LINCOLN, Neb. — It doesn’t really matter to Tyreke Smith when he takes the field. It could be after an Ohio State touchdown, a field goal, a three-and-out or a turnover. The mentality remains the same: get a three-and-out or a defensive turnover.
“We just got that mindset in our heads, that relentlessness and that motor to rush with,” the senior defensive end said. “That’s what you have to have when you are rushing. You can’t stop your feet. You can’t stop your hands when you are rushing. You are always trying to make an impact.”
This is the mentality Smith’s always played with on the Ohio State defensive line. Now that he’s back and fully healthy, it’s something he can actually do to his full capability.
The senior defensive end recorded one of five sacks from the Ohio State defense Saturday against Nebraska — four of which came from the defensive line — adding a pass breakup and a quarterback hit with his five tackles.
Smith was just one part of a defense that, other than two 50-plus yard plays, shut down the Nebraska offense.
Nebraska senior wide receiver Samori Toure torched the Buckeyes for both of those 50-plus yard plays from the slot: a 72-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Adrian Martinez and a 53-yard reception that set up Martinez’s one-yard touchdown run.
Other than that, the Cornhuskers struggled, averaging 3.7 yards per play — including 3.3 yards on the ground — converting on only two of 13 attempts on third down: three of which ended with a tackle for loss or a sack.
Ohio State secondary coach Matt Barnes credits the success on third down to the defensive line, working with a secondary in toughened up coverage to have a chance to rush the quarterback, especially after a week in which the Buckeyes allowed Penn State to convert 11 third downs on 16 chances.
“Larry Johnson is the best defensive line coach in the history of college football in my opinion. If we can make the quarterback hold the ball for an extra count, then those rushers get to show up,” Barnes said. “Defense isn’t played in a vacuum. The front helps the secondary, the secondary helps the front. I think the last couple games we have been able to work in course with each other and make some plays.”
The members of the defensive line found a way to work together to get to Martinez Saturday afternoon, whether it was junior Zach Harrison’s blind-side sack, jarring the ball loose before Nebraska retained possession for a seven-yard loss or Javontae Jean-Baptiste’s blind-side sack on the very next play.
It's even translates from the new players, with freshman defensive end Jack Sawyer recording a sack, to the secondary, as sophomore safety Ronnie Hickman finished a footrace, bringing Martinez down in the backfield.
With the amount of success Ohio State had in the rush, Martinez’s performance suffered, leading to four quarterback hits and 51.6% completion rate with four pass breakups and an interception to seal the win by linebacker Steele Chambers.
“We have a young team. We have to learn it’s every single week you show up,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “The defense did that today. They played very well.”
Smith’s return has ignited Ohio State’s defensive line to show up each of the past three weeks, adding a level of experience for a unit that had to trust its youth as its veterans worked their way back from injuries early in the year.
It’s a unit that’s had to prove itself and find its own identity, one that Smith has helped forge and define over the past three weeks. It’s something that he feels could continue to generate as Ohio State approaches the tail end of its schedule.
“I just think that everybody has that mentality in their head right now,” Smith said. “Results are showing, so we’re just trying to do the same thing, practicing the same way.”
