Fansided

3 Ohio State scapegoats most to blame for heartbreaking loss to Georgia

By Cody Williams

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) walks off the field after the Buckeyes lost to Georgia in the the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Syndication The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) walks off the field after the Buckeyes lost to Georgia in the the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Syndication The Columbus Dispatch /
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Denzel Burke, Ohio State Buckeyes. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Denzel Burke gave up the game-winning TD but the entire Ohio State secondary struggled

There was a part of me that was going to simply single out freshman cornerback Denzel Burke as someone to blame. He was the man in coverage on Georgia’s final drive when AD Mitchell cooked the redshirt freshman DB in the end zone to get free and haul in the eventual game-winning touchdown. But really, that was a microcosm for the entirety of the Ohio State defensive back group on Saturday night.

Whether it was Burke, Cameron Brown, Tanner McCallister, or a litany of others, it felt routine that Georgia’s pass-catchers were just running right into open space and making plays. Arian Smith’s 76-yard touchdown where a DB fell down in man coverage can be excused — sh*t happens — but there were countless other instances of big, chunk plays that allowed Stetson Bennett IV to pick the defense apart.

In this game, the Buckeyes defensive front played one of its best overall games of the season, really frustrating Bennett and getting after him against one of the top offensive lines in the country. But even with that and the Bulldogs QB self-inflicting several wounds, Bennett still threw for 398 yards and three scores, including a near-perfect 190-yard showing in the fourth quarter.

When OSU brought in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the hope was that the defense would improve immediately. And it did make strides as the unit was much more physical overall. In modern college football, though, if the secondary continues to play like they did on Saturday against top teams, the defense is going to remain susceptible.

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