LOS ANGELES, California — By the time Ohio State plays Utah in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, nearly four months will have passed since the loss to Oregon that changed the course of the season. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day made the biggest in-season change of his career, demoting defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and giving play calling duties to secondary coach Matt Barnes. Schematic and on-field personnel changes followed. Those shifts helped OSU’s defense improve, but as exemplified by the Nov. 27 loss at Michigan, did not solve every issue. The name card in front of Barnes during OSU’s media session Tuesday still read “secondary coach.” He said he had a brief Zoom meeting with incoming defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who does not start until Jan. 2. Barnes said the two did not discuss the assistant’s future with the program. A physical, run-based Utah offense gives Ohio State’s defense a chance…
Continue Reading: Ohio State football’s Matt Barnes on ‘tumultuous’ start to season, the Michigan loss and what comes next
