Ohio State Football: 3 bold predictions vs. UNLV in Week 4

2. The Rebels don’t score a point against Buckeye’s defense

After fielding one of the six best defenses in all of college football last season, Ohio State’s defense has been off to a slow start in 2017.

After losing 4 starters to the 2017 NFL Draft, including three of their four starters from the secondary, the Buckeyes’ new-look defense is filled with talent, but light on in-game experience.

However, the team’s Week 4 game against UNLV could very well be the game where they finally put it all together.

In the first two games of the season, the UNLV offensive line has only given up one sack, but that number could quadruple after their Week 4 bout against Ohio State.

This mismatch could give the Buckeyes’ veteran front-seven a golden opportunity to continue their defensive dominance, and rack up even more sacks to go with the seven they have already amassed in 2017.

If the Buckeyes’ defensive line, led by sophomore edge rusher Nick Bosa, is able to deliver the pressure they have built their reputation on, it could help to alleviate the pressure on the Buckeyes’ young secondary.

Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano typically deploys his defensive backs in man press coverage with a single-high safety, a scheme that requires his cornerbacks to go one-on-one against opposing receivers with little help from over the top, so maintaining a quality pass rush will shorten the amount of time the cornerbacks have to maintain their coverage, and will undoubtedly help to improve the unit’s confidence going into Big Ten play in Week 5.