COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football’s Tommy Eichenberg nearly became an honorary member of the Arkansas State backfield last Saturday. The Buckeyes’ defensive captain was busy, coming on a blitz on 15 snaps over the first three quarters and change of a 45-12 victory. That doesn’t include the handful of times the Mike linebacker walked up to the line, prepared to storm across again, before falling back into coverage. Right when Red Wolves quarterback James Blackman was probably sick of Eichenberg, coach Butch Jones sent in AJ Mayer to convert a third-and-1 with a quarterback draw. He barely got back to the line of scrimmage thanks to a blitzing Eichenberg quickly tripping him up. While Eichenberg is the most frequent weapon defensive coordinator Jim Knowles uses on those downhill attacks, he is hardly alone. A year after OSU’s back seven seemed to get caught flat-footed in tough matchups, Knowles has…
Continue Reading: Ohio State football’s defense found a more ‘courageous’ style in Jim Knowles’ aggressive calls
