What are your thoughts on new OSU DC Jim Knowles?
I'm sure Seth & the gang will have a writeup of about what to expect from OSU's new defense, but have you guys read/heard anything?
I've read his defense is a base 4-2-5 and he likes a lot of press man, but that was from his Duke days, pre-OSU(NTOSU). Space Coyote has some film breakdowns of a few of their plays on Twitter for those interested.
In the many preview podcasts I've been consuming, no one expects this defense to be elite, but they figure that if the defense is average, the offense will be good enough to win every game. I do find it interesting that many people are down on Michigan because of the lack of defensive star power, but there isn't anyone on this OSU defense going into this year expected to be great. They have 5 all BIG players on defense (all three teams) including Zach Harrison who is decidedly not a dynamic pass rusher and 2 defensive backs who gave up 428 yards through the air to Tulsa.
All that to say do you think he'll return them to good? great? Or could this experienced lifelong coordinator who loves to blitz be similar to Don Brown?
Sidenote: Ryan Day has challenged him to produce a top 5 defense this year.
Also: they have some minor injuries in the CB room and have a kicker who has been taking snaps at corner as well.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:13 PM ^
hopefully he knowles than their last DC.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:17 PM ^
so close to nailing it, just missed a word. unfortunate.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:23 PM ^
The one-armed man does have some typing impediments
August 17th, 2022 at 4:25 PM ^
unless he meant "hopefully he know less than their last DC"
August 17th, 2022 at 4:37 PM ^
Yea. It was a stupid last name joke.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:15 PM ^
Beyoncé’s dad
August 17th, 2022 at 3:49 PM ^
If their defense continues to shit the bed, it'll be Solange Knowles...
August 17th, 2022 at 6:21 PM ^
When life gives you lemons, you produce, direct, and perform Lemonade.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:16 PM ^
Any film of the kicker batting passes down with his feet?
August 17th, 2022 at 4:36 PM ^
August 17th, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^
He mixes wheaties with his momma's toe jam.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:28 PM ^
And he LIKES IT!
August 17th, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^
Didn’t Brown run a 4-2-5 or have packages of 4-2-5? I’m not seeing the advantage of having five DBs on the field when Big Ten RBs are coming downhill on you.
This means you either need tweener DBs that can tackle or good LBs, would it not? Considering Knowles’ best LB was basically the size of a Big Ten cornerback also makes me wonder what types of players he recruits for that defense. Has shades of Don Brown to me, but I can’t say I know schemes.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:25 PM ^
How dare you speak about Rodrigo like that!
(Lions fans who watch Hard Knocks will know)
August 17th, 2022 at 3:40 PM ^
Both of Knowles top linebackers were drafted last year. They were around the size of Michigan linebackers last year as well. Knowles looks like a good DC. I suspect with the talent on OSU team their defense will be good too.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:42 PM ^
Doesn't that sound a lot like Matt Milano? Undersized "LB" for Brown who put up huge numbers in that system?
August 17th, 2022 at 3:23 PM ^
It's going to look a lot like Don Brown's defense. It's going to work because OSU has superior athletes to their opponents until the CFP.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:02 PM ^
I think Michigan's offensive talent might have something to say about that before then. I don't think alot of one on one coverage with the talent UM has on offense this year is a great strategy. Just seems odd to me you are giving OSU's defense a pass until the CFB when UM should have their own top 10 offense this year to test them before any CFB game. I mean honestly OSU is going to need big improvement from their d-line because UM manhandled them last year upfront and the offensive line is probably going to be even better this year.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:38 PM ^
There is less love for UM with many posters, similar last year before the season. Don't want to have their hopes up I guess.
August 17th, 2022 at 6:02 PM ^
They won't make the cfp
August 18th, 2022 at 8:16 AM ^
If his D is similar to Brown's as stated, then OSU might actually be a better game for Cade to be QB1. I know we have to see how the season plays out, but having a QB who can pick out the 1 on 1 ideal matchup prior to the snap with excellent athletes on the outside was that D's kryptonite.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:23 PM ^
Hard to be worse than the clown show they had last year. But I'm not convinced Ohio State is tough any more. Stop the run or you can't beat Michigan, bottom line for Knowles/Day. Are they tough enough to stop UM's run game? The barrier to me, is that they no longer face a downhill running game in practice. That is the big difference moving from Meyer to Day, a power running game to a passing game that runs secondarily. It's a different type of offense and it's what OSU's defense now faces in practice every day. Last year, against UM, their run-fits were horrible, and I'm sure much of that comes from facing a different scheme with a lesser level of violence in the trenches day after day. From the minute that game kicked off OSU didn't look like they wanted to hit. That's what Knowles must change, and I don't know if it's there for the taking with the type of offense they run.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:39 PM ^
And this is supposed to be a very cold winter, so expect November in Ohio to colder than usual with snow as well.
I agree, I don't know how tough they are, maybe Notre Dame will show us? Almost certainly Wisconsin, although they will be incredibly one dimensional.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:05 PM ^
It's also the middle of cold and flu season so expect a sudden illness to run rampant in their skill position players. One that strikes at the start of cross out your Ms week and clears up right after The Game.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:55 PM ^
Moar powar. You would think they would be able to run enough in practice to figure out run fits though. Hell, just make their second string run all the time against the 1s. With the way they recruit, they would likely would be more talented than a bunch of other CFB teams.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:05 PM ^
I would expect a very high scoring game in Columbus this year. I don't think OSU or anyone for that matter will be able to stop UM's run game without committing extra bodies and if they do UM's pass game should be more dangerous this year to make teams pay if they want to sell out to stop it.
August 17th, 2022 at 5:18 PM ^
They will have the talent to win a title and have an elite defense but i'm convinced Ryan Day is actually trying to turn OSU into a BIG 12 team. He wants to get into a shoot out with his 5* QBs and WRs. As a BIG 10 outsider, i'm not sure he understands that the B1G 10 will always be a win in the trenches type of league. The B1G 10 more than any other conference is more about who's tougher and stronger than who's faster or more athletic.
Anyone remember when Jim was interviewing DC's and he wanted them to present how they would defend OSU's offense? I wouldn't be surprised at all if Ryan Day is so full of himself and his offense that rather than ask his interviewees how to stop Michigan's offense, he asked them how they would stop his own offense, which led to him hiring a Big 12 DC who wants to play 5 DB sets.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:24 PM ^
He may be good, he may be bad. But who knowles?
August 17th, 2022 at 3:26 PM ^
I have 42 thoughts on ohio's new DC and sometime later I'll post 27 of them.
August 18th, 2022 at 3:36 AM ^
I cant upvote or downvote because this upvote count is perfect!
August 17th, 2022 at 3:26 PM ^
Big 12 is much different than Big 10. Also, is a new set of guys. Maybe his defense ideas still work well, but I don't know.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:27 PM ^
I was shocked how slow and unathletic the Buckeyes' d-line looked last year. Could be attributed to bad coaching but it seemed like more than that to me.
And as far as I know, OSU doesn't have a RODRIGO like Oklahoma State did last year!
August 17th, 2022 at 3:41 PM ^
Which was strange because Larry Johnson was still (is still) their DL coach. I think the dudes they have aren't DUDES and are just guys.
August 17th, 2022 at 6:33 PM ^
While no man can hope to match the immortal Rodrigo, greatest linebacker in football history, I am thinking they will look MUCH better this year. When you have disorganized, messy coaching, it trickles down to every facet of the game. How can a player go 100% if they're not sure what they're supposed to be doing? So just having someone organized and competent with a consistent vision from camp to opening day will be huge.
The other factor is just the absurd talent/potential they have. Five 5-stars on D, 4 on the D line (Sawyer who should be in line for a bigger role although at the new hybrid "Jack" spot, Tuimoloau, Harrison, and Taron Vincent). The fifth 5-star is sort of a wildcard in last year's transfer, Gaoteote, who will also be competing for the hybrid Jack spot and hasn't been used that much since he got to Columbus. This is not even considering all the reliable to outstanding four-star players that comprise their roster as well, nor their other high-level returning starters.
I say beware until proven otherwise.
August 17th, 2022 at 7:32 PM ^
Me too-but even more so was their incredibly weak LB play. They played like a bunch of entitled prima donnas.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:33 PM ^
The premier Big 12 style program hired a Big 12 coach to make them tougher it’s very funny to me.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:39 PM ^
Don Brown got BC to be on the best defenses in college football with a similar philosophy facing similar competition to what Knowles faced at OKST.
My thoughts? We have no idea how this will go. If he truly favors press man coverage then there are ways to exploit that, even if the OSU CBs are superior athletes. It's not like our WRs are second-rate athletes.
But I do believe they will be more organized and tougher than last year's version.
Of course, our offense should be better than last year's. The Game will hinge more on our ability to get stops than our ability to score points. I don't think OSU (or anyone else on our schedule) will be able to shut our offense down. @Iowa will probably be our worst offensive output because Kinnick.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:31 PM ^
@Iowa because Kinnick will turn a punting fanatic to install the run and shoot offense and punters to flip in the air causing helmet to helmet contact to extend drives so yeah, something stupid will happen that will affect more than just our offense.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:44 PM ^
My thoughts are that he's not going to work out as well as the expectations that have been put on him dictate. And I CANNOT WAIT to see it unfold.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:46 PM ^
FEI Defensive rankings. He started at Duke in 2010, It wasn't until year three that they were better than the year before he arrived. Duke's defense two years after he left were better than all but one year there. OK St they got worse before they got better as well. In all, two good defenses the last two years and a lot of meh results prior to that.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:07 PM ^
Here we go again, someone offering details and facts.
Is that any way to contribute?!
(Nice. Thanks.)
August 17th, 2022 at 4:08 PM ^
He might be good but those career numbers don't exactly scream the surefire hire alot of people are making him out to be, though obviously defensive talent at Duke and OSU was not great for most of those years.
August 17th, 2022 at 5:51 PM ^
Yeah it's kinda hard to get a read on him, because his track record appears to be: first year struggling to adjust to new scheme, then slowly get better but maybe not totally elite.
Oklahoma State has a lot more talent than Duke, so I can see why maybe he didn't produce a top 30 defense there, but Don Brown had literally the dirt worst offense at Boston College putting his defense in crap situations, yet they were still S tier, even at a talent disparity
August 17th, 2022 at 3:53 PM ^
As long as Jim Knowles doesn't have his defense practicing and playing against the lethal Ohio State offense every week, he should be just f...oh, wait a minute.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:55 PM ^
Maybe they only want to put 2 LBs out there since they had such bad LB play last year.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:55 PM ^
he in Day will make a great duo..... they'll be like John Cooper and Bill Young.... average 11 wins a season and regularly lose to Michigan.
August 17th, 2022 at 3:56 PM ^
Ryan Day: this may sound dramatic, but we really wanna be able to *checks notes* stop the run
August 17th, 2022 at 3:57 PM ^
They did have a good defense last year, just not great. Just on experience alone, they should be better, but switching to a new scheme this year might cause growing pains. IMO, too many OSU slappies are putting all their eggs in the "Knowles is some sort of defensive genius" basket whose mere presence will make the unit instantly elite.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:10 PM ^
Not sure how you can give them good last year. Got kind of torched against almost all the good offenses they saw, finished 40+ ranking in both yards and points allowed per game overall.
August 17th, 2022 at 4:28 PM ^
I wouldn’t really say they had a good defense last year. They got by for the most part by simply being more athletic and talented than their opposition. But they had some glaring holes that anyone with a pulse was able to exploit. They gave up 30+ points 5 times last year, and 40+ Twice. A lot of that was overshadowed by their excellent offense outpacing teams.