Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles expressed confidence in his defense ahead of their matchup against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. He highlighted the Volunteers' effective running game fueled by tempo and spacing, but emphasized his defense's preparedness for such a style. Knowles also praised his cornerbacks and the unit's ability to perform in crucial moments.
Not only is 1,400-yard rusher Dylan Sampson the focal point of the Volunteers' offense, but forecasted temperatures around 20 degrees will emphasize the ground game more. That was the first focus of Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as he met with the Buckeyes' media on Tuesday. One of the things that makes Tennessee 's running game so effective is its use of tempo, catching defenses out of position.
But Knowles said his defense has been'built for' such pace since his first days as a coordinator at Duke. He also expressed confidence in Ohio State's cornerbacks and defense as a whole entering the first round of the College Football Playoff. Knowles said Tennessee's tempo and spacing fuel its running game. 'They spread you out sideline to sideline.' On whether the defense can carry the team through the College Football Playoff:'I'm confident in our players, I'm confident in the way they perform in crucial moments. ... We can win the game on defense, that's everything I've been working on since I got here. If it comes to the defense winning, that's what we've got to do.' Knowles has no doubts about Ohio State cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun.'Great confidence. Both of them, Jermaine (Mathews) also. ... Those guys are on an island all the time. ... There are ups and downs in any season, any career. But those guys are great players. ... They're resilient, they're gonna bounceback and have a great game.' On the lack of defensive line rotation and whether the defensive line got gassed:'You have to trust your coaches. Coach Johnson's been doing this a long time, there's no one you'd rather have make those decisions. ... Those decisions happen at the moment. ... I think everyone in this room and all our fans know that Coach J is going to make the best decision for our program.' Despite the way Ohio State's defense performed in the Michigan loss, Knowles doesn't feel they did enough.'If it takes 3-0, it's 3-0. .
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