Like the offense, the defense did not have its most inspiring performance against the Maryland Terrapins. For only the second time this season, Ohio State yielded 30 points to an opponent, and for the third time this season, they struggled a bit with a mobile quarterback in a spread system. This was especially egregious given Maryland’s 0-point outing the week before against Penn State.
The continued focus for many has been on the struggles of the defensive backs, particularly the corners. Tagovailoa picked on the corners at times, throwing underneath when they were playing soft coverage and throwing deep downfield when they were in press coverage. Even the safeties had a bit of a rough day, as McCallister was routinely targeted.
This was basically the same impression I came away with after watching the game:
| Time | Yard Line | Down | Distance | O Formation | D Package | Front | High | Type | Rush | Play | Player | Yards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 13:22 | M26 | 1 | 10 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | Pass | 4 | PA Rollout Throwback TE Screen | Ransom | 26 | Nearly the exact same play as Ohio State ran on the touchdown. Ohio State is caught completely off-balance, so Play-calling -2. Maryland has three blockers for two defenders, but Ransom (-1) and Chambers (-1) miss tackles. Burke (-1) gets hurdled. Tackling -3. |
| 13:00 | O49 | 1 | 10 | Gun Trips | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Run | Inside Zone | Eichenberg | 1 | Eichenberg (+1) makes a great tackle after Hamilton (+0.5) holds up to the double-team. | |
| 12:39 | O48 | 2 | 9 | Pistol 3W Tight | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Run | Inside Zone | Chambers | 2 | Hamilton (+1) holds up, and practically two-gaps the guard. Chambers gets an easy tackle. | |
| 12:30 | O46 | 3 | 7 | Gun Tight | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Pass | 4 | Spacing | Tuimoloau | 12 | Tuimoloau (-1) gets too far upfield, which gives Tagovailoa space to scramble. Hickman (-1) is not close enough in zone coverage. |
| 11:47 | O34 | 1 | 10 | Gun Unbalanced | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | Penalty | 7 | Illegal Formation | N/A | -5 | Too many men in the backfield. One of the receivers/tight end have to be on the line and thus covered up. Hickman (+0.5) and Chambers (+0.5) are in great position though. Play-calling +1 for Maryland mistake. |
| 11:44 | O39 | 1 | 15 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Under | 2 | Pass | 6 | Slants | McCallister | 7 | Don't think this is an RPO. Little surprised that McCallister (-1) is playing with outside leverage with the middle of the field wide open, so he gives up an easy 7. Might have been intentional, but I don't know. |
| 11:13 | O32 | 2 | 8 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Under | 3 | Pass | PA WR Tunnel Screen | Tuimoloau | 15 | Tuimolaou (+2, -2) reads the play flawlessly, but grabs the facemask while making the sack. Vincent (+1) also recognizes it. Play-calling +1 as Ohio State is not fooled at all. Still, it is a facemask. Tackling -2. | |
| 10:48 | O17 | 1 | 10 | Gun Offset Y Flex Mtn In | 4-2-5 | Under | 2 | Read Option | Arc Read | Tuimoloau | 3 | Tuimoloau is read, but Tagovailoa makes the wrong read if you ask me. Eichenberg cleans up. | |
| 10:39 | O14 | 2 | 7 | Gun 20 | 4-2-5 | Field | 0 | Read Option | Orbit Triple Option | McCallister | 3 | Tuimoloau is read. Eichenberg (+0.5) forces a quick pitch, and McCallister (+1) makes a great tackle in space. Well-executed by Ohio State. Play-calling +0.5. Tackling +1. | |
| 10:07 | O11 | 3 | 4 | Pistol | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 1 | Pass | PA Flood | Sawyer | -2 | Second straight generous spot in a row. Officials gave Maryland an extra two yards here. Pressure is great here; McCallister (+2, -1) reads this perfectly, but can't make the tackle. Luckily, Sawyer (+1) is in great posiiton to make the sack. Ohio State playing mostly disciplined after the first throwback. Pressure +2. | |
| 7:50 | M43 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Under | 3 | Pass | 4 | PA Verticals | Proctor | -1 | 7-man protection. Sawyer (+1), Harrison (+1) and Eichenberg (+1) all get pressure, while Proctor (+1) stays in to finish the sack. |
| 7:28 | M42 | 2 | 11 | Gun 4W Tight | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Wide Leo D | 1 | Pass | Spacing | Chambers | 11 | Chambers (-1) needs to know that Eichenberg is coming over, but this is a good play-call against zone. Play-calling -1. | |
| 6:50 | O47 | 1 | 10 | Pistol F 3W | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo B | 3 | RPO | RPO Hitch | Hancock | 10 | Hancock (-1) fires down late. Play-calling -0.5 as the corners are playing soft. | |
| 6:38 | O37 | 1 | 10 | Gun 4W Trips H Orbit Rtn | 4-2-5 | Field | 3 | Pass | 4 | H Screen | Hancock | 27 | Chambers (-1) might have gotten caught cheating downfield, but Hancock (-2) has a weak tackle attempt that would have limited the damage. Play-calling -1 as Maryland had lots of blockers. Tackling -2. |
| 5:55 | O10 | 1 | 10 | Pistol Jet Z | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Read Option | Arc Read | Hickman | 4 | Tuimoloau is read. Hickman (+1) does a nice job of filling. Eichenberg (-0.5) gets stuck inside for a bit. | |
| 5:23 | O6 | 2 | 6 | Gun Offset Twin TE Pair 3x1 Z In | 4-3 | Over | 0 | Pass | 6 | PA Rollout Flood | Burke | 2 | Burke (+0.5) plays this well and brings down the wide receiver after a short gain. Coverage +0.5 |
| 4:40 | O4 | 3 | 4 | Pistol | 4-3 | Field | 0 | Read Option | Zone Read | Tuimoloau | 0 | Tuimoloau (+2) is read and is still able to make the tackle. Simon (+1) and Hall (+1) also make great plays to blow up the line. Field Goal. | |
| 1:53 | M49 | 1 | 10 | Pistol Pair Z Jet | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Pass | 4 | PA Deep Post | Hancock | 0 | Kind of a tough ask for Hancock (-1), though I do think he needs to have better coverage. No safety help here. Play-calling -1. Should have been a touchdown. Vincent (+1) would have gotten pressure if he were not held. |
| 1:46 | M39 | 1 | 20 | Pistol Pair | 4-3 | Under | 2 | Run | Outside Zone | Sawyer | 2 | Vincent (-1) gets reached, but Sawyer (+2) effectively two gaps the tackle. Really nice job by Sawyer. | |
| 1:26 | M41 | 2 | 18 | Gun 20 | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 2 | Pass | Hook | Eichenberg | 10 | Eichenberg (-1.5) is a little late to get over in coverage. Just covering grass for most of this. | |
| 1:05 | O49 | 3 | 8 | Gun 4W Trips | 4-2-5 | Wide | 4 | Pass | 4 | HB Screen | Brown | 3 | Brown (+1) does a great job of reading this play, and going inside the tackle as Chambers goes outside. Really well done. |
| Second Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 10:02 | M25 | 1 | 10 | Pistol | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo D | 1 | Run | Outside Zone | Chambers | 1 | Chambers (+1) makes a great tackle by getting one hand on the running back, with Vincent (+0.5) making a nice play off a double-team. | |
| 9:35 | M26 | 2 | 9 | Gun Twin TE Pair Jet Z | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Run | Jet Sweep | Chambers | 1 | Maryland kind of runs into each other. Chambers (+0.5) slows up the receiver. McCallister (+1) sticks with it the whole time. | |
| 8:57 | M27 | 3 | 8 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Wide | 3 | Pass | 4 | Dig | Burke | 9 | Burke (-1) is a little late, though he is playing off. Play-calling -1. |
| 8:32 | M36 | 1 | 10 | Gun 4W Jet H | 4-2-5 | Field | 1 | Read Option | Inverted Veer | McCallister | -8 | McCallister (+2) draws a holding penalty. | |
| 8:09 | M28 | 1 | 18 | Gun 4W | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo D | 1 | Pass | 4 | PA Slant | Ransom | 0 | Ransom (+1) has great coverage to prevent the completion. Coverage +1. |
| 8:01 | M28 | 2 | 18 | Gun 4W Trips | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo D | 5 | Pass | 5 | Streak | Hancock | 34 | Hancock (-3) gets Mossed. Oof. |
| 7:41 | O38 | 1 | 10 | Gun Offset 4W Trips | 4-2-5 | Field | 3 | Pass | WR Screen | Hickman | 9 | Play-calling -1.5. Good time to call the screen. | |
| 7:09 | O29 | 2 | 1 | Gun Offset 4W | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo B | 1 | Read Option | GT Power Read | Tuimoloau | 4 | Tuimoloau is read. Not much to grade here. Maybe Cage (-0.5) can hold up a bit more. | |
| 6:41 | O25 | 1 | 10 | Gun H Mtn | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo D | 4 | Pass | 4 | PA Out | Ransom | 15 | Ransom (+1) gets hit with a DPI, but it is pretty borderline. If the head is turned around like Ransom has, contact is usually deemed incidental. Coverage +1. |
| 6:26 | O13 | 1 | 10 | Gun Trips | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | Read Option | Zone Read | Hall | 4 | Chambers is read. Hickman (+0.5) comes down to help make the tackle with Hall (-0.5) who gets pushed back a bit. | |
| 5:58 | O9 | 2 | 6 | Gun Trips Jet H | 4-2-5 | Under | 0 | Read Option | Triple Option | Eichenberg | 1 | Eichenberg (+1) forces a keep from Tagovailoa. Tuimoloau (+1) blows up the interior blocks after being the first guy read. Really crsip. Play-calling -1 as Ohio State needed some great individual efforts here. | |
| 5:23 | O8 | 3 | 5 | Gun 20 | 4-2-5 | Field | 1 | Pass | 4 | Mesh | Hickman | 7 | I am pretty sure Hamilton (-2) gets out of his lane, though it might have been Friday. Hickman makes the tackle. |
| 4:44 | O1 | 1 | 1 | Goal Line | Goal Line | Goal Line | 0 | Pass | 6 | PA Flood | Ransom | 0 | Ransom (+1) nearly picks this off, but the tight end makes a great play to break up the interception. Coverage +1. |
| 4:38 | O1 | 2 | 1 | Maryland I | Goal Line | Goal Line | 0 | Run | HB Dive | Chambers | 0 | Vincent (+1) and Hamilton (+1) blow up the center of the line. Hickman (+1) makes the stop after Chambers (+1) is the first to make the tackle in the backfield. | |
| 4:34 | O1 | 3 | 1 | Maryland I | Goal Line | Goal Line | 0 | Pass | PA Rollout Flood | Gqoteote | 1 | Gaoteote (-1) loses the tight-end, but this is tough to stop after the runs. Touchdown. | |
| 1:21 | M11 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Over | 4 | Run | Inside Zone | Ransom | 21 | Ransom (-2) misses a tackle after being the unblocked defender. Eichenberg (+1) makes a nice tackle though from around the tackle. Vincent (-2) with a bad penalty. | |
| 1:11 | M32 | 1 | 10 | ABC | ABC | ABC | ABC | Pass | Curl Flat | Ransom | 4 | The ball is caught and the receiver falls down in bounds. | |
| 0:47 | M36 | 2 | 6 | Gun | 4-2-5 Rush | 3-3-5 Wide Leo D | 5 | Pass | 4 | Sack | Tuimoloau | -7 | Tuimoloau (+2) immediately gets in the backfield and the left tackle has absolutely no chance. Big sack. Pressure +2. |
| 0:05 | M29 | 3 | 13 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 Rush | 3-3-5 Wide Leo B | 1 | Pass | 4 | Verticals | Eichenberg | 15 | Eichenberg makes the tackle. Half ends. |
| Third Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 14:54 | M30 | 1 | 10 | Gun Trips | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | Run | Zone Insert | Burke | 6 | Burke (+1.5) does a great job filling this run as a corner. Really impressive. Play-calling -1 as the run acts as a counter to split zone, which is what OSU is expecting. | |
| 14:23 | M36 | 2 | 4 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | RPO | RPO Omaha | Harrison | 0 | I think Harrison (+2) gets a piece of this ball, as the receiver gives up on it and the ball looks fluttery. Play-calling -1, as this was an easy first down if Harrison doesn't make a great effort. | |
| 14:19 | M36 | 3 | 4 | Gun Trips Bunch | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | Pass | 4 | Spot | McCallister | 5 | McCallister (-1) looks to have the flat, he just gets lost here. |
| 14:00 | M41 | 1 | 10 | Gun Offset Trips | 4-2-5 | Under | 3 | Run | Tight Zone | Ransom | 6 | Ransom might be a smidge late, but he does make a nice tackle to limit the damage. | |
| 13:33 | M47 | 2 | 4 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 1 | Pass | 6 | TE Screen | Ransom | -8 | Ransom (+2) reads this perfectly. Play-calling +1 as Ransom is in man-coverage. |
| 13:03 | M39 | 3 | 12 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Over | 4 | Pass | 7 | Throw Away | Chambers | 0 | Ohio State blitzes more defenders than blockers. Chambers (+1) and Tuimoloau (+1) are the first to get there, but this is a play-call win. Play-calling +2. |
| 12:13 | M25 | 1 | 10 | Gun Offset Trips Bunch Jet H | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo D | 1 | Pass | WR Screen | Brown | 8 | Brown (-1) gets a little overzealous here but plays it okay. | |
| 12:01 | M33 | 2 | 2 | Gun Offset 4W Stacks | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Wide Leo B | 1 | Run | Mid Zone | Eichenberg | -11 | I think Eichenberg (+2) might be one gap over, but he does draw a holding penalty. | |
| 11:30 | M22 | 2 | 13 | Gun 20 | 4-2-5 | Field | 0 | Penalty | False Start | N/A | -5 | N/A | |
| 11:28 | M17 | 2 | 18 | Gun 20 | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 1 | Pass | 4 | Streak | Brown | 0 | Brown (+1.5) has great coverage downfield and nearly picks it off. Again, good defense by the receiver to break it up. |
| 11:10 | M17 | 3 | 18 | Gun | 3-2-6 | Wide | 6 | Pass | 3 | HB Screen | Chambers | 0 | Chambers (+1) is man-to-man on the running back, so Tagovailoa dirts it. Play-calling +2. Punt. |
| 7:52 | M25 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | Run | Outside Zone | Harrison | -1 | Harrison (+2) gets through the line and Tuimoloau (+1) helps clean up the TFL. | |
| 7:21 | M24 | 2 | 11 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Pass | 6 | Scramble | Eichenberg | 26 | Eichenberg (-2) certainly gets pressure, but he gets into Cage's lane instead of staying in his own. If he does, this is a sack. Not great. |
| 6:45 | M50 | 1 | 10 | Pistol Trips Bunch | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | RPO | 5 | RPO WR Screen | Jyaire Brown | 4 | Maryland has two blockers for two unblocked defenders within fifteen yards. Play-calling -1. Jyaire Brown (+1) does a great job to keep contain while still making the tackle, while Martinez (+1) occupies two blocks. Well executed by Ohio State. |
| 6:12 | O46 | 2 | 6 | Gun Offset 4W Trips | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 2 | RPO | RPO WR Screen | Harrison | 0 | Harrison (+1) is read, but he is athletic enough to get out to the edge, which forces Tagovailoa to throw the screen. | |
| 6:07 | O46 | 3 | 6 | Gun 4W Orbit H | 4-2-5 | Wide | 1 | Run | QB Power | Tuimoloau | -3 | Tuimoloau (+2) gets such a phenomenal jump on the ball that the guard has no shot to block him, and he is the first to get to Tagovailoa. Eichenberg (+1) does well too clean it up. | |
| 0:16 | M25 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | RPO | RPO Screen | Eichenberg | 2 | Eichenberg (+1.5) has to go a long way to make this tackle, but he does it beautifully. Sawyer (+0.5) also recognizes his position on the field, and is in position to make the tackle. Tackling +1.5. | |
| Fourth Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 15:00 | M27 | 2 | 8 | Gun | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo D | 1 | Pass | 4 | Dig | Jyaire Brown | 36 | Jyaire Brown (-3) gets burned badly. Coverage -3. |
| 14:43 | O37 | 1 | 10 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | 3-3-5 Base Leo B | 0 | RPO | 4 | RPO Glance | Ransom | 12 | Ransom is read here. Play-call -2, as Ohio State was playing soft behind him. |
| 14:31 | O25 | 1 | 10 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 Rush | 3-3-5 Base Leo D | 1 | Pass | 4 | Smash | Martinez | 15 | Martinez (-2) gets beat by Jarrett and commits DPI to stop the touchdown, which, as they were saying on the broadcast, wasn't the worst idea. Coverage -2. |
| 14:20 | O10 | 1 | 10 | Gun Trips | 4-2-5 | Under | 0 | Pass | HB Screen | Chambers | 5 | Chambers (+1) is playing man-to-man, or he has great recognition. He blows up the receiver, but can't finish the tackle. Hickman (-0.5) is driven back a couple yards. Play-calling +1, as Ohio State sniffed this out immediately. | |
| 14:15 | O5 | 2 | 5 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Under | 0 | Read Option | Arc Read | Eichenberg | 5 | Harrison is read. Eichenberg (-1) takes far too aggressive of an angle, and Tagovailoa scores.Touchdown. | |
| 12:29 | M26 | 1 | 10 | Gun Orbit X | 4-2-5 | Over | 3 | Read Option | Triple Option | Hickman | 16 | Tuimoloau is read. Hickman (-1) probably needs to force the keep. Ransom (-1) misses a tackle. Play-calling -1 as they made Ohio State wrong twice. | |
| 12:08 | M42 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | RPO | RPO Glance | McCallister | 0 | Eichenberg is read. Play-calling -1, as the coverage is not particularly tight. However, the pass is dropped and McCallister nearly grabs an interception. | |
| 12:03 | M42 | 2 | 10 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Wide | 2 | PAss | 4 | Post-Corner | McCallister | 49 | Looked like a Post-Corner to me.Play-calling -2, as Maryland is targetting man-coverage when Ohio State is in man-coverage on the slot. McCallister (-2) can't stay in phase, and Tagovailoa throws a perfect pass. It happens. Oof. |
| 11:48 | O9 | 1 | 9 | Pistol 3W 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Over | 0 | Run | Outside Zone | McCallister | 7 | McCallister (-1) is late in run support. Chambers might be responsible, as might Ransom, but both of them seemed to be occupying gaps, where McCallister was not, even after reading run. | |
| 11:26 | O3 | 2 | 3 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Under | 0 | Run | Split Zone | Hamilton | 1 | Hamilton (+1) holds up to blocking in the middle of the line to get the stop. | |
| 10:47 | O2 | 3 | 2 | Goal Line | Goal Line | Goal Line | 0 | Run | Iso | Eichenberg | 0 | Whole team does great here, with Eichenberg (+2) winning his matchup with the running back. | |
| 10:24 | O2 | 4 | 2 | Gun Quad | 4-2-5 | Wide | 0 | Pass | Improvisation | Tuimoloau | 2 | Just a spectacular play from Maryland. Tuimoloau maybe gets out of his lane. Maybe Ransom's coverage can be better. I don't know. I think Maryland just did it perfectly. | |
| 6:36 | O42 | 1 | 10 | Gun Offset Trips | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Run | Inside Zone | Eichenberg | 3 | Eichenberg (+0.5) does a nice job to get to his gap. Might have been worse had he not stopped all of the runner's momentum. | |
| 6:31 | O45 | 2 | 7 | Gun Offset 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Under | 2 | Pass | PA TE Flat | Eichenberg | 0 | Eichenberg (+2) reads this perfectly, and Tagovailoa has to just get rid of it. Pressure +2. Coverage +1 fro m Hickman (+1) | |
| 6:11 | O45 | 3 | 7 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Wide | 0 | Pass | 4 | Improvisation | Tuimoloau | 0 | Tuimoloau (+1) is the first to get pressure, with Harrison (+1) continuing the pressure. Hickman (+1) flies down to force a throw, which is defended well by McCallister (+1). Really nice stuff. Pressure +2. Coverage +1. Punt. |
| 0:36 | M16 | 1 | 10 | Gun Trips | 3-2-6 | Wide | 6 | Pass | 3 | Sack | Harrison | -7 | Harrison (+2) dominates the tackle and gets the sack almost immediately. Effectively, the game is over. |
| 0:17 | M9 | 2 | 17 | Gun 4W Trips | 3-2-6 | Wide | 5 | PAss | 3 | Scoop and Score | Harrison | FUM | Harrison (+2) once again gets to Tagovailoa and causes a fumble, which Chambers (+2) takes it in for the touchdown. |
| End of Game |
Honestly, the whole defense was a little more mistake prone than they usually are. Here is the defensive chart:
| Player | + | - | T | Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive Line | |||||
| zach harrison | 11 | 0 | 11 | 100.0 | Outstanding game for him. Really happy he's played this well this year. |
| michael hall | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 66.7 | Didn't see him much. |
| taron vincent | 3.5 | 3 | 0.5 | 53.8 | Not as good as he usually has been this year. |
| jt tuimoloau | 9 | 1 | 8 | 90.0 | Played really well. Maryland made it a point to read him constantly so they could take him out of the play. We will see if Michigan tries this. |
| jack sawyer | 4.5 | 0 | 4.5 | 100.0 | Curious to see if he plays more against Michigan so they can use the Jack Package. |
| javonte jean-baptiste | 0 | 0 | 0 | Did not chart | |
| ty hamilton | 3.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 63.6 | Best of the tackles, for all that means. Maryland didn't try to test the interior too much. |
| jerron cage | 0 | 0.5 | -0.5 | 0.0 | Did not see him much. |
| total | 32.5 | 7 | 25.5 | 82.3 | Defensive ends were amazing. Defensive tackles were not great. |
| linebacker | |||||
| tommy eichenberg | 13.5 | 5 | 8.5 | 73.0 | More mistakes than usual, but just as fast as always. |
| steele chambers | 8 | 3 | 5 | 72.7 | Has been playing better over the past month, which is huge for the Michigan game. |
| cody simon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0 | Nice job in goal line situations |
| palaie gaoteote | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | Tough assignment to cover the tight-end on the goal-line. |
| total | 22.5 | 9 | 13.5 | 71.4 | Feeling much better about this group this year than last year. |
| secondary | |||||
| cameron brown | 2.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 71.4 | Nearly had the pick. |
| denzel burke | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.0 | As long as he keeps playing fine, Ohio State can get by. |
| josh proctor | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0 | Came in for Ransom early and played well. Out of every position, he is the guy I trust most from the second team. |
| lathan ransom | 5 | 4 | 1 | 55.6 | Punt block isn't graded here, but that was obviously huge. He plays so fast but made some mistakes here. |
| tanner mccallister | 7 | 6 | 1 | 53.8 | Good in run support and solid, but a great slot receiver can beat him repeatedly. |
| cameron martinez | 1 | 2 | -1 | 33.3 | Beat on a Smash concept, but at least he had the wherewithal to commit DPI to prevent the touchdown. |
| jordan hancock | 0 | 7 | -7 | 0 | Looks like he isn't the answer either, at least for this season. Beat badly a couple of times. |
| jyaire brown | 1 | 3 | -2 | 25.0 | Beat badly once in man |
| total | 24.5 | 27.5 | -3 | 47.1 | Not great for this group. The safeties have been great all year, but the corners continue to be a concern. Against Michigan, this will hopefully not be much of an issue. |
| metrics | |||||
| pressure | 13 | 4 | 9 | 76.5 | The pressure was solid, but the minuses were for losing contain. |
| coverage | 6.5 | 8.5 | -2 | 43.3 | Surprisingly okay for the most part. |
| tackling | 3.5 | 12 | -8.5 | 22.6 | This is where many of the bigger plays came from. |
| play calling | 8.5 | 13.5 | -5 | 38.6 | Knowles was put into a bind here. He couldn't press his corners as they were getting beat down the field, but if he played off, Maryland had free yardage. |
The jankiness hit each level of the defense. I thought J.T. and Zach Harrison played great, but the defensive tackles were not particularly great, with only Ty Hamilton playing up to the standard of decent. I don’t think this will be a huge issue moving forward as I have liked their play a lot, especially Taron Vincent. However, Michigan may have the best interior line in the country, so anything worse than “best in the country” is going to leave the interior of this line at a disadvantage. That’s not great for a team that likes to run up the middle a lot.
The linebackers were also a little less reliable than usual. I thought both Chambers and Eichenberg had some great moments in this game, and I think both of them played well. Eichenberg has just been so spectacular this year that this game was below par for him (or above par? I feel like people use this phrase incorrectly). He made a couple mistakes throughout, though that was uncharacteristic. Chambers is the more interesting part of this game, as it has felt like he has been playing his best football over the past month. For about half the season, nearly every big run play was toward his side. Recently, this has become less and less the case. Seeing him playing this well right before Michigan is a huge relief.
This was probably the secondary’s worst game this year, particularly the safeties. Hickman, Ransom, and McCallister all graded positively, and for defensive backs, that is usually all you can ask for. They’ve just been so spectacular this year that anything less than that has been a bit of a disappointment. Ransom often goes a whole game without a negative and a bunch of positives, while Hickman rarely has any negatives. McCallister does seem to be a step behind on great slot receivers like Parker Washington and Rakim Jarrett. Obviously, that isn’t ideal, but I don’t think anyone he will face the rest of the year will be as good. Ronnie Bell is solid, but he isn’t a burner by any means. When Michigan throws on Saturday, it will likely be toward the tight-ends, running backs, and slot receiver, so this group will be tested. The good news is that they’ve been outstanding all year.
The corners have not been nearly as good, but Cam Brown and Denzel Burke held up surprisingly well in this game. I think if those two never leave the field for the rest of the year, the corners will be fine. Again, I don’t expect Michigan to test the corners much, so it might be a moot point for this game. They won’t have a big test until the Playoffs.
What should we worry about for Michigan?
The interior of the defensive line. Michael Hall has gotten less playing time as the season has gone on, which, to be honest, I think is the right move. He is easily the best interior pass rusher on the team, and against a passing team like USC, I would be clammering for him to start. He just hasn’t been as good against the run. Ty Hamilton has been good, but he hasn’t been incredible. Against this Michigan line, that might not be good enough. Vincent and Hamilton have been good all season long, but neither are a gamebreaker. If they don’t play their best game of the season, Michigan is going to have decent success running the ball.
What should we not worry about for Michigan?
The corners, honestly. They have been the weakest part of this defense, but they get to play the fifth best wide receiver group in the Big Ten East with only Indiana and Rutgers being worse. Maryland and Penn State had some success, but Michigan State only had a couple big plays. I don’t expect Michigan to have any more success through the air than MSU had.
What should we get excited about for Michigan?
Jim Knowles. While the improvement we have seen this entire season has been refreshing, this game is why he gets paid what he does. The Jack package is especially for teams that run a lot of power and counter like Michigan. We haven’t seen it a lot this year, but we haven’t seen a ton of teams that use pulling linemen. Michigan does it more than anyone. Will he use the Jack more in this game? Will he blitz more often? Will he use a 4-3 for large portions of this game? I can’t say that my excitement is purely of the optimistic variety; I can say that it is the singular thing I am looking forward to most in this game.
