Football: Oregon punctures Ohio State's defense en route to 32-31 victory

Senior cornerback Denzel Burke (10) lines up before a snap in Ohio State’s 32-31 loss to Oregon Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Credit: Samuel Cipriani | Asst. Sports Editor

In the Buckeyes’ first defeat of the season, Oregon proved the Silver Bullets’ defense still has holes to fill.

The No. 3 Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) edged out No. 2 Ohio State (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) 32-31 Saturday at Autzen Stadium in a contest where the Buckeyes’ defense allowed 496 total yards.

These are the three biggest defensive takeaways from Ohio State’s loss to the Ducks. 

Setting the edge 

Eliminating pressure on quarterback Dillion Gabriel was a key difference maker for the Ducks.  

Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau only hurried Gabriel twice, whereas fellow edge rusher Jack Sawyer failed to make an impact, putting zero pressure on Oregon’s passer.  

The Ducks rushing attack racked up 155 yards and two touchdowns, including 115 yards and a score from Ducks running back James Jordan.

The Buckeyes defense only accumulated two tackles for loss and was likewise unable to tally a single sack. 

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said he and the rest of the Buckeyes’ coaching staff must reevaluate Ohio State’s defensive front to identify its areas for improvement.

“[Gabriel] does a good job of stepping up in the pocket,” Knowles said. “We knew that he’s a really good quarterback, and what we had didn’t work, so we certainly need to evaluate that whole process.”  

Denzel Burke

The Ducks picked on Buckeyes senior cornerback Burke all evening long. 

Contrary to many football fans’ expectations for Burke — a prospect many scouts had as a projected first-round pick — Ohio State’s star was unable to effectively respond as Oregon’s offense attacked him, regardless of the matchup. 

Early in the second quarter, Gabriel ripped a 69-yard bomb to wideout Evan Stewart with Burke on his trail, carrying the defensive back for 10 yards after the catch. Moments later, Stewart went over the top of Burke for a 10-yard touchdown pass. 

Two drives later, Burke was burnt by Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson on a 48-yard deep ball by Gabriel, the second touchdown of the night scored on the cornerback. 

But Burke wasn’t the only guilty party on the Buckeyes’ defense. 

The Ducks torched an Ohio State secondary that has allowed just 165 passing yards a game, more than doubling that number with 341 air yards Saturday.   

Day said his defense’s execution must improve for the Buckeyes to be successful in the future, attributing Ohio State’s faults to coaching and play in practice. 

“The ball got by twice like that over the top, and something that we preach a lot is x-plays and keeping it in front, making them work to know the ball down the field,” Day said. “It didn’t happen in this game, [that] starts with coaching, and we got to coach it better, demand it better and drill it better in practice.” 

Defensive scheming 

The Buckeyes’ defensive roster is deep and talented enough to compete with any offense in the country. 

In a close game like Saturday, however, coaching often beats talent, and Ohio State seemingly played right into Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s game plan.

The Ducks were able to sustain multiple long drives, “dinking and dunking” by scheming short completions and runs while simultaneously tiring out the Silver Bullets.  

The Ducks’ final possession saw Gabriel lead an 11-play, 74-yard drive in which Oregon took up over four minutes. 

The drive inevitably chewed enough time for the clock to run out on Ohio State in the game’s final moments. 

Knowles said the inability to capitalize on stops and getting behind schedule were major contributors to the Buckeyes’ loss. 

“Got to do a better job coaching; that’s it, that’s the bottom line,” Knowles said. “We didn’t make enough plays. I didn’t think we were outstanding in any area. [I] felt like we were always behind, it was uncharacteristic. We got to learn from it.”