Ohio State football: 3 takeaways from win over Western Kentucky

3. Ohio State’s defensive line Is still not getting enough pressure

It’s hard to nitpick a 63-10 victory, but the defensive line is still having trouble getting to the quarterback without bringing additional rushers from the linebackers or secondary. As the offense came alive, so did the defense, who caused four turnovers Saturday afternoon, including a fumble recovery in the endzone by defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. However, the Buckeyes only recorded two sacks on the afternoon.

As Ohio State turns its attention to Notre Dame this week, there will be a lot of focus placed on the defensive line’s inability to get home against the quarterback. Ohio State’s sack totals through three games are not impressive. They have totaled only five sacks this season, two of which came in mop-up duty late in the game.

The other three sacks have come from the defensive tackles and a linebacker on a blitz. The Buckeyes are going to need their two starting five-star defensive ends to step up and start to get more pressure at some point. J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer have yet to get that elusive sack and at some point, they are going to start to press.

Next week against Notre Dame, and it’s the kind of game where Tuimoloau and Sawyer need to wreak havoc. If they are ever going to reach their recruiting ranking expectations, this is the game to do it in.