COLUMBUS, Ohio - There are a few select moments a team will be judged by when the season comes to an end. Ohio State's defensive stand on Penn State's last offensive series last Saturday will certainly be one of those instances.
Clinging to a one-point lead, the Buckeyes sacrificed good starting field position to the Nittany Lions due to struggles in the kicking game. With their backs dangerously close to their own territory, Ohio State's defense needed to take the biggest stand of the year.
As the calls were exchanged over the coaches' headsets, Urban Meyer switched his to the Buckeyes' defensive channel, and listened in as defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and line coach Larry Johnson took a few moments to analyze what the course of action would be.
Schiano and Meyer were both wondering how to use the Rushmen, the ferocious four-man front used on passing situations and key moments. Johnson knew exactly what to do with arguably the best players on the Ohio State defense.
"Let them go," he said.
On the first snap from the Penn State 41-yard line, Nittany Lions' quarterback Trace McSorley was flushed out of the pocket by a combination of Tyquan Lewis, Jalyn Holmes and Sam Hubbard. The eventual pass was knocked away.
On second down, with an extra blitzer coming from the left side of his offensive line, McSorley scrambled to some open space in front of him. Holmes, known for his athleticism and length, put a paw on the right shoulder pad of the Penn State quarterback before he could wiggle away and spun McSorley to the turf.
After a deep pass was overthrown on third down, the Rushmen were asked to attack the pocket once more on the final play. Once again, Ohio State showed why the battle of the trenches is usually a farce for opponents.
On fourth down, Nick Bosa barreled off the right side of the offensive line nearly untouched and forced McSorley to move again. With all four defensive linemen and linebacker Jerome Baker bearing down, McSorley's final pass was rushed, resulting in an incompletion and the final nail in the coffin being driven home by the Rushmen.
Johnson has been known to lead top-notch defensive lines on a consistent basis, but the last series for the Ohio State defense was a perfect example of how dominant the Buckeyes can be when everything clicks.
The choice to send as much pressure as possible was not a bold attempt at stopping Penn State, but rather a calculated decision according to Johnson.
"That's what they do best is in matchup one-on-one's," he said Wednesday. "And so if you have one-on-one matchup, you can't block all of us with four guys going at full speed. And we got the matchup we wanted again, and the guys came through clean."
Ohio State's defensive line has quite the habit of coming through cleanly when attacking opposing offensive lines. That credit can be given to the physicality and desire to play hard by the players, the training regimen of strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti and the tutelage of Johnson.
Bosa, who was apparently upset after the game he did not secure a sack in the contest, was a key contributor on the final series as well as throughout the Penn State matchups. While Meyer credited him with seven quarterback hurries immediately following the game Bosa seemed to think his official number was actually nine when he talked to the media Wednesday.
Regardless, the zero in the sack column bugged the sophomore defensive end, but he was still happy to play a big role in the win.
"One sack gets you more attention than nine QB hurries,” he said. ”(But) it’s not about the attention. It’s about altering the game. I think I helped alter the game.”
Ohio State might not always leave the gate open for it's defensive line during games, but it certainly was the right call on Saturday.
