The Ohio State defensive performance against UNLV reflected improvement in certain areas – along with exposing issues that remain concerning.

As with the Buckeye offense defensive coordinator Greg Schiano has perhaps honed in on an identity that better reflects Ohio State’s personnel. Following the issues that the Ohio State defense experienced in cover 1 against Indiana and Oklahoma, Schiano largely eschewed cover 1 on early downs in favor of cover 4 against UNLV’s spread offense.

Ohio State repeatedly played this base look on early downs, before transitioning to cover 1 on third down.

This is a reversion to how the Buckeye defense operated in 2014-2015. It is perhaps a better fit for the Buckeye defense with an inexperienced back seven and without a natural middle of the field safety like Malik Hooker.

Although cover 1 has its advantages, cover 4’s matchup zone scheme “compartmentalizes” responsibilities for a young Buckeye back seven and allows it to more easily align and correctly defend different formations. And it can reduce some of the conflict for linebackers on run/pass options and play action – particularly vertically.

A quarters’ defense can use a tag such as “palms” to the two wide receiver side to a three receiver side to remove the outside linebacker’s responsibility to provide both force support and cover the inside receiver vertically down the seam – a conflict that Oklahoma exploited.

The safety and outside linebacker can instead combo cover the inside receiver(s), with the safety responsible for a vertical release and the linebacker for routes to the flat.