The opportunity is still there for the Browns
December 7, 2021Guardians Roundtable: Outfield Trade Options
December 8, 2021On Sunday, Ryan Day said that the Ohio State Buckeyes were focused on their Rose Bowl matchup against Utah and recruiting and that he will discuss the potential changes on the defensive coaching staff after January 1. Less than 48 hours later, the Buckeyes have a new defensive coordinator, as Ohio State has hired Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as their new defensive coordinator, the team announced Tuesday night.
“I have offered a position on the Ohio State football staff to Oklahoma State University defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and he has accepted it. Starting January 2, Knowles will be the Buckeyes’ new defensive coordinator,” Day said in a statement. “What is most important at this time is that we put our players in the best position possible to finish this season with a win in the Rose Bowl. To that end, we will continue our planning and preparation for the game with our current staff of 10 assistant coaches.”
Given how poorly the SIlver Bullets played against Oregon and Michigan this season (both of which were losses), change was inevitable. Current defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs was moved up to the press box while special teams coordinator Matt Barnes was moved to the sidelines following the loss to the Ducks the second week of the season, but it was obvious that it was just a band-aid on a wound that wouldn’t be able to be fully fixed until the offseason. How much change is still a question, but Knowles is a massive get for Day and the Buckeyes.
A finalist for this year’s Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant in college football, the 56-year-old has plenty of experience both as a defensive coordinator (and even has a head coach, too).1 In the coaching ranks since starting his career at Cornell, his alma mater, Knowles has been a defensive coordinator for three different teams: Western Michigan (2001-02), Duke (2010-17), and most recently Oklahoma State (2018-21).
Prior to Knowles taking over the Cowboys’ defense, Oklahoma State ranked 79th in total defense, 85th in scoring defense, 116th in pass defense, and 38th in run defense in 2017. This season, they rank sixth in the country in yards allowed per rushing attempt (2.74), 14th in yards allowed per passing attempt (6.26), and second in opposing third-down conversion percentage (25.8%), and lead the nation in both tackles for loss (113) and sacks (54). The Cowboys had the No 1-ranked third-down defense in 2020, too. When Knowles took over in 2018, Oklahoma State allowed an average of 32.5 points per game. This season, they gave up just 16.8 points per game. Not only that but Oklahoma State has yet to allow three touchdowns in a single game this season. Oh, and Oklahoma, with one of the best offenses in college football, only put up 441 yards against the Cowboys while six of their opponents were held under 300 total yards.
With ‘Bama putting it on UGA, OKState’s Defense is the only one in the country that didn’t allow more than 3 off TD in any game this season.
12 of 13 opponents held below 400 yards.
7, including Baylor today, held below 300.
Didn’t have a bad day all year. Incredible unit.
— Cayden McFarland (@caydenmc) December 5, 2021
The third-down defense was a huge problem for Ohio State’s defense this season. They had a tough time getting off of the field, especially in key circumstances. The fact that Knowles has been so successful in that part of the game is huge, to say the least. For those comparing the Buckeyes’ defense to that of Oklahoma State’s (from above): The Buckeyes are 50th in total defense, 20th in rush defense, 97th in pass defense, and 25th in scoring defense. Ohio State gave up 401 yards per game this season, which is the second-highest mark in school history. Just a reminder from the tweet above: Knowles’ Oklahoma State defense only gave up 400+ yards in one game this season.
The good news is that Knowles runs a 4-2-5 defense, something that the Silver Bullets are accustomed to from a personnel standpoint. The better news is that he uses a variety of different looks from that base defense, ones that he had much more success in doing so compared to Ohio State of late. You’ll notice that he likes to be aggressive on third down, which has led to plenty of success, something that the Buckeyes have *not* done recently.
Given the addition of Knowles beginning January 2, there are likely a few more changes coming to Ohio State’s defensive coaching staff. One coach has to go, for sure, to open up a spot for Knowles. From there, it will be interesting to see who the new defensive coordinator retains as his position coaches. Only time will tell.
One thing is certain: Knowles is a gigantic get for Day and the Buckeyes at a position that they badly needed to upgrade. Now, it needs to turn into upgrades on the field and in the box score.
- Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis won the award. [↩]