Through eight uneven and largely unimpressive performances, the 2018 Ohio State defense has inspired more than a few “F” words and “S” words from fans. But Wednesday, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano dropped the “C” word.
No, not that “C” word. Schiano said the defense was “Close.” And he didn’t just say it once.
In a 21-minute press conference, Schiano said the defense was “close” or “closer” to significant improvement exactly eight times.
It started with his very first answer of the day.
“You know what, I think we’re getting close. And just in the nick of time because we need to go out and play really good defense down the stretch if we’re going to accomplish the goals that we set out for at the beginning of the year,” Schiano said.
On the surface, it’s hard to understand where that optimism is coming from.
In the last four weeks, the Buckeyes have given up 6.5 yards per play to Penn State, 5.8 to Indiana, 7.1 to Minnesota, and then 7.5 to Purdue. There is a definite trend there, and it is not one that suggests that good things are on the horizon.
Schiano says he knows what his defense has and hasn’t accomplished over the course of the year.
“I’m not being naïve to what’s been put on tape and what’s been done, but I feel really encouraged that we’re close to getting back to playing mature defense. And mature defense to me is not only making these really good plays, but not allowing the bad plays,” he said.
Those bad plays have come with shocking regularity so far.
The Buckeyes rank 123rd out of 130 FBS teams in an advanced metric called IsoPPP+. That link leads to a chart filled with numbers and acronyms, but basically it’s an opponent-adjusted measure of how many explosive plays you’ve given up.
And you don’t need to be a stat nerd to know that 123rd isn’t just bad, it’s cataclysmically bad.
Ohio State and their defense loaded with 4-and-5-star recruits is surrounded by teams like Connecticut and UNLV. Unless it’s a conversation about basketball programs from the early 1990s, that’s not the company you want to keep.
But the good news is that for the Buckeyes to dig themselves out of sub-basement of the stat sheet, they don’t have to be perfect. They just have to get better.
“You can allow some plays. A 10-yard out or a 15-yard dig aren’t going to kill you. But a 46-yard run, that’s going to hurt. Or a 79-yard pass, that’s going to hurt. We need to… we need to… we’re close. I really do feel that way,” Schiano said.
You may be rolling your eyes at that, but when you’ve been one of the worst teams in the nation, there’s nowhere to go but up. Schiano said one of the reasons for optimism is that there are signs of progress during the week.
“We’re getting closer. I see it in practice where it’s actually being done exactly right. There’s this thing called the pressure of the game which can make a player do something that he hasn’t done in practice, and that’s where you’ve got to take it from the practice field to the game field. And we’re getting really close to doing that.”
A month from now, all the talk about being close is either going to look prophetic or pathetic. And even Schiano knows that hopeful words on a Wednesday mean nothing if his team can’t deliver on a Saturday.
“I think we’re closer and I’m encouraged by that, but until we do it, it’s just a thought. We’ve got to make it happen.”