Ohio State’s defense hit rock bottom at the end of the 2013 season, and head coach Urban Meyer knew something needed to change.
The Buckeyes defense had given up an average of 38.7 points and 539 yards to the team’s three final opponents—Michigan, Michigan State and Clemson—while dropping its last two games of the year. Those losses halted a historic 24-game winning streak and cost Ohio State a chance to play Florida State in the BCS National Championship Game.
That prompted Meyer to shake things up.
After former co-defensive coordinator Everett Withers left for James Madison and former defensive line coach Mike Vrabel jumped to the NFL, Meyer wanted to find replacements who would bring the aggressiveness and spark back to Ohio State’s defense.
That’s what brought new co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash (formerly at Arkansas) and defensive line coach Larry Johnson (Penn State) to Columbus.
Ash was tasked with leading the charge in a defensive overhaul. Instead of running the conservative zone schemes that defenses picked apart in 2012 and 2013, Ash installed his aggressive 4-3 scheme with quarters coverage in the secondary.
The 2014 defense made a huge leap, which was instrumental in the Buckeyes’ run to (and through) the first-ever College Football Playoff.
And Ash said that this year’s defense is vastly improved.
“Words can’t even describe how far we’ve come. It’s a completely different unit,” Ash said on Monday, according to Eric Seger of Eleven…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Football: Can Buckeyes Rediscover Defensive Dominance?
