Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from win over UNLV

2. Ohio State’s defenders delivered constant pressure

Ohio State’s defense must have been subletting from UNLV, because they never seem to leave the Rebels’ backfield.

On seemingly every play the Rebel offense ran, the team was met with immediate pressure from defensive coordinator Greg Schiano’s front-seven, and the results where what we expected.

The Buckeyes’ defense finished the game with 11 tackles for loss and four sacks, nearly doubling their 2017 season totals in both departments in only one game.

The team even recorded a safety against the Rebels after receiver Parris Campbell lost a fumble mere yards away from Ohio State’s endzone.

Simply put, the defense imposed their will on UNLV in impressive fashion.

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However, Ohio State’s defense did not pitch a perfect game in front of their home crowd.

The Buckeyes’ secondary, which only gave up 88 yards passing to the Rebels’ normally high-powered aerial attack, struggled with pass interference penalties throughout much of the game, including three big penalties in the first half that extended would-be three-and-out drives.

Ohio State’s cornerbacks play with a pro-style aggressive man-press technique, a coverage that can be incredibly effective at blanketing opposing receivers when performed correctly, but can also result in needless pass interference penalties due to over-aggressive hand fighting, something Ohio State fans saw firsthand in Week 4.

As the season progresses, the Ohio State Buckeyes’ young collection of defensive backs, a secondary that boasts three first-year starters in 2017, will need to tighten up this aspect of their collective game in the forthcoming weeks, as he high-powered offenses of the Big Ten will challenge the secondary early and often with much more talented receivers.