In the few battles of undefeated teams, 4-0 Ohio State hosts 5-0 Maryland. This is a matchup of the two best offenses in the Big Ten as the Terps average 454.8 yards per game and the Buckeyes get 447.5 per. Conversely, the Buckeyes and their 298.5 passing yards per game lead the conference and Maryland’s 297.4 yards come in second. With all of this focus on the high-flying offenses, there is an Ohio State defensive unit that has to step up to stop Taulia Tagovailoa and that Maryland offense.
For as star-studded as the Ohio State defensive line is, they have not produced at the level expected from OSU defensive lines. On the year, they’ve managed just three sacks from three different players. One of which, Hero Kanu, is a backup. With how good this Ohio State defensive unit is supposed to be, this is a vast underperformance and will need to step up against a very good Maryland team.
Tuimoloau, Sawyer, and Company Must Step Up vs. Maryland
These Terrapins Aren’t Average Turtles
Maryland’s offense has, for the most part, been quite efficient. Tagovailoa leads the Big Ten with 1,464 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 111 completions. In five games, he’s only thrown three interceptions. While he is a fantastic thrower of the football, he has his offensive line to thank.
Thus far, the Maryland line:
- Allowed one sack vs. Towson (Maryland’s final offensive play with backups)
- Allowed one sack vs. Charlotte
- Allowed one sack vs. Virginia
- Allowed no sacks vs. Michigan State
- Allowed no sacks vs. Indiana
Needless to say, this is a solid unit even if the quality of play was not quite up to par. Last year, Ohio State sacked Tagovailoa five times, four of which came from the defensive line. While it’s true Maryland hasn’t quite faced the talent Ohio State will trot out there, the Buckeyes haven’t exactly fared well against good offensive lines. Notre Dame has one of the best units in the nation and the Buckeyes didn’t touch Sam Hartman and only managed 1.5 tackles for loss.
It’s Time to Get Home
According to Sports Info Solutions (a competitor to Pro Football Focus), the Buckeyes’ defensive line has been able to generate pressure thus far. In terms of Opponent-Adjusted Pressure Rate, Ohio State leads the nation with an 89% score. In layman’s terms, if OSU got pressure on Notre Dame 53% of the time and the Irish, on average previously, allowed pressure on 25% of plays, that’s a net +28% for Ohio State. So, in essence, they’re creating pressure at a higher-than-average rate for each opponent to date. Those numbers are completely hypothetical to create an example.
Against the Irish, Ohio State generated 19 pressures. Heading into that game, Notre Dame had allowed no more than 12 in a single game. Despite all of that pressure, Hartman was not sacked. Generating pressure is great and can open things up in the long run. However, not finishing on those pressures was why it took Ohio State a last-second touchdown to win rather than taking control of the game at any point.
The interior defensive line has been having a solid year thus far. Tyleik Williams and Mike Hall, Jr. have been showing out. Williams, the athletic tackle who has been generating plenty of NFL Draft hype, is third on the team with 21 tackles, three for loss, a sack, a pass breakup, and even scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery. Meanwhile, Hall’s impact has been off of the stat sheet. He’s been opening things up for Williams as well as those talented edge rushers.
Plain and simple, Jack Sawyer and Jaylahn Tuimoloau have to take over this game. They both have 10 pressures under their belt thus far and will have to finish the job against an offense that does not get stopped often.
Make the Secondary’s Job Easier
As the pressures mount from the Ohio State defensive unit upfront, it opens up the game for the back end. As Sawyer, Tuimoloau and the rest of the line get to Tagovailoa, it frees up the corners to play a bit more physically.
One thing is for certain: Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun love to play a physical kind of football. To date, the pair have recorded seven pass break-ups between them to go with 22 tackles (20 of which are Igbinosun’s), 1.5 tackles for loss, and an interception.
To date, Burke has played 102 coverage snaps and has been targeted 18 times. He’s allowed six catches for 73 yards. The crucial thing is his lack of penalties. Igbinosun, on the other hand, has been targeted and has committed a few penalties. However, this is in line with his play style. He’s a sticky and athletic corner and Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles has described him as “aggressive.”
With sticky and physical corners like Burke and Igbinosun, getting pressure and rattling Tagovailoa will pay dividends.
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