By Michael SchlossbergThe Daily Northwestern
Defense was supposed to be Ohio State’s only question mark.
Heading into the season, everyone knew how good the Buckeyes’ offense was going to be.
With Heisman front-runner Troy Smith leading the offensive attack and weapons like receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez on each side of him, there were no doubts that Ohio State would be able to put points up on the board.
However, having to replace nine starters – including two top-10 NFL Draft picks – from last year’s defensive unit that was fourth in the nation in total defense and seventh in scoring defense, the biggest question facing Ohio State was whether its offense would be able to compensate for the defensive drop-off from last year.
Ten games later, Ohio State is leading the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.6 points per game.
But the list of accomplishments doesn’t stop there.
In addition to allowing fewer points than last year’s defense, this year’s defense also is allowing fewer yards of total offense per game. It has held its opponents under 10 points in all but three games and has not allowed more than 17 all season. It also ranks fifth in the nation in turnover margin, recording 11 more takeaways than it has conceded.
“Everybody anticipated a drop-off with the caliber of players they lost last year,” Minnesota coach Glen Mason said after his team was shut out by the Buckeyes, 44-0, two weeks ago. “I don’t see any drop-off, nor have the other people who have played them. They’re a fine defensive team.”
Senior free safety Brandon Mitchell remembers hearing question after question about the inexperienced defensive unit and how much could really be expected from it. And he even remembers being asked whether the Buckeyes’ defense was the only thing stopping Ohio State from being a lock to win its second national championship in five years.
“We definitely got tired of the comparisons and hearing people saying that this defense wasn’t going to be good,” said Mitchell, who is fourth on the team in tackles with 44. “When people tell you that you aren’t going to be good, naturally you want to prove them wrong. We’ve gone out with a chip on our shoulder, and any time you can use something like that to your advantage to motivate your teammates, it’s always a positive thing.”
While last year’s defense featured an entire team of veteran players who had been playing together for several seasons, this year’s defense includes only six seniors among Ohio State’s lengthy defensive rotation.
As a result, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has leaned on these players to provide the leadership the team severely lacks after last year’s departures.
“I think the thing we were hoping for on defense is that our veteran guys would help bring along a lot of those guys who we felt had some talent but hadn’t had any seasoning,” Tressel said. “I think that’s exactly what has occurred.”
Included in his leadership responsibilities, Mitchell has helped ensure that none of the younger players get caught up in the endless media hype surrounding Ohio State. The Buckeyes have been ranked No. 1 every week this season and are just two weeks away from a potential No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup with Michigan.
“We know that this is the Big Ten and we can get beat every week,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been part of a national championship team in 2002 that had a bunch of close calls and won games we probably didn’t deserve to win, and I’ve been a part of an 8-4 team that lost to a bunch of opponents we should’ve beaten.
“We embrace the fact that every team is going to bring it to us every week and give us everything they can.”
Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].
