Ohio State Football: 2 Keys to Finishing the Season Undefeated

Ohio State is chasing two goals right now. Winning the Big Ten Championship and staying in the hunt for the BCS National Championship game. Both are predicated on remaining unbeaten.

To accomplish these goals, Ohio State will need to test the philosophy that defense wins championships. The Buckeyes defense may rank No. 13 in scoring defense, allowing just 18.8 points per game, but it is noticeably flawed.

Last week, the defense yielded 420 yards to a hapless Illinois team. Fans are openly wondering if this unit is the weak link in the Buckeyes’ pursuit of perfection.

Seeing any significant improvement on this side of the ball seems unlikely. Injuries have depleted the depth at linebacker, and the secondary is still reeling from the loss of Christian Bryant. The best outcome is to continue to bend but not break.

There’s little doubt that the defense will play a role in how this team finishes the season. It just won’t play the pivotal role. Coach Urban Meyer will have to focus on the team’s strengths to earn the hardware. Here are the two keys Ohio State must continue doing to end the season undefeated.

Counterpunching

The Buckeyes have a lot of Jekyll and Hyde in their DNA. They typically come out of the gate on fire, jumping out to sizable leads early in games. Whether from a lack of focus or boredom kicking in, the Buckeyes also have a tendency to lay off the pedal, letting inferior teams stay in the game much longer than…

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