Coming off the 2022 spring game in which a host of players in the back seven of Ohio State's defense showed flashes, there's room for optimism newly minted defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and his batch of new assistant coaches can fix the Buckeyes' flailing pass defenses of 2020 and 2021.
The Buckeyes ranked No. 96 in pass defense in 2021 (245.8) which was, unbelievably, an improvement over the 2020 group's No. 122 ranking (304.0 ypg).
Both of those seasons saw the Buckeyes rank no better than 40th in total interceptions.
Despite the fact Ohio State's 2022 pass defense will feature a lot of the same guys in coverage, there's still hope for drastic improvement as the Buckeyes become more multiple in scheme and infuse additional talent.
Stepping up the coverage, to limit yards and also create interceptions, has been vital to Ohio State's past success. In fact, dating back to the birth of the College Football Playoff era in 2014, the Buckeyes ranked in the Top-15 in interceptions gained in three of the four years in which they made the CFP field. Those same Ohio State defenses were also the only three in the last 10 years to give up less than 202 passing yards per game.
| SEASON | GAMES | INTERCEPTIONS | NATL RANK | PASS YPG ALLOWED | NATL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 | 12 | 40 | 245.8 | 96 |
| 2020 | 8 | 7 | 58 | 304.0 | 122 |
| 2019 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 156.0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 14 | 11 | 60 | 245.2 | 86 |
| 2017 | 14 | 13 | 45 | 195.9 | 30 |
| 2016 | 13 | 21 | 4 | 172.2 | 7 |
| 2015 | 13 | 12 | 56 | 184.5 | 16 |
| 2014 | 15 | 25 | 4 | 201.1 | 29 |
| 2013 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 268.0 | 112 |
| 2012 | 12 | 14 | 36 | 243.5 | 78 |
The 2014 Buckeyes were a turnover-forcing machine, recording 25 interceptions, good for 4th-most nationally. Vonn Bell paced the team with six picks, Doran Grant tallied five and Tyvis Powell added four within the nation's 29th-best pass defense (201.1 ypg)
The group picked off Joel Stave three times in the 59-0 rout of Wisconsin, helping catapult Ohio State into the CFP. Against Alabama in a playoff semifinal, they'd record three more as Steve Miller recorded a thicc-six giving Ohio State a 34-21 lead in the third quarter, Bell snagged a crucial interception after Bama took possession deep in OSU territory, and Powell sealed the win with another pick as time expired in a 42-35 victory.
Ohio State would claim the national title against Oregon less than two weeks later with Eli Apple registering an interception of Marcus Mariota in a 42-20 spanking.
In 2016, Ohio State earned a CFP bid largely on the strength of its defense. The Buckeyes ranked No. 7 in pass defense, yielding just 172.2 yards per game, and notched 21 interceptions, good for 4th-best in the land.
Malik Hooker led the team with seven picks while Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley posted four each. With Ohio State's offense far less lethal than previous and future additions, the 2016 Buckeyes were reliant on their defense and it largely answered the bell.
In an early-season win over Oklahoma, Jerome Baker came up with a pick six of Baker Mayfield giving Ohio State a 14-0 lead and a Lattimore pick set up another touchdown in a 45-24 win.
During a 30-23 overtime victory versus Wisconsin, a Conley pick set up a touchdown giving Ohio State a 20-16 lead late in the third quarter. In a 24-20 decision over Northwestern, an Apple interception led to a field goal giving the Buckeyes a 10-0 lead.
Later in the season, the Buckeyes picked off Tyler O'Conner twice in a 17-16 nail-biter and finally, versus Michigan, a Baker interception set up a Mike Weber touchdown in a 30-27 double overtime classic. (I'll spare you what happened a month later.)
In 2019, Ohio State had a juggernaut on both sides of the ball, meaning big interceptions weren't all that necessary. The pass defense ranked No. 1 nationally giving up just 156 yards per game and the group did manage 15 picks, good enough 13th in the country. Jeff Okudah paced the defense with three interceptions, while Jordan Fuller, Amir Riep and K'Vaughan Pope (!) had two each.
Fast-forward to 2022 and it's beyond time for the pass defense to once again be a playmaking force. Top corner Denzel Burke returns after posting two picks a year ago. Cameron Brown figures to start at the opposite corner, Ronnie Hickman is in line to start at free safety, Josh Proctor at strong safety and Tanner McCalister at nickel. Rotational depth is expected from names like Jordan Hancock, Kourt Williams, Kye Stokes and Cameron Martinez, among others.
Can Knowles, along with new assistant coaches Tim Walton and Perry Eliano effectively overhaul the secondary into the playmaking machine fans expect?
| SEASON | INT | NATL RANK | PASS YPG ALLOWED | NATL RANK | TOT DEF NATL RANK | SCORING DEF NATL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 | 80 | 210.2 | 37 | 4 | 9 |
| 2020 | 6 | 68 | 218.4 | 47 | 44 | 34 |
| 2019 | 12 | 31 | 253.8 | 102 | 82 | 61 |
| 2018 | 5 | 119 | 267.6 | 118 | 112 | 97 |
The first test doesn't come until November and while Knowles has better players than he featured at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys weren't elite versus defending the pass. In his four years as defensive coordinator in Stillwater, the Cowboys reached a high of No. 31 nationally in interceptions with 31 in 2019 and No. 37 in pass defense, giving up a respectable 210.2 yards per game in 2021.
The better news comes in looking at the bigger picture however. Oklahoma State's total defense improved each year Knowles guided it, ranking No. 112 in 2018 to No. 82 in 2019, No. 44 in 2020 and No. 4 last season. His scoring defense metric realized a similar trend, ranking No. 97 his first season to No. 61, to No. 34, all the way up to No. 9 last season.
For Ohio State to make its return to the top of the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff, Knowles and company must improve Ohio State's recent pass defense performance, and do so quickly.
