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Dec. 29—COLUMBUS — Cody Simon probably knew the question was coming, and the Ohio State senior linebacker handled it well.
Was the defense’s showing in the first game again Oregon an anomaly or something more of the Buckeyes’ limitations on that side of the ball?
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Simon said Friday. “I mean, we definitely did not play to our standard no matter what. I mean, that’s No. 1, but they also played a good game. And we’re both good teams — that’s why we’re in the Rose Bowl next playing against each other.”
The box score from the Ducks’ 32-31 win Oct. 12 certainly stands out from the rest on the Ohio State schedule.
Oregon ran for a respectable 155 yards but threw for 341, by far the most for an Ohio State opponent this season.
Not only were the Ducks the only team to surpass 400 total yards against the Buckeyes, no one else has reached even 300.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 23 of 34 passes and ran for 32 yards, including a key 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter as the teams traded the lead three times, and he was able to hit a handful of big pass plays that put the Buckeyes on their heels and kept them off balance most of the night.
That sent Ohio State into its second open weekend of the season wondering if all the progress that appeared to be made in the first two-plus seasons under coordinator Jim Knowles had been a mirage.
Another small performance in a big game sent fans into a tizzy, too, but Knowles just went back to the drawing board.
While he has consistently resisted getting into specifics when asked about what changes he made, the Buckeyes have clearly been more active up front and changed coverages more in the secondary since getting lit up by the Ducks.
Simon has been more active at linebacker while senior ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau have appeared more…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-defense-hungry-150800245.html
Author : Dayton Daily News, Ohio
Publish date : 2024-12-29 15:08:00
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