EUGENE, Oregon — The Buckeyes’ defense entered Saturday night’s game against Oregon knowing that the Ducks were probably the toughest test they’d face all season long.
Call it a test that Ohio State would like a re-do on.
Oregon and quarterback Dillon Gabriel shredded Ohio State’s top-rated defense to the tune of 32 points in a one-point loss for the Buckeyes. And the numbers to back up the defeat weren’t comforting either.
“We’ve got to do a better job coaching,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “That’s it. That’s the bottom line. We didn’t make enough plays, I didn’t think we were outstanding in any area. Felt like we were always behind. It was uncharacteristic. We’ve got to learn from it. We’ve got to practice better, we’ve got to coach better.”
Gabriel threw for 341 yards on 23 of 34 passing with two touchdowns. He added a 27-yard scamper that found the end zone in the second half, too.
“As a defense, we have to be more ready for everything,” linebacker Cody Simon said. “We’ve got to have more urgency. A big part of them going tempo is that you’ve got to be ready for everything. So we weren’t ready. And we’ve got to be better.”
The Buckeyes faltered in the defensive front, too. Oregon running back Jordan James had 115 yards on 23 carries, an average of five yards per carry.
And Gabriel was hurried just twice in the game, a testament to Oregon getting the ball out quickly, but a knock against the Buckeyes’ defensive front causing havoc up front.
“He does a good job of stepping up in the pocket,” Knowles said of the lack of pressure. “We knew that. He’s a really good quarterback. What we had didn’t work. We certainly need to evaluate that whole process and plan.”
And then, perhaps the most surprising part of the game was the lack of resistance from the Ohio State secondary. Wide receiver Evan Stewart had 149 yards on seven catches with a touchdown.
The Ducks, more or less, got what they wanted to through the air against a secondary loaded with NFL talent.
“We didn’t execute,” Knowles said. “Coach speak, but we didn’t execute. When you play a better opponent, you’ve got to raise your level of our game. I just felt like our guys, we just need to coach them better. We need to get them in better positions and focus on the details and make sure this loss doesn’t beat us twice.”
And even with the previous faults of the defense, the Buckeyes’ defense had a chance to end the game on their terms, with a stop on Oregon’s final drive of the game. Instead, the Ducks marched down to the one-yard line and kicked what turned out to be the game-winning field goal.
It was emblematic of the entire night for Ohio State’s highly-touted defense: When someone needed to make plays, Oregon was the group that stepped up and made them.
“We’ve just got to get a stop,” Simon said. “We didn’t execute the way we needed to. They did their job and we didn’t. That’s what’s going to happen when you don’t execute the way you’re supposed to.”