COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State defensive line’s game plan against Akron was not based on numbers. It was about attitude: a relentless pressure with high-quality technique, playing defensive line coach Larry Johnson’s game.
“I want you guys to play fast, relentless and have fun,” redshirt senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett remembers hearing from Johnson before kickoff.
The pressure came. The sacks came in droves, a number that Garrett stopped counting as the game went along. The number itself had no meaning. It was just representative of the job the Buckeyes did for the first time all season.
“The sacks are not what matters,” Garrett said. “What matters is that we played undeniable defense tonight as a defensive front.”
And it all started from the middle of the defensive line.
Ohio State recorded nine sacks against the Zips, eight of which came from the defensive tackles including three by Garrett and two by freshman Tyleik Williams, who also led the team in tackles. Defensive tackles Antwuan Jackson, Jerron Cage and Ty Hamilton also each recorded sacks of Akron quarterback D.J. Irons Saturday, leading a unit that had only recorded four sacks in its first three games.
“It’s just feeling confident with what you are doing and then building off of it,” head coach Ryan Day said of the entire defense. “The more times the younger players start making plays, then I think you look to the guy next to you and that builds confidence because you know he can do it.
“It’s new to our guys. Some of these guys just don’t have a ton of reps. Now they are building them.”
To Garrett, that defined the defensive line against Akron. Missing Tyreke Smith, Taron Vincent and Javontae Jean-Baptise, the final non-conference game of the year was Ohio State’s opportunity to see what they young players got, including Jack Sawyer, who recorded his first-career sack against Akron.
“It really was just guys executing,” Garrett said. “We had a lot of experienced guys who were out on the d line. I felt the defense, as a whole, we started it and now it’s time to just roll with it.”
And to Garrett that starts with Williams. The redshirt senior describes the freshman as hungry, wanting to be the best of the best. Over the course of the past four weeks, Garrett said it’s been his job to help build confidence, helping players like Williams graduate from being just “freshmen” and actually growing up.
But it’s not solely the job of the older defensive linemen and the coaching staff to develop a future for the room. It’s also on the offensive linemen, getting them ready for game time, facing guys like Matthew Jones, Paris Johnson Jr. and Thayer Munford head-to-head each week.
“Our o-line is the best of the best in my opinion,” Garrett said, “They get us better Tuesdays, Wednesdays when we go against them every week. Iron sharpens iron.”
But it’s not about the opponent on the other side of the line. To Garrett, the focus changed when the Ohio State defensive line began to look at itself in the mirror to see how it can get better.
That’s where the mentality change comes from. That’s where the confidence comes from. That’s what going to help the defense as a whole grow as it faces tougher and tougher offenses the rest of the regular season.
“Really it’s just focusing on ourselves and making the best of being the best of ourselves,” Garrett said.
