The Ohio State Buckeyes walk out of the tunnel before the Ohio State-Akron game Sept. 25. Ohio State won 59-7. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
No. 10 Ohio State entered Saturday night with four sacks through three games. Graduate defensive tackle Haskell Garrett entered with just two sacks in his five-year career.
Both parties more than doubled their respective totals against Akron.
The Buckeyes tallied nine sacks to tie for the fourth-most in a single game in program history, and Garrett accounted for three of them.
“I really just stopped counting,” Garrett said. “The sacks don’t really matter. What matters is that we played undeniable defense tonight as a defensive front. That’s all I was worried about.”
Despite allowing a touchdown to redshirt sophomore quarterback DJ Irons and the Zips on their second series, Ohio State held Akron to 229 total yards of offense — its fewest of the season by over 175 yards.
Akron had 153 passing yards and just 76 more on the ground. The Zips faced more pressure during the drive between Ohio State’s pair of touchdowns when the game was tied in the first quarter. Garrett made two sacks to help for an Akron punt.
Garrett said the Buckeyes’ defensive game plan was to improve their technique and put pressure on the Zips.
“Our game plan was just to play relentless,” Garrett said. “[Defensive line coach Larry Johnson] set a goal for us and he said, ‘I want you guys to play fast, I want you guys to play relentless, but also have fun.’ ”
The Buckeyes muzzled Akron to less than 37 yards in each of the second and third quarters and blitzed the Zips to four sacks entering halftime. This came after the Zips averaged four yards per play in the first quarter, when head coach Ryan Day said he thought the team’s confidence began to mount.
“I do feel a little bit like in that first series — on both sides — we were kind of feeling our way around,” Day said. “Then, all of a sudden, we kick-started it and got rolling and played with confidence for the rest of the game.”
Freshman defensive lineman Tyleik Williams led the team with six tackles, including two for loss and two sacks. Behind Williams, though, was redshirt sophomore linebacker Steele Chambers.
Chambers converted to defense after spending the first two years of his Buckeyes career as a running back, amassing 221 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Georgia native also added a pass break-up and acknowledged the increasing opportunity he may have in a linebackers room that saw two subtractions in the last week.
“I definitely feel at home right now. We’ve got a great group in the ‘Silver Bullets,’ ” Chambers said. “Everyone likes to do their job and that’s what I’m doing. I’m just doing my job.”
The Buckeyes saw sacks from defensive linemen senior Jerron Cage, sophomore Ty Hamilton, graduate Antwuan Jackson and freshman Jack Sawyer. Akron was sacked on its final two plays of the game, sandwiched between a timeout.
Saturday’s performance was a shining moment for the Buckeyes’ pass rush, which had been surrounded by skepticism after allowing over 181 rushing yards per game and having just 11 tackles for loss. Jackson said the plan for the Zips was simple.
“The plan was to cage [Irons] and for the interior just to eat up and get the crumbs and just get the sacks,” Jackson said. “That’s what we did.”
Ohio State walked away with a doubled number of tackles for loss and added onto its takeaways total, as well, with two interceptions.
While the numbers may pop off the page, Garrett said Saturday’s game was about more than just statistics.
“I think for the most part, we didn’t really hone in on our opponent; we honed in on looking in the mirror and how can we get better as an individual, as a unit, as a whole team,” Garrett said. “Really, it’s just focusing on ourselves and being the best ourselves.”
