense past showed itself again this season:
It was 70 years ago that another OSU goal line stand saved the season, one game before the national championship. Hmm. In the 1954 Michigan game, with the game tied at 7-all in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines had first-and-goal at the Buckeyes’ 4-yard line.
It is not necessary for Ohio State fans to choose sides – offense or defense? – as they look back on a season that resurrected after the Michigan loss. But I am guessing OSU history will shine brightest on the “other” side of the ball, which didn’t give an inch, allowing the Buckeyes to go another mile.