While the offense kind of set the stage for success in 2021, Ohio State's defense proved to be kind of its downfall.

The Buckeyes allowed 20.9 points per game and 365.7 yards per game, both sitting in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten conference. It was enough to earn a makeover, as Ohio State announced that former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles would be taking over the same position for the Buckeyes starting Jan. 2.

So who needs a good last impression for the Buckeyes as they wrap up their season against Utah?

Here's three players to watch.

Cameron Brown's decision has already been made.

The redshirt junior cornerback announced Dec. 16 that he would be returning to Ohio State for one more season, bringing with it a sense of comfort and stability at a position that could have been a real issue for the Buckeyes heading into 2022.

Outside of freshman cornerback Denzel Burke, the Buckeyes were not set to have much experienced at cornerback returning in 2022 with Brown and senior Sevyn Banks both going into the offseason with decisions to make. Ohio State was also rumored to have been looking in the transfer portal to find that missing piece, pursuing 2020 five-star and former LSU product Elias Ricks before he eventually picked Alabama.

Overall, Ohio State's pass defense was a work in progress in 2022, allowing 246.9 passing yards per game and a 60.6 completion percentage: one of five teams in the Big Ten to have a completion percentage over 60%.

After spending the majority of the 2020 season sidelined due to injury, using his redshirt, Brown comes back with the experience of being a go-to cornerback for Ohio State in 2022, something the Buckeyes didn't think they would have, recording 21 tackles, seven pass breakups and one interception heading into the Rose Bowl.

Could Burke and Brown headline a shutdown effort defensively in 2022? That process could start Saturday in Pasadena.

Zach Harrison still has a decision to make.

Finishing out his junior season with the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl, the defensive end has remained quiet about what his next steps are in 2022, saying that he is leaning one way over the other as to if he's off to the NFL or if he would stay another year with the Buckeyes, but would not disclose which one.

He said Name, Image and Likeness and playing Michigan again would both be factors as to what decision he would make, along with his role in Knowles' new defense, something, Harrison said, he would talk to him about early in 2022.

But even more than that, Harrison had to show he's ready for the NFL, something he really didn't show much of in 2021.

While being a force on the end of the line for Ohio State against Purdue and Nebraska, combining for 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, Harrison was close to non-existent against Michigan State and Michigan, recording two solo tackles.

For a player who was set to be a powerhouse for Ohio State, the next great defensive lineman in the line of the Bosa brothers and Chase Young, Harrison, a former five-star, has not lived up to the expectation with 8.5 sacks in three seasons.

While he could be ready for the next level, Harrison still hasn't shown the consistency and the explosiveness to make a team take a chance on him early in the NFL Draft.

But all it takes is one game, especially against a Utah team that has one of the better rushing offenses in the country with a middle-of-the-pack pass offense.

Harrison may be leaning toward staying. He may be leaning toward leaving.

However, one game could change that thinking, setting the tone for what could be a revolutionary 2022 for the defensive end.

This is a position group facing a lot of change in 2022.

It had a lot of changes in 2021 too, from losing K'Vaughan Pope and Dallas Gant to the transfer portal to switching from a 3-3-5 look to a 4-2-5 look, taking away chances for playing time for what already had been a small room.

And it's a room that's going to look a bit different come spring ball, with the arrival of CJ Hicks and Gabe Powers, along with Arizona State transfer DeaMonte Trayanum, who will be switching from running back to linebacker for his remaining four seasons of eligibility.

So what is the Rose Bowl for for the linebackers that remain?

It's the last chance to make an impression before the room is turned upside down.

Playing time for Steele Chambers, Cody Simon and Tommy Eichenberg is no guarantee in 2022. But a peak performance in Pasadena could change the perception from a room that needs a complete overhaul to a room that just needs a bit of polishing.