COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the hours after the Oregon game, Kerry Coombs had to follow his own advice.

After a rough day on the football field, the Ohio State defensive coordinator encourages his players that it’s OK to be sad.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

He gives them a 24-hour window. In that time, Coombs said, the players are expected to pick themselves up, dust themselves up and get back to work.

It’s a 24-hour period that Coombs needed to take.

“I’m not going to tell you I was clicking my heels and jumping for joy. I was not,” Coombs said after leading a defense that allowed 35 points and 505 yards of offense in Ohio State’s loss to Oregon Week 2: the program’s first in the regular season since 2018.

“That would be a lie.”

Coombs knew instead he had to be an example, not packing your stuff up and going home, not quitting.

“If I had done any of those things, that would make me a liar to every one of those kids I have coached along the way that had tough times and got replaced on a Saturday or a Friday night or a Sunday afternoon and had to have the conversation of: ‘Hang in there, it’s going to be OK,’ whether they agreed with the decision or not,” Coombs said.

So the Ohio State defensive coordinator moved forward.

Coombs voluntarily gave up his spot on the sideline, handing the play sheet to secondary coach Matt Barnes and moved up to the coaching box, something he hadn’t done since his first year at Cincinnati.

Coombs has seen improvement, saying it helped his ability to see and communicate the game, getting an increased feel for the defense. But it hasn’t been the same as being at the field level.

“I miss hugging people. I have Kevin Wilson now, and I’ve got to be honest with you, it’s not the same,” Coombs said with a laugh. “That’s real, I miss that, being on the sideline. But that’s selfish too.”

That’s what has made this stretch the hardest of Coombs coaching career, the change in control.

It’s what’s encouraged his friends, family and colleagues like Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL head coach Dick LeBeau to reach out with messages of strength of work, turning to the Bible with verses preaching that “God works for the good of those who love him,” as Romans states.

And he continued to do his job.

“It’s my job to walk in my building with a bounce in my step to high five and hug every kid that I come across, to prepare the team the best I can as part of the team of coaches to help us win on Saturday,” Coombs said.

“That’s my job and I look forward to it every morning.”

As Ohio State’s defensive coaching staff continues to develop, to mold its best way of communicating to a young and growing unit, results have come its way.

After allowing 501 yards of offense to Tulsa in Week 3, the Buckeye defense has allowed 37 combined points in the last three weeks, not allowing more than 350 yards to an opposing offense.

Against Maryland in Week 6, Ohio State allowed 335 yards of offense and two touchdowns.

For Coombs, it was just an evolution of confidence, something he saw really for the first time against Rutgers: the ability to play fast and without hesitance due to the amount of experience accumulated over the first four weeks.

Even though the pressure is coming from the defensive line and the turnover total is only increasing with seven interceptions in the past three weeks, it’s something Coombs is still growing into. It’s that pressure to stay one step ahead.

It’s something Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has seen consistently from his defensive coordinator, collaborating with Barnes, defensive line coach Larry Johnson and linebackers coach Al Washington to try and put the best product out there each Saturday.

“I have a bunch of respect for how the defensive staff has handled the last month, especially Kerry,” Day said. “Because of that, they have all gelled together with one voice, they have all come together and the defense has come together. That doesn’t just happen. It takes special people to understand what this place is and what Ohio State means.”

And Day wanted to reward Coombs for that, handing him the game ball after Saturday’s 66-17 win against Maryland.

Coombs was shocked and embarrassed. He felt he was undeserving.

But it gave him to send his message to his players again, one that doesn’t change for him no matter if he’s at a high or a low.

“It’s easy to be a brother when it’s 66-17 on a Saturday afternoon. It’s hard to be a brother when you face adversity,” Coombs said. “It’s hard. If you’re here for the other men on this team — the players and the other coaches on this team — if that’s truly what you believe, then you are in come heck or high water. You are here to fight, to struggle, to scrap.

“I love those kids. I love those kids in that locker room. I love those kids on that team. I love the men in that locker room and I love Ohio State. And I’m going to be here. I’m going to be fighting, battling, scratching and clawing for the remainder of this season to win every freaking Saturday. That's what I'm going to do.”

And don’t get him wrong. Coombs is still confident. He just wants to be that example.

“I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m not going to walk out of here fearful of being able to do that job or any other. I won’t because I believe in my heart, with every fiber of my being that I can do that job and any other.

“Present the job and let’s go do it. Let’s go do it. I’ll take one, two, three, four of you with me. Let’s go. I believe that and I always have.”