Urban Meyer weighs in on Ohio State defensive revival under Jim Knowles

Former Ohio State coach and current FOX analyst Urban Meyer still keeps a close eye on the Buckeyes, who are 7-0 and will face No. 13 Penn State this weekend on the road in Happy Valley. For Meyer, that will be the first real test for first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who has headed one of the nation’s best defenses.

Ohio State currently ranks No. 2 nationally in total defense and No. 5 in scoring defense.

“But reality is Ohio State has not played an offense that can throw the ball,” Meyer said Wednesday on Urban’s Take with Tim May. “Not one. So I’m anxious to see what’s going to happen.”

Meyer provided some analysis of Knowles’ defense from an Xs and Os standpoint, offering a nice glimpse behind the curtain.

“My question, I’m really anxious to see, Jim Knowles is very aggressive,” Meyer said. “They play a lot off something we call Blitz 0. And that’s six-man pressure where there’s no safeties, and that’s the ultimate challenge for a quarterback.

“However, if the tide was turned and you had Marvin Harrison Jr. and you had CJ Stroud, would you blitz those guys? I would say no. They’re too good. When we had J.T. Barrett a freshman we got a little Blitz 0 till we learned how to beat it. You just don’t do that, because it’s too high-risk.”

The list of teams Ohio State has beaten doesn’t exactly include any juggernauts. In fact, there isn’t a single team the Buckeyes have beaten that has fewer than three losses this year.

You start breaking down what Knowles has faced offensively… not much.

“Now here’s a harsh reality that some people might not want to hear is that Ohio State hasn’t really faced a quarterback,” Meyer said. “You look at the pass offense rankings, Rutgers is 122. I think Iowa was 130 or 129. I’m trying to think who else we’ve played. It’s really been poor. Even Notre Dame is 110th in pass offense.”

Can Penn State challenge defensive coordinator Jim Knowles?

When Ryan Day tapped defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, one concern many in the industry had was how long it would take the Buckeyes to pick up his scheme. It’s a relatively complex one, something Oklahoma State was able to run well in his previous gig thanks to its experience.

The Buckeyes have some great players, but to Meyer’s point, they haven’t necessarily been tested a ton.

“So now they’re going to face Sean Clifford, who is experienced,” Meyer said. “He’s had an up-and-down career, but he had a really good game against Minnesota. He’s a veteran. He’s at home. Much different when you’re in the Horseshoe with 110,000 people and they play there. You can’t really check in and out of plays, communication is too hard.

“So I’m anxious to see will they take the same approach against a veteran quarterback.”

Meyer isn’t sure how Ohio State will approach the Penn State game defensively, one of the reasons this weekend’s matchup is so intriguing for him.

“Will Jim Knowles play zero coverage against Clifford?” Meyer wondered. “He wants to dictate the game. That means he wants to tell you what plays to run because I’m going to show a zero look a lot. I’m anxious to see how this goes.”