COLUMBUS — Thoughts on what we saw from the Ohio State defense against Texas and where things go next after rewatching the game.
1. We need to learn more about OSU’s pass rush. That’s not to say that I think it’s secretly good. I had concerns about that part of the defense coming into the season. But we need to see what it looks like when the defense tries to rush before making a final judgment.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning dropped back 44 times against the Buckeyes. Twenty-nine of those were actual dropback pass attempts (excluding screens, quick game, zero- or one-step drops, etc.) On those 29 attempts, OSU defensive coordinator Matt Patricia sent a three-man mush rush meant to keep Manning in the pocket 14 times. The Buckeyes rushed four 11 times, but even those were often designed to cage the pocket and keep Manning from scrambling. Manning only saw five or more rushers on four of those dropbacks, about 14 percent of the time.