Ohio State graduate defensive end Jonathon Cooper (0) runs onto the field during the Ohio State-Nebraska game on Oct. 24. Ohio State won 52-17. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Despite losing former star defensive end Chase Young to the NFL, Ohio State’s pass rush has still largely been a disruption for opposing passing games.
Against Indiana, the Buckeyes put a tremendous amount of pressure on Hoosier redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr., but only sacked him twice. Although the Buckeyes are creating pressure, graduate defensive end Jonathon Cooper said they’re working to get to the quarterback quicker and finish the play before he can get the ball out.
“You just gotta keep going, that’s what I tell my guys like, ‘Keep going,’” Cooper said Tuesday. “We have to figure out how to get home faster. I feel like we were winning and getting our pressures but what we try to be really critical of is how can we be a second faster, a step faster.”
Ohio State put near-constant pressure on Penix, however it did not deter him from having a career day, finishing the game with 491 passing yards and five touchdowns. Buckeye defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said Ohio State finished the game with 28 pressures and 10 quarterback knockdowns.
Coombs shared a similar sentiment to Cooper and praised Penix’s ability to get the ball out.
“I think we’re getting very good pressure,” Coombs said Tuesday. “I thought their quarterback did a really nice job just standing in there and getting rid of the ball just before sacks, under a lot of pressure, and he was an accurate thrower in those situations. But I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can rush the passer.”
As the Buckeye secondary has had struggles this season, especially against Penix and the Hoosiers, they would greatly benefit from an increased amount of sacks from the defensive front.
As a third-year captain, Cooper said he trusts the leaders on the defensive backend to take care of business back there while the defensive front works on rushing the passer.
“As a defensive lineman who’s focused on the defensive line, I don’t play secondary, I’m not supposed to go there and tell them what they need to do and what they need to fix,” Cooper said. “I trust my players, I trust the leaders back there that they’re gonna get the job done and that’s what you do as a captain.”
Through four games, the Ohio State defensive front has collected 11 sacks — good enough for fourth in the Big Ten. Junior defensive tackle Tommy Togiai leads the Buckeyes with three sacks, all of which he obtained in Ohio State’s 38-25 win over Penn State Oct. 31.
On the defensive line, Ohio State employs a four-down lineman front, which head coach Ryan Day said is the primary source of their pass rushing strategy.
At times, the four-down defensive linemen are not enough to create sufficient pressure. In order to get the ball out of the opposing quarterback’s hands quicker, Day said that the Buckeyes could turn to more blitzing as a way to get the ball out quicker.
“When you bring pressure and you bring one more guy, it certainly helps,” Day said Tuesday. “We also have to be opportunistic with blitzing and keeping them on their heels so they can’t just screw their cleats in the ground and know where we’re coming from, so anytime we can do that to change it up is good.”
Although the Buckeye defensive front ranks in the top-five in the conference in sacks, Cooper said the impact of gathering even more sacks will help ease up issues in different areas of the defense.
With the Buckeyes entering the stretch run of the regular season already, Cooper said the focus is on improving in all aspects of his game.
“But as far as right now, I’m just focused on what I can do to get better each and every week,” Cooper said. “I feel like I’ve been playing alright, but I know there’s a lot of things in my game that I can get better at.”
