The “Silver Bullets” is a term coined from Buckeye defenses of the past who were notoriously aggressive and flew around the field creating havoc.
Aside from a few lean years, the defense has been true to form. But with defensive coordinator Greg Schiano in charge, the defense appears to be playing faster and more aggressive than ever before.
One of the known commodities entering the season was the depth and overall talent of the defensive front. Couple that with fast and athletic linebackers and the Buckeyes have the components of an elite defense.
The question mark entering 2017, however, was the play of the secondary. If the secondary was a weak point, the linebackers would not be able to blitz as frequent in order to mask a weakness or aid in coverage.
Currently, the Buckeye defense ranks 16th in total defense and 12th in yards per play, but fell to 63rd nationally in passing yards allowed. A number of factors could contribute to the stat. A career game for now-benched Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow to start the season, or the number of players rotating in for game reps with a commanding lead are some factors that could pose an argument either direction for this secondary.
The defensive scheme of Greg Schiano requires a large amount of trust in his secondary, relying on man coverage principles. This allows for flexibility around the line of scrimmage but also leaves the cornerbacks on an island and susceptible targets and penalties.
It is because of this trust in an otherwise unproven secondary that Schiano has been aggressive in terms of the blitz. The Buckeyes have sacked opposing quarterbacks 18 times thus far, good for 21st nationally. For comparison, the Buckeyes had only 28 sacks in all of 2016 (54th nationally) and 38 sacks in 2015 (9th nationally).
While an increase in blitz frequency has failed to net an equal amount of sacks per se, the pressure has affected the outcome of numerous possessions for opposing teams and the secondary has held firm, for the most part, with the increased demand.
In this week’s Buckeye Breakdown, we dissect the anatomy of a “Mike Twist” blitz and how the linebackers worked together to get a free hit on Huskers quarterback Tanner Lee, all the while trusting a secondary comprising of two first-year starters at cornerback and three safeties, covering for the “suspended” Damon Arnette.
The Mike Twist Blitz
