LOS ANGELES — Ohio State enters the Rose Bowl as a battle-tested bunch against the run, having faced some strong rushing offenses throughout the regular season.
But in their two losses, the Buckeyes faltered against the run and allowed Oregon and Michigan to pummel them on the ground, en route to 35-plus point performances.
Against a Utah offense that predicates itself on an aggressive rushing attack, the game plan for Ohio State’s defense is simple: stop the run.
“Their running backs are all good and they all present different challenges,” junior defensive end Zach Harrison said. “Their O-Line does a good job of making holes and making them be able to make those cuts and get downhill. That’s something that we’re going to have to key into and play well and stop.”
The Utes rush for a touch over 216 yards per game, which ranks No. 13 in the nation and first in the Pac-12. Utah ranks just below Michigan, which is No. 10 in the country with 223.8 rushing yards per game, and ahead of Oregon, which rushed for 203.2 yards per game and was fifth in the Pac-12.
On the opposite side, Ohio State ranks fifth in the Big Ten in run defense, holding its opponents to 118.5 yards on the ground. When it comes to teams that rush for more than 200 yards per game, the Buckeyes see a severe decline in their ability to stop the run: allowing 269 yards against Oregon and 297 against Michigan.
Utah gets production from a host of running backs with three Utes totalling more than 80 carries on the season.
Leading the pack is Dayton native Tavion Thomas, who was one of five Pac-12 running backs to surpass 1,000 yards on the season and led the conference with 20 rushing touchdowns.
Thomas said he was a Buckeyes fan growing up and landed on Ohio State’s recruiting radar in high school.
Although he was ready to sign with the Buckeyes, he said Ohio State wanted him to take the junior-college route before landing there, which, he said, led to a “love-hate relationship” with the Buckeyes.
“[I] just [want] to show them what they missed out on,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ efforts are supported by junior T.J. Pledger and freshman Micah Bernard, both of which average more than 5.8 yards per carry.
Pledger has scurried for 671 yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries, while Bernard adds 492 yards and two touchdowns on 84 carries. Bernard is also a pass-catching threat out of the backfield, hauling in 24 receptions for 236 yards and a score.
Defensive play caller Matt Barnes said Utah’s versatility in the backfield makes them a distinct challenge for Ohio State’s run defense.
“They kind of have a basketball team at running back,” Barnes said. “They’ve got a big guy that leans on you and is hard to bring down. They’ve got two change of pace guys that can go the distance on you.”
Outside of their three running backs, quarterback Cameron Rising is also a threat on the ground, amassing 407 yards and five touchdowns with his legs.
Barnes pointed to Rising’s physicality as something that sets him apart from other quarterbacks.
“He ran over, what I think, is an outstanding linebacker from Oregon,” Barnes said. “He’s faster than you like. He’s more physical than you like.”
While Ohio State looks to right the wrongs of the losses to Oregon and Michigan, senior defensive end Tyreke Smith emphasized the need to slow down Utah’s versatile ground attack.
“Utah is a good team, they’ve got good players across the board. We’re locked in, we’re ready,” Smith said. “We got to go out there and play tight, play hard. They’re a physical team and you gotta go out there and stop the run.”
