COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs' goal for the off week remained the same as any other week of the year: stay one step ahead.

Instead of focusing on another offense, the focus turned inward, studying the Ohio State defense, seeing what it has done in the past six weeks and plan forward to the second half, seeing how opposing offenses have converted on the wrinkles Coombs and his staff have put in place, including the two-high safety look.

Coombs' plan was for his defense to grow schematically, something he feels should never remain stagnant.

"I think there will be a continual evolution of learning and teaching as we go forward over the next six weeks,” Coombs said.

Really, nothing about the Ohio State defense has remained stagnant over the first six weeks.

Forty seven players have occupied the Buckeyes’ 11 defensive spots this season, including 21 players with more than 100 snaps. Against Maryland, Ohio State had 36 different defenders record at least one snap of playing time.

While it’s a defense that has seen its fair share of success as of late — allowing 37 combined points between Akron, Rutgers and Maryland along with five total touchdowns and 4.2 yards per play — Ohio State still has something to grow from, allowing 20.5 points per game (No. 9 in the Big Ten), 387.3 yards per game (No. 10 in the Big Ten) and 5.2 yards per play (No. 10 in the Big Ten).

Through the first six weeks, the Ohio State coaching staff has been charged with seeing which personnel works best in certain situations, something Coombs described as possible pieces, making up the whole picture based on the strengths of certain members.

To the defensive coordinator, it’s a work in progress.

"You are going to see evolution throughout many of the 11 positions on defense," Coombs said. "Some of that is based on the youth that we have and the fact that some guys are better suited in some weeks to play in some structures than other games. You may see some weeks where Marcus (Williamson) plays the lion's share of plays and you may see some games where somebody else does."

Cody Simon knows that every game for the Ohio State defense since its loss to Oregon in Week 2 has been about change.

The sophomore linebacker said the unit as a whole — from the line to the secondary — has been growing together, learning from each other.

“Football is all about adapting,” Simon said. “Week 2 was a rough week for us and we knew we had to make a change. We put everything we had into it, and every day in practice, we were just grinding, getting better. I can’t really say enough about our guys. They just work so hard and I’m so happy they can show the world that we’re really the Buckeyes.”

The growth has paid off in spurts.

The Ohio State defense has recorded nine interceptions in its last four games, including four straight games with an interception returned for a touchdown.

“It’s definitely a combination of the front end and the back end,” Simon said of the streak. “Really just doing our job. When we do our job, something like this happens.”

For Coombs, that streak, that success comes from the buy-in of players like Denzel Burke.

While knowing the freshman cornerback is a work in progress and he has a long way to go, Coombs sees Burke as a sponge, soaking up information, doing what he can to help the team.

He sees a cornerback that plays without conscience or fear. He sees a cornerback who wants to be great, even if he may be early on on his journey.

“He still hasn't seen everything, and that's part of his process is the opportunity to see everything,” Coombs said of Burke. “The more you play, the more you get that, the more you have experience.”

This is pretty representative of the entire Ohio State defense: one that’s young and talented, but has not seen everything. That’s where Coombs comes in, changing up the looks, doing the digging to best prepare the Buckeyes for its first game back: a night game against Indiana.

And for sophomore linebacker Steele Chambers, it’s the defense’s job to respond to what it is given, something he’s seen from the unit in the past three weeks.

“I think you guys can tell that we are playing with a lot more energy,” Chambers said. “We’re definitely getting more comfortable with the system being put in. I think we have more trust in each other that we will get our jobs done and we’ll just do our thing.”