Columbus, Ohio -- Last week Navy exposed some lingering questions about Ohio State's offensive line. Head coach Urban Meyer hopes the same does not happen with his secondary this week when his Buckeyes play host to Virginia Tech.
Both units are rebuilt, one from a position of strength and the other from one of the weakest editions in school history. The pass defense was almost completely untested by Navy's triple-option offense in the Buckeyes' season-opening 34-17 win Saturday in Baltimore. Quarterback Keenan Reynolds threw only four passes, completing two, for 20 yards. That is the lowest total for an OSU opponent since Missouri also threw for 20 yards against the Buckeyes in 1998.
"I think we're ranked pretty high in pass defense," Meyer said with a smile Monday.
Virginia Tech figures to bring a very different challenge to Ohio Stadium on Saturday night, however, as the Hokies' pro-style offense is run by Texas Tech transfer Michael Brewer. He threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns last week as the Hokies topped William & Mary 34-9 in their opener. He completed passes to five different receivers on the opening drive alone, so there is little doubt the Buckeyes will be in for a completely different look than they saw in their opener.
"Getting ready for that (Navy) game is tough enough," Meyer said. "It's just now you have to go back to a pass defense that's brand new. So we actually started in earnest yesterday on the field. Usually we don't do much on Sunday. Yesterday we did. Have to get back to see if we improved our pass defense."
Not only are three of the four starters new, the scheme is different as well after co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash came over from Arkansas with a Cover 4-based attack that calls for the cornerbacks to press receivers on the outside while safeties can play the pass or the run depending on their read.
As for the offensive line, Meyer said he felt better about the unit's performance after the game than he did at halftime.
"Our offensive line did not play like an Ohio State offensive line," he said. "The standard was set many, many years ago. I think Coach (Ed) Warinner, the last two years really added to the reputation of Ohio State offensive line. We did not play like that.
"The second half we played pretty good. But pretty good is not what we expect. You play pretty good this week you won't win that game. So we have to get much better fast in the offensive line."
The undersized Midshipmen defensive front gave the Buckeyes some problems with blitzes and stunts, and communication was at times an issue for an Ohio State unit with four new starters.
Navy only sacked freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett once, but the Midshipmen were able to get penetration at times that disrupted the OSU running game. They were credited with two other official quarterback hits, and Barrett was forced out of the pocket on his lone interception, an ill-advised throw in the second quarter.
After the game, offensive coordinator Tom Herman admitted he kept his play calling more conservative early while the line was struggling, but Meyer noted Monday they felt good enough to count on the crew to protect Barrett long enough for him to deliver an 80-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith with the Buckeyes trailing 14-13 in the latter part of the third quarter.
"To say I don't have confidence is probably not fair, because we called on our own 20-yard line a play action pass to go win the game," Meyer said. "I wasn't going to do that in the second quarter. In the second half I gained a lot of confidence, because I saw their demeanors change at halftime."
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