With 10 starters returning in 2012, Ohio State’s defense was supposed to be one of the best in all of college football last year.
It didn’t work out that way at the start of the year, though, as the Buckeyes struggled with teams who attacked the perimeter of their defense.
As a result, Ohio State gave up an average of 400 yards per game to its first seven opponents. The tipping point for the team and head coach Urban Meyer came in Week 7, when the Indiana Hoosiers torched the Buckeyes for 481 yards of total offense on their way to scoring 49 points.
But Ohio State’s defense improved dramatically over the last five games of the season, and especially in November. Over the course of the final month of regular season play, the Buckeyes’ defense ranked No. 2 nationally in yards allowed, according to Ohio State’s official website.
The defense that takes the field in 2013 will look a lot different than the one that made those strides last year.
The Buckeyes return just four starters…
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