Midseason Superlatives: Defense

Yesterday we looked at the midway superlatives of the Ohio State offense and today we turn our attention to the defense. The Buckeyes through the years have been a team that have made their mark with their defense and this year has seen a lot of good from that side of the ball but not everything has been perfect through 2017.

Nobody expected the Buckeyes to give up 31 points to Oklahoma in the second game of the season and through two games, the Buckeyes were 75th nationally in scoring defense and No. 109 in pass efficiency defense.

Those numbers have come back down to Earth over the next four weeks with Ohio State ranking No. 16 in total defense, No. 18 against the run, No. 30 in pass efficiency defense and No. 11 in scoring defense. But we all know that the hardest part of Ohio State's schedule, at least in league play, starts later this month with Penn State coming to town.

So the jury may still be out on just how good this defense is. There is not much of a debate about how the defensive line has played, to the point that teams are completely changing how they go about things to try and neutralize the Ohio State DL as much as possible.

We are using this (nearly) mid-way point to look at the defense and assign some superlatives before the mad dash to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship Game stars in earnest with Ohio State's next five game stretch.

Kevin Noon: At least in my opinion, it is not as cut-and-dry on defense as it is on offense who the MVP is. The defensive line rotates at almost a break-neck speed, the linebackers have had up-and-down games and it has been hit-and-miss in the secondary. Yet, the defensive numbers are not all that bad, at least when paired with some great offensive numbers. This one just goes more to a gut feeling and Nick Bosa checks off those boxes for me. It also does not hurt that he leads the team in TFLs and sacks but it is scary to think what those numbers look like if he plays 25-percent more plays. Teams just cannot block Bosa and with his lightened workload this year, he should be fresh when the Buckeyes need him most.

Colin Gay: This depends on which section of the defense you are looking at. On the defensive line, the obvious choice is Nick Bosa. He leads the Buckeyes with 10 tackles for loss with four sacks. Even though he is rotated in and out with the amount of depth on the line, he is already at the point where he is getting double-teamed on a regular basis and sometimes even triple-teamed. However, when you look in the secondary, Denzel Ward is having a spectacular season. He is first in both broken up passes (9) and passes deflected (10) and recorded an interception in the first game against Indiana. Even with the targeting call that was eventually retracted, Ward showed what kind of impact he can make one-on-one with any receiver. It's pretty simple. Where Ward goes, the success of the secondary does as well.

Nick McWilliams: Nick Bosa and Denzel Ward are clear front-runners here, but I have a different Buckeye in mind. Although Damon Webb has not been the most explosive or decisive player on defense, a veteran safety who helps lock down deep passes is a very valuable asset. Webb is leading the team in both total tackles with 34 and interceptions with two, and has been at the forefront of the improvements for the Ohio State secondary. A steady contributor who makes the necessary plays and is a leader on the field is the unsung hero of the Ohio State defense, and being that he was the only returning starter in the secondary makes his play all the more noticeable. Webb might not be a game changer, but he is a constant, which is enough to get the MVP nod.

Kevin Noon: I may be stretching the bounds of what a breakout star is for this one but Jashon Cornell has really impressed me after largely being an afterthought for most of his career. Has he blossomed into a 'star' yet? Maybe not. But he was a player who was not even seeing his name printed in any sort of defensive piece to being a guy who is seeing first quarter reps for the Buckeyes on the interior defensive line. He also has 2.5 TFLs and two sacks for his efforts and continues to be someone that Larry Johnson is relying upon. Does that change with the return of Dre'mont Jones and Michael Hill to the rotation? He may see a little less time but he has really broken out this year and has become more than just a garbage time insertion into the lineup.

Colin Gay: This off-season, much of the attention in the linebackers position room was either on Chris Worley moving to middle linebacker or on Jerome Baker's potential breakout season. However, at the midway point, much of the attention has been on Dante Booker. After suffering a knee injury against Bowling Green in 2016 that forced him to miss the season, Booker has had a breakout season. he is fourth on the team with 25 tackles, recording at least four tackles in five of the seven games so far this season. In Big Ten play alone, he has recorded 19 tackles with two sacks and an interception. Booker has shown this season why he won the starting linebacker job out of camp in 2016. Even though the expectations were there for him to succeed, Ohio State has seen Booker really come to life so far this season.

Nick McWilliams: The number of fans who expected Dre'Mont Jones to be a stud in the middle of the defensive line was most likely a low number. Jones received major hype over the offseason by both his coaching staff and teammates after having a solid redshirt freshman season, and a standout camp. Jones is sixth on the team in terms of tackles for loss with three, and had one of the most ferocious hits in the backfield this year when he ripped through the UNLV line and casually slammed Lexington Thomas to the turf for a safety. As his draft profile continues to elevate, so does his level of play. Make no mistake of what Jones brings in the middle of the defensive line.

Kevin Noon: It will be scary to see what the ceiling is on Chase Young for the Buckeyes. Much like the offense, there is not a lot of opportunity for first year players and while Kendall Sheffield has struggled some with the learning curve, Young has stepped in and played well in some increasing minutes early in games. There are still times where you can see that he is just running toward the ball and still trying to figure out the finer points of the defensive system but what cannot be denied is that he has the motor and the physique of a much older player and will be scary for two more years beyond this one.

Colin Gay: The expectations of Chase Young coming in as a true freshman are unlike anything I have ever seen before. Coming in as a 6'5", 240-pound defensive end from Maryland, teammates have already heralded him the second coming of Myles Garrett. In short stints of playing time, he has shown that. He has 3.5 tackles for loss with a sack and a forced fumble so far this season. He has already been a unrelenting force on the Ohio State defensive line in seven games. If he continues to play like this, it will be hard to keep him out of the regular rotation.

Nick McWilliams: Although Tuf Borland is in his second year with the team, a redshirt season in 2016 kept him from playing time last year, outside of one tackle against Wisconsin. So this year is arguably the first for Borland. When Chris Worley went down with an injury, there was no drop off when Borland took over in the middle. Although he is now playing in a rotational role with Worley healthy, and Ohio State focusing on keeping players fresh, Borland is still making plays, and is tied for fifth on the team in total tackles. He was expected to grow into a gritty middle linebacker, but Borland has shown he might be a little ahead of schedule.

Kevin Noon: Part of the reason that I held off on Tuf Borland in an earlier section is because I wanted to mention him here. Was the Army West Point game ever in question? No, absolutely not. But it was very impressive how a player who had not seen much time outside of special teams would be able to come in and record a team-high 10.5 tackles in the game including one for loss and register a QB hurry in what essentially was his first game as a Buckeye linebacker. Nick Bosa has had bigger games in terms of numbers and maybe even 'game-changing' type of plays but Borland's game against Army West Point introduced the Chicago-area linebacker to most of Buckeye Nation who was unaware of who No. 32 was. They know now.

Colin Gay: I already named Dante Booker as my breakout player so far this season. This game was how he became that. In the second conference game of the season against Rutgers, Booker burst onto the scene with one of the more complete performances that the Buckeyes have had on the defensive side of the ball this season. Recording four tackles, Booker had two tackles for loss, including the first sack of his career. On top of that, he brought in his first interception of his career, leading to the Buckeyes' second touchdown of the day on the next drive. Booker's performance against Rutgers could be a turning point in his career as he has made big plays in every game since then.

Nick McWilliams: Staying on the Tuf Borland hype train, his performance against Army West Point in his first extended career action was a sight to behold. Sure, he might have been taking advantage of a team that likes to run the ball straight at the middle linebacker most downs, but recording 12 total tackles to lead his team is not something to overlook. Borland cut his teeth against a gritty, tough Black Knights unit that did not succeed with wearing down the middle of the Buckeye defense. The fact that Borland's performance still holds true after four other games shows how solid of an effort he had.

Kevin Noon: I am surprised that the Buckeyes only have 18 sacks on the season. Yes, I know that teams are not just going to sit back and be sitting ducks waiting for the Ohio State defense to have open season on their quarterbacks. But I also did expect the number to be higher by this point of the year. Credit goes to opponents for doing everything that they can to not allow Ohio State's best unit to change the game. And that does not mean that the defensive line has played poorly, because that could not be further from the truth. Teams have just been able to scheme the Buckeyes, who are really only sending four most of the time, to get rid of the ball and avoid the big play. And yes, I do recognize that 18 sacks is good for 2nd in the conference (though Ohio State has played seven games while most have played six). Just expected that number to be higher by now.

Colin Gay: The most surprising statistic, for me, is the amount that opposing teams are running the ball against the Buckeyes. With a defensive line filled with names such as Nock Bosa, Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis and with a Jerome Baker and Chris Worley in the middle, teams have only averaged 2.9 yards per carry and have scored only five times. However, opponents have rushed on Ohio State more than any other team in the Big Ten, with 262 rushing attempts. Yes, Ohio State has played one more game than most conference teams, but just over 37 rush attempts per game is very high for any team. With that many rush attempts, it may skew the data in terms of best rush defenses in the conference, with Ohio State currently No. 4 averaging 109.6 yards per game. However, with that many rushes, it seems like the Buckeyes strategy in defending the run is working.

Nick McWilliams: Even with a defense replacing nearly all it's secondary, Ohio State has gained a reputation of snagging opposing team's passes often. Still, this year, the Buckeyes have seven picks, which is good enough for one per game. It's a respectable number over all, but it's still a lower total than last year. It would be foolish to expect Ohio State to put up the same totals as before with the list of players lost to the draft, but with a pass rush as tenacious as that of Larry J0hnson's line and lead by the smarts of Greg Schiano, ranking in the mid-30's in the nation in terms of picks is not exactly fantastic.