Ohio State coach calls for Buckeyes defense to be 'lethal' as their senior leader
The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing for a showdown on Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes. While the focus will be on whether Ohio State's offense can continue to churn out high-end results against Iowa's elite defense, the other side of the ball is just as interesting. Iowa, coming to Columbus with star rusher Kaleb Johnson […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing for a showdown on Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes. While the focus will be on whether Ohio State's offense can continue to churn out high-end results against Iowa's elite defense, the other side of the ball is just as interesting.
Iowa, coming to Columbus with star rusher Kaleb Johnson headlining the offense, must be wary of Buckeyes star safety Lathan Ransom. Ransom, the lesser-known secondary starter, has been fantastic this season. He's produced 20 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles called on his secondary to be more like Ransom.
Ransom's two forced fumbles have made him "lethal," and he wants all of the defensive backs to take after his aggressive mindset. He said punchouts have been part of their training and practices, but not all guys can do it with equal precision and effectiveness.
“Those don’t happen accidentally. Those are deliberate,” Knowles added.
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The defensive leader has been a force thus far, ranking second in tackles and tackles for loss on the unit. Despite the number of stars on the defense burying his name further than it should, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder is versatile enough to hold his own in any assignment.
However, his task will be difficult this Saturday. Johnson, a 225-pound freight train, ranks second in missed tackles forced and yards gained. This will be a situation where preparedness will only be outweighed by effort and football IQ.
Knowles' desire to see more forced fumbles is understandable. His defense had only produced four turnovers entering last week's bout with Michigan State. They logged one interception and those two aforementioned fumbles in response to our call-out.
Will it happen again? We could see a blowout in Columbus if Johnson puts a ball or two on the ground.
