The season kicked off for Ohio State on Saturday afternoon with a 23-3 victory over Indiana. The performance left Buckeyes fans very satisfied with what they saw from the defense. The offense — not so much.
On Indiana’s nine drives, it kicked just one field goal, punted six times and turned the ball over on downs twice. The Buckeyes defended the run and pass very well, limiting the Hoosiers to 2.2 yards per rush and allowing 9-of-20 completed passes passes for 82 yards.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsIt was a great performance from a unit that was expected to improve under second-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, especially with a great deal of talent returning across the defense.
We break down each offensive position group’s performance using Pro Football Focus grades for each player. Though not the ultimate measuring stick, PFF is a good tool because it gradse every player on every play.
Interior Defensive Line
Starter: Tyleik Williams
PFF Grade | 77.3 (30 snaps)
Stats | 3 tackles, 1 assisted tackle, 0 pressures on 8 pass rush snaps
Starter: Ty Hamilton
PFF Grade | 72.7 (25 snaps)
Stats | 2 tackles, 1 assisted tackle, 1 pressure on 9 pass rush snaps
Other: Michael Hall Jr.
PFF Grade | 76.8 (26 snaps)
Stats | 1 tackle, 1 assisted tackle, 3 pressures on 12 pass rush snaps
Other: Jaden McKenzie
PFF Grade | 79.7 (13 snaps)
Stats | 2 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 1 pressure on 8 pass rush snaps
Other: Hero Kanu
PFF Grade | 73.0 (7 snaps)
Stats | 1 tackle, 0 assisted tackles, 1 pressure and 1 sack on 5 pass rush snaps
What It Means
As expected, the Buckeyes rotated defensive tackles with Tyleik Williams, Michael Hall Jr., and Ty Hamilton all getting 25-plus snaps. Pass rushing opportunities were limited in this matchup, but I expect this rotation to pressure the quarterback consistently throughout the season.
Edge Rushers
Starter: J.T. Tuimoloau
PFF Grade | 71.8 (40 snaps)
Stats | 3 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 2 pressures on 14 pass rush snaps
Starter: Jack Sawyer
PFF Grade | 64.9 (34 snaps)
Stats | 3 tackles, 1 assisted tackles, 1 pressure on 11 pass rush snaps
Other: Kenyatta Jackson
PFF Grade | 68.8 (17 snaps)
Stats | 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 2 pressures on 11 pass rush snaps
Other: Caden Curry
PFF Grade | 63.6 (17 snaps)
Stats | 2 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 2 pressures on 9 pass rush snaps
Other: Tywone Malone
PFF Grade | 59.2 (5 snaps)
Stats | 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 0 pressures on 3 pass rush snaps
What It Means
As expected, J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer were the starting edge rushers with Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry also in the rotation. This was a very solid performance from the edge with both sides defensing the run well and able to pressure the passer in limited opportunities.
Tuimoloau and Sawyer are two X-factors for the defense as a whole this season as both are supremely talented former five-star recruits with big expectations in their junior campaign.
Linebackers
Starter: Steele Chambers
PFF Grade | 68.6 (54 snaps)
Stats | 6 tackles, 2 assisted tackles
Starter: Tommy Eichenberg
PFF Grade | 64.7 (48 snaps)
Stats | 3 tackles, 1 assisted tackle
Other: Cody Simon
PFF Grade | 54.0 (7 snaps)
Stats | 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles
Other: Mitchell Melton
PFF Grade | 70.1 (6 snaps)
Stats | 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles
Other: C.J. Hicks
PFF Grade | 60.8 (1 snap)
Stats | 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles
What It Means
The Eichenberg and Chambers duo played well on Saturday and were a big part of holding Indiana to just 2.2 yards per rush. Those two are solidified as the starters but the question for the unit will be if a role will be carved out for former five-star recruit, C.J. Hicks, who played just one snap on Saturday.
Cornerbacks
Starter: Davison Igbinosun
PFF Grade | 50.8 (45 snaps)
Stats | 3 tackles, 1 assisted tackle, 3 receptions allowed on 5 targets for 36 yards on 18 coverage snaps
Starter: Denzel Burke
PFF Grade | 66.2 (37 snaps)
Stats | 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 1 reception allowed on 5 targets for 24 yards and 2 pass breakups on 13 coverage snaps
Other: Jordan Hancock
PFF Grade | 72.4 (28 snaps)
Stats | 2 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 0 receptions allowed on 1 target on 17 coverage snaps
What It Means
Third-year Buckeyes Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock as well as Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun all played a good number of snaps on Saturday. The unit was one of the bright spots with the Hoosiers being limited to one play of more than 20 yards.
Safeties
Starter: Lathan Ransom
PFF Grade | 58.8 (55 snaps)
Stats | 1 tackles, 1 assisted tackle, 1 reception allowed on 1 target for 6 yards on 24 coverage snaps
Starter: Sonny Styles
PFF Grade | 67.7 (49 snaps)
Stats | 4 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 0 targets on 17 coverage snaps
Starter: Josh Proctor
PFF Grade | 69.4 (30 snaps)
Stats | 1 tackle, 2 assisted tackles, 0 receptions allowed on 1 target, 1 pass Breakup on 7 coverage snaps
Other: Malik Hartford
PFF Grade | 71.5 (25 snaps)
Stats | 1 tackle, 1 assisted tackle, 1 reception allowed on 1 target for 2 yards on 17 coverage snaps
Other: Cameron Martinez
PFF Grade | 63.4 (6 snaps)
Stats | 0 tackles, 0 assisted tackles, 0 targets allowed on 5 coverage snaps
What It Means
Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles were solidified as starters coming into the season, and as expected, both played the bulk of the snaps on Saturday. The last starting safety spot was still up in the air coming into the game. With Josh Proctor and Malik Hartford each playing 25-plus snaps it appears that battle will continue through the early part of the season.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.
