Greg Schiano Discusses Defensive Issues, Maintains “Wholesale” Changes Aren’t Coming

After Ohio State’s shocking 49-20 loss to Purdue, the Buckeyes sent coordinators Ryan Day and Greg Schiano to meet with the media on Wednesday.

The Buckeye assistant coaches are out recruiting, but the coordinators remain in Columbus to work on scheme and addressing the issues on both sides of the ball during the bye week. What follows are the main takeaways from Schiano’s availability.

Schiano Notes:

  • Said Ohio State moved away from walked-up linebackers against Purdue. Added that the reason for doing it was to take away double teams off of defensive linemen.
  • “There’s no one reason,” that Ohio State has struggled on defense, Schiano said.
  • Said he has reviewed the best ways for the coaches to put players in position to make plays since Saturday.
  • “Mental errors have not been a big issue, but we missed 20 tackles last week,” Schiano said. Added that was the worst tackling performance OSU has had since he arrived in Columbus.
  • “You’re not going to wholesale change your scheme,” he said of any possible drastic changes to the defense.
  • Said he discussed with his players why the fourth quarter got away from Ohio State.
  • “I am not being naive to what has been put on tape, but I do feel like we are close to playing a more mature defense,” he said.
  • Said Ohio State won’t make great defensive changes, but can make minor tweaks to help certain players make plays.
  • Praised Jordan Fuller for always knowing where he needs to be on every check defensively.
  • Said freeing Chase Young up on the defensive line is something the Buckeyes are trying to do with Nick Bosa out.
  • “We have played more zone this year than we have in the past,” he said of Ohio State’s pass coverage. Hinted at the fact that the Buckeyes are mixing it in more because of less depth at corner than in the past.

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