Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles will be ready…but will the Buckeye defense execute to perfection? (Press Pros File Photos)
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles knows how to get the play calls in fast whether a team plays with fast tempo or not. He’s been doing it for years.
Ohio State’s intense defensive preparation for Tennessee has been this: Think about how to effectively counter the way the Volunteers’ up-tempo offense wants to confuse decision making.
The Buckeyes know they must play with great focus, but they aren’t worried.
Nothing has proven to alter the confidence Jim Knowles’ defense has in its preparation. The Oregon loss only strengthened their resolve. And in a game against Tennessee that projects as a defensive struggle, the defense welcomes the challenge of being called upon to be the group to win the game.
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“We have enough talent on defense, and obviously we have a great defensive coordinator in Coach Knowles, where we should be able to win any game on defense,” linebacker Sonny Styles said this week.
The defense might need to do just that starting at 8 p.m. Saturday in the 8-9 game of the College Football Playoffs quarterfinals. Because the Volunteers bring their own highly regarded defense into the cold confines of Ohio Stadium.
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“Their coach does a great job putting people in positions where you can only play one thing and making it a one-on-one game,” safety Caleb Downs said. “They do it at a really elite level, and it’s going to be tough to go against.”
In practice, the scout team played as fast as possible. Sometimes the defense turned its back while the offense aligned. When the defense turned around it had precious seconds to get into position.
The goal: Recognize immediately, play fast and don’t think. Just go.
“It makes your brain think faster and just be ready for anything,” linebacker Cody Simon said of the practice tactics.
Cody Simon understands the Knowles scheme, especially the importance of the takeaways.
Every team has its no-huddle, fast-tempo rhythm when it wants to throw a changeup and when it needs to race the clock. There was a time not that many years ago when fast tempo was the gimmick everyone tried.
For Tennessee and head coach Josh Heupel, a former Heisman runner-up quarterback, fast tempo is the staple. And he’s the play-calling mastermind. He wants to snap the ball with 20 or more seconds remaining on the play clock. The Vols are No. 10 in the nation with 74.6 snaps per game. Ohio State ranks No. 121 at 63.3.
In creating a fast-moving chess match, Heupel’s goals are simple: Put the defense’s brain a second behind the snap. Create one-on-one situations for the secondary with wider than normal space between the receivers. Make defenders tackle in space. Keep them guessing.
Heupel’s hijinks are chaos to the unprepared.
But Knowles learned how to get ready for fast-paced play callers when he ran David Cutcliffe’s defense at Duke from 2011-17. Cutcliffe told Knowles to create the fastest play-calling defense in football. So he did.
Knowles has followed that directive ever since, and he believes that title is accurate at Ohio State.
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“Whenever you can get the call in faster and play at a high level and play without thought, that’s a really good thing for your team,” Downs said.
The fast tempo, however, has its limitations. The defense can catch its breath and have more time to line up in many situations. In addition to the first play of the possession, Heupel slows down his process on third-and-longs and in the red zone. That’s when he takes time to stop and think.
Tempo is typically thought of as a pass-first offense. But the Vols ran the ball 545 times and threw it 343 times this season. They average 232 yards rushing and 230.9 passing.
The man for the Buckeyes to stop is running back Dylan Sampson. He rushed for almost 1,500 yards and was named offensive player of the year in the SEC. He’s a patient runner with enough burst to break long runs. And redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava can take off and gain first downs.
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The Vols lean on the run game for a reason. Iamaleava has the lowest QBR rating in the playoffs. He’s getting sacked 10 percent of the time, and that’s good news for Ohio State’s pass rush that has grown into being third in the nation in sack rate and fourth in pressure rate.
The Buckeyes are a 7.5-point favorite and have much going for themselves.
The Michigan loss is behind them. And that result is even more motivation to make something special out of the playoffs. They did that two years ago when they lost 42-41 to Georgia in the semifinals because of a badly missed field goal.
This defense is better, and this Tennessee defense is not the level of what Georgia won the national title with in 2022.
OSU’s Sonny Styles and the defense will need to step up again to stop an unpredictable Vols’ offense.
The Ohio State defense fixed many flaws after the loss to Oregon. They are not to blame for the loss against Michigan. But they don’t see it that way. Knowles said if it takes 3-0 to win, then that’s what the defense must do.
Knowles’ players repeat his sentiments, and no amount of handling tempo will change their minds. They are prepared to put this game on their shoulders and lead the victory.
“We’re frustrated enough that we should have played well enough to win the game,” Styles said of the Michigan game. “There shouldn’t be any kind of pointing fingers at the offense. There was a time and point where we didn’t play so well, and people talked about us losing games. And we turned around and ended up being one of the best defenses in the country, so I got full confidence in our offense to play well.”
If it’s the offense or the defense or both who plays well enough to win, the past will fade farther away. And thoughts will continue to focus on what it takes to win a national championship.
“Sometimes you can’t accomplish all your goals,” Simon said, “but we have the opportunity to accomplish the biggest goal possible.”
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