Happy Monday!
It’s another busy week for us here at Scarlet and Gray Report, and there’s plenty to talk about.
Here’s what’s on my mind.
So how did Jim Knowles actually do as the defensive coordinator at Duke?
Along with the arrival of safeties coach Perry Eliano and secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator has been adding new members to the Ohio State support staff who are familiar with him and his defenses.
From Oklahoma State, Jim Knowles has brought in former Cowboys assistant linebackers coach Koy McFarland and former defensive quality control coach Brent Zdebski to join his staff.
But he went back further in his career too, bringing in former Duke co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and former Duke linebackers coach Sam McGrath: both of which he worked with when Knowles was with the Blue Devils from 2010-17 as a defensive coordinator and stints as a safeties and a linebackers coach.
Knowles’ defenses at Oklahoma State have been well documented. In 2018, Knowles’ first season as defensive coordinator in Stillwater, the Cowboys gave up 32.5 points per game and 452.5 yards per game. Four years later, Oklahoma State’s defense allowed 18.1 points and 297.9 yards per game: the lowest in the Big 12.
In his eight years at Duke, did that same change happen?
Yep.
In Knowles’ first year with the Blue Devils, the defense allowed 450.1 yards per game, 6.4 yards per play and 35.4 points per game for a three-win team.
Over the next seven years, other than hiccups in 2012 and 2016, Knowles defenses improved dramatically each and every year, dropping the yards-per-game total by an average of nearly 17 yards per season, including an 82.1-yard swing between 2016 and 2017.
In his final year with Duke in 2017, the Blue Devils had a Top 25 total defense, pass defense, passer efficiency defense, scoring defense, third-down defense, fourth-down defense and fewest first downs allowed, utilizing players like linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, who had a career-high 125 tackles and 16 tackles-for-loss, and
What do the numbers show? Wherever Knowles shows up, progress ensues.
So who’s going to fill that linebacker role for Ohio State?
Let’s look at Knowles’ top performers from his final seasons at Duke and Oklahoma State, respectively.
So who’s in the running for the Buckeyes? Here’s three names to watch:
Just like we did last week with the running backs, here’s three things Ohio State’s wide receiver room must do this offseason to set up for a successful fall.
I usually put this in its own thread on the board, but I thought I would put it here this week.
Maggs was a first-year starter at quarterback for Dublin Coffman High School this past season, playing with 2023 DT commit Will Smith Jr. The quarterback said he saw Smith on campus
He said Ohio State has always been a dream school of his, growing up watching the Buckeyes.
What Ohio State really likes about him is the fact that he can run as a quarterback, giving a different look in that room than Devin Brown, C.J. Stroud and Kyle McCord.
Much more to come tomorrow.
OK, let’s talk some more about the Purdue game.
I’ll start here: there’s nothing better than a sold-out Mackey Arena on a Sunday afternoon.
The last time I was on Purdue’s campus was Oct. 20, 2018 on that night many of you would like to forget — a night that was memorialized by a sign of the ESPN scoreboard from the contest in the student section. I remember it being cold and rainy and talking to a shocked Urban Meyer and a group of players in what seemed like a high school classroom after the game.
But it was my first time in Mackey Arena. And for an atmosphere, it met every expectation. The student section was loud and rowdy, forcing me to lean over and actually yell to my colleagues that were sitting next to me.
It was a true college basketball atmosphere.
I say all of this because I left even more impressed with the resiliency of Ohio State. Not only was this Purdue team as good as anyone in the country — more on that in a bit — it was an atmosphere that could have secured momentum easy when the Boilermakers held a 20-point lead with 14 minutes to go in the game.
In the chaos that was Mackey Arena Sunday afternoon, Ohio State found a way to work its way back, tying the game on a 3 from Liddell at the top of the 3-point line, creating a nervous energy and uneasiness throughout the arena. Not every team can do that.
Ohio State couldn’t do anything about what ensued seconds later, leading to one of the most memorable college basketball moments I have ever experienced in person. However, that collectiveness and strength to come back is not something every team can do.
I wrote yesterday about how Ohio State needs to get to a point where it can trust itself to win those types of games, not relying on being the Cinderella. But heading into March, a comeback like this, an effort like this can only help, especially if the Buckeyes find a way to create momentum into the Tournament.
As big of a pill this was for Ohio State to swallow, it could be incredibly beneficial when the Buckeyes need it most.
Let’s talk size.
I’ll preface this by saying there’s not much anyone can do against Purdue.
6-foot-10 forward Trevion Williams is enough of a load, but add in a 7-foot-4 inhuman at center in Zach Edey and most teams in the country have a significant problem.
But actually, there were points Sunday afternoon Ohio State really did the best it could against Edey.
Sophomore forward Zed Key and redshirt senior center Joey Brunk barrelled up against the sophomore center out of Toronto, using as much physicality as they could to stop him in and around the paint area. But with the size he has, the touch he has around the rim and the increased athleticism over the past year, there wasn’t much the Buckeyes could do except using too much physicality and sending him to the free-throw line.
As for Ohio State’s major goal for Sunday’s game in and around the glass, it was able to keep up with Purdue on the boards, matching the Boilermakers' 38 rebounds with 32 of its own, including 12 offensive rebounds: the same amount Iowa had against them in a 10-point loss
However, Purdue was able to record 15 offensive boards, scoring 18 second-chance points compared to Ohio State’s 11 and recording 12 more points in the paint, than the Buckeyes, which proved to be much more than the difference.
Even after the game, junior forward E.J. Liddell and freshman guard Malaki Branham were shell shocked by the size and capabilities of Edey.
“I’m a big human,” Liddell said postgame. “When I go home, people tell me I’m gigantic, but they don’t even understand what we just had to go through right there.”
Here are four teams that could hurt Ohio State in the same way moving forward.
Michigan: 7-foot-1 center Hunter Dickinson’s ability in and around the rim is only improving, averaging more defensive rebounds per game, while boosting his points-per-game total by 2.9 ponts with an increase of minutes per game by over five minutes. 6-foot-11 center Moussa Diabate also have developed some touch at the rim, including nearly three offensive boards per game.
Indiana: Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was a beast on the glass, recording a double-double with 12 rebounds — including five offensive boards — and 27 points. Him, combined with Race Thompson, could continue to be a problem for the Buckeyes when the Hoosiers travel to Columbus Feb. 19.
Illinois: Kofi Cockburn is a stay and is going to make an NBA team very happy soon. He’s averaging a double-double, averaging 21.1 points per game — shooting 58.9% from the feld — and 11.6 rebounds per game.
Purdue: Don’t count out another game against Edey, Williams and the Boilermakers. As of now, with Ohio State as a five seed and Purdue as the four, the two would be scheduled to meet up in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Here's a few more quick thoughts from Sunday.
Long story short, I’m too cheap to get satellite radio.
On the way home from the Purdue game, I got on the phone with a buddy of mine from my days in Michigan. And through intermittent discussions about the Wolverines, the strengths of Iowa’s defenses over the past 10 years and breaking down the 2022 schedule of the Georgia Bulldogs, I got updates from the AFC Championship game between the CIncinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs.
I got in my car at the point the Bengals made its goal line stand at the end of the first half, hearing each touchdown and key play second-hand over the phone.
But it was still surreal.
So I grew up in Houston, Texas. I’m a Texans fan just by association — yes, Josh McCown is a weird choice for a potential head coach — but the Bengals’ rise to prominence over the past year has been undeniable.
As overtime hit and my friend was taking me pretty much play-by-play, as Evan McPherson hit that game-winning field goal, I was ecstatic.
I immediately hung up the phone with my friend from Michigan and called my former roommate.
He’s a Cincinnati native — something I will never say to his face because he’s actually from the Kentucky side — and has been a Bengals fan his whole life. He’s endured the playoff losses, the T.J. Yates games, as I like to call them.
When he picked up, all I could hear was screaming, pure ecstasy. It was unreal to him, unthinkable, dumbfounded by the turnaround this team had made and against a team many thought would be a Super Bowl champion by the end of this tournament.
The phone call was short, much safer while driving than a text message, I felt. But I still got that sense of excitement, a representation of a fanbase that’s been waiting for this day since 1989.
I missed it. But I got what I wanted from it.
And then I turned back on Set 1 of a Phish show from Oct. 19, 1996.
Song of the Week
In honor of the Bengals making the Super Bowl, my song this week will be from one of my favorite bands of all time that just so happens to be from Cincinnati.
Meet The National: the basis of why my friends say all I enjoy is “sad-dad rock.”
This band has been my favorite since I was in high school when I was drawn to the orchestration and build of many of their songs along with a captivating live performance.
I’m going to make you do some work for this one.
While this whole set is incredible, fast-forward to 31:50 to see one of the best performances out there of one of my favorite songs by this band: “Bloodbuzz Ohio.”
Stay to the end of the main set at 1:09.20 for a back-to-back of “Fake Empire” and “About Today,” both of which will be showcased in this story at a later date.
See you on the board.
It’s another busy week for us here at Scarlet and Gray Report, and there’s plenty to talk about.
Here’s what’s on my mind.
So how did Jim Knowles actually do as the defensive coordinator at Duke?
Along with the arrival of safeties coach Perry Eliano and secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator has been adding new members to the Ohio State support staff who are familiar with him and his defenses.
From Oklahoma State, Jim Knowles has brought in former Cowboys assistant linebackers coach Koy McFarland and former defensive quality control coach Brent Zdebski to join his staff.
But he went back further in his career too, bringing in former Duke co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and former Duke linebackers coach Sam McGrath: both of which he worked with when Knowles was with the Blue Devils from 2010-17 as a defensive coordinator and stints as a safeties and a linebackers coach.
Knowles’ defenses at Oklahoma State have been well documented. In 2018, Knowles’ first season as defensive coordinator in Stillwater, the Cowboys gave up 32.5 points per game and 452.5 yards per game. Four years later, Oklahoma State’s defense allowed 18.1 points and 297.9 yards per game: the lowest in the Big 12.
In his eight years at Duke, did that same change happen?
Yep.
In Knowles’ first year with the Blue Devils, the defense allowed 450.1 yards per game, 6.4 yards per play and 35.4 points per game for a three-win team.
Over the next seven years, other than hiccups in 2012 and 2016, Knowles defenses improved dramatically each and every year, dropping the yards-per-game total by an average of nearly 17 yards per season, including an 82.1-yard swing between 2016 and 2017.
In his final year with Duke in 2017, the Blue Devils had a Top 25 total defense, pass defense, passer efficiency defense, scoring defense, third-down defense, fourth-down defense and fewest first downs allowed, utilizing players like linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, who had a career-high 125 tackles and 16 tackles-for-loss, and
What do the numbers show? Wherever Knowles shows up, progress ensues.
So who’s going to fill that linebacker role for Ohio State?
Let’s look at Knowles’ top performers from his final seasons at Duke and Oklahoma State, respectively.
- Duke (2017): LB Joe Giles-Harris — 6-foot-2, 230 pounds,125 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, four pass deflections
- Oklahoma State (2021): LB/S Malcolm Rodriguez — 5-foot-11, 225 pounds, 129 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, four pass deflections
So who’s in the running for the Buckeyes? Here’s three names to watch:
- Ohio State safety Kourt Williams II — 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, 24 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, one sack, one pass deflection
- Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers — 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, 46 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, one sack, two pass deflections
- Ohio State linebacker CJ Hicks — 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, 84 tackles, 18 tackles-for-loss at Archbishop Alter High School
Just like we did last week with the running backs, here’s three things Ohio State’s wide receiver room must do this offseason to set up for a successful fall.
- Make Jaxon Smith-Njigba the face of the room: This part already began and may have already been accomplished in the Rose Bowl when the sophomore recorded 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 15 catches against Utah. With any sort of consistency with even half those numbers per game, Smith-Njigba will be one of the best wide receivers in the country.
- Find a distinct No. 3 receiver: Marvin Harrison Jr. seems to have a firm grasp on the No. 2 spot after a three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl. The third spot seems up for grabs and, possibly, fluid between Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka will likely be Ohio State’s primary returner on special teams and will see the field, while Fleming, the former five-star, has been waiting for consistent playing time for two years after a mix of depth chart issues and injuries.
- Get that next group in line: Smith-Njgba’s career will likely be over after 2022, leaving another spot up for grabs in the offense. It could be easily filled by either Fleming or Egbuka, but also could leave a spot open for a player like Jayden Ballard or one of the freshmen, specifically Kyion Grayes and Caleb Burton.
I usually put this in its own thread on the board, but I thought I would put it here this week.
Maggs was a first-year starter at quarterback for Dublin Coffman High School this past season, playing with 2023 DT commit Will Smith Jr. The quarterback said he saw Smith on campus
He said Ohio State has always been a dream school of his, growing up watching the Buckeyes.
What Ohio State really likes about him is the fact that he can run as a quarterback, giving a different look in that room than Devin Brown, C.J. Stroud and Kyle McCord.
Much more to come tomorrow.
OK, let’s talk some more about the Purdue game.
I’ll start here: there’s nothing better than a sold-out Mackey Arena on a Sunday afternoon.
The last time I was on Purdue’s campus was Oct. 20, 2018 on that night many of you would like to forget — a night that was memorialized by a sign of the ESPN scoreboard from the contest in the student section. I remember it being cold and rainy and talking to a shocked Urban Meyer and a group of players in what seemed like a high school classroom after the game.
But it was my first time in Mackey Arena. And for an atmosphere, it met every expectation. The student section was loud and rowdy, forcing me to lean over and actually yell to my colleagues that were sitting next to me.
It was a true college basketball atmosphere.
I say all of this because I left even more impressed with the resiliency of Ohio State. Not only was this Purdue team as good as anyone in the country — more on that in a bit — it was an atmosphere that could have secured momentum easy when the Boilermakers held a 20-point lead with 14 minutes to go in the game.
In the chaos that was Mackey Arena Sunday afternoon, Ohio State found a way to work its way back, tying the game on a 3 from Liddell at the top of the 3-point line, creating a nervous energy and uneasiness throughout the arena. Not every team can do that.
Ohio State couldn’t do anything about what ensued seconds later, leading to one of the most memorable college basketball moments I have ever experienced in person. However, that collectiveness and strength to come back is not something every team can do.
I wrote yesterday about how Ohio State needs to get to a point where it can trust itself to win those types of games, not relying on being the Cinderella. But heading into March, a comeback like this, an effort like this can only help, especially if the Buckeyes find a way to create momentum into the Tournament.
As big of a pill this was for Ohio State to swallow, it could be incredibly beneficial when the Buckeyes need it most.
Let’s talk size.
I’ll preface this by saying there’s not much anyone can do against Purdue.
6-foot-10 forward Trevion Williams is enough of a load, but add in a 7-foot-4 inhuman at center in Zach Edey and most teams in the country have a significant problem.
But actually, there were points Sunday afternoon Ohio State really did the best it could against Edey.
Sophomore forward Zed Key and redshirt senior center Joey Brunk barrelled up against the sophomore center out of Toronto, using as much physicality as they could to stop him in and around the paint area. But with the size he has, the touch he has around the rim and the increased athleticism over the past year, there wasn’t much the Buckeyes could do except using too much physicality and sending him to the free-throw line.
As for Ohio State’s major goal for Sunday’s game in and around the glass, it was able to keep up with Purdue on the boards, matching the Boilermakers' 38 rebounds with 32 of its own, including 12 offensive rebounds: the same amount Iowa had against them in a 10-point loss
However, Purdue was able to record 15 offensive boards, scoring 18 second-chance points compared to Ohio State’s 11 and recording 12 more points in the paint, than the Buckeyes, which proved to be much more than the difference.
Even after the game, junior forward E.J. Liddell and freshman guard Malaki Branham were shell shocked by the size and capabilities of Edey.
“I’m a big human,” Liddell said postgame. “When I go home, people tell me I’m gigantic, but they don’t even understand what we just had to go through right there.”
Here are four teams that could hurt Ohio State in the same way moving forward.
Michigan: 7-foot-1 center Hunter Dickinson’s ability in and around the rim is only improving, averaging more defensive rebounds per game, while boosting his points-per-game total by 2.9 ponts with an increase of minutes per game by over five minutes. 6-foot-11 center Moussa Diabate also have developed some touch at the rim, including nearly three offensive boards per game.
Indiana: Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was a beast on the glass, recording a double-double with 12 rebounds — including five offensive boards — and 27 points. Him, combined with Race Thompson, could continue to be a problem for the Buckeyes when the Hoosiers travel to Columbus Feb. 19.
Illinois: Kofi Cockburn is a stay and is going to make an NBA team very happy soon. He’s averaging a double-double, averaging 21.1 points per game — shooting 58.9% from the feld — and 11.6 rebounds per game.
Purdue: Don’t count out another game against Edey, Williams and the Boilermakers. As of now, with Ohio State as a five seed and Purdue as the four, the two would be scheduled to meet up in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Here's a few more quick thoughts from Sunday.
- Branham is quickly becoming one of the more consistent scorers for Ohio State. For much of the game Sunday, he was seemingly the only legitimate scoring option. Keep riding that Branham hypre train. It’s only going to grow come tournament time.
- Ohio State needs an answer from that fourth spot in the lineup alongside Liddell, Branham, Key and redshirt senior guard Jamari Wheeler. Justin Ahrens is struggling mightily with his show right now and Meechie Johnson Jr. wasn’t great in his place. My vote: start Kyle Young to bring some more height and physicality to the paint and some versatility defensively and move Cedric Russell up on the depth chart.
- Eugene Brown III is vital for Ohio State. He’s a Swiss Army Knife defensively, and if he can find some consistency in terms of playing time, he could be vital.
- Purdue looks like a Final Four team.
Long story short, I’m too cheap to get satellite radio.
On the way home from the Purdue game, I got on the phone with a buddy of mine from my days in Michigan. And through intermittent discussions about the Wolverines, the strengths of Iowa’s defenses over the past 10 years and breaking down the 2022 schedule of the Georgia Bulldogs, I got updates from the AFC Championship game between the CIncinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs.
I got in my car at the point the Bengals made its goal line stand at the end of the first half, hearing each touchdown and key play second-hand over the phone.
But it was still surreal.
So I grew up in Houston, Texas. I’m a Texans fan just by association — yes, Josh McCown is a weird choice for a potential head coach — but the Bengals’ rise to prominence over the past year has been undeniable.
As overtime hit and my friend was taking me pretty much play-by-play, as Evan McPherson hit that game-winning field goal, I was ecstatic.
I immediately hung up the phone with my friend from Michigan and called my former roommate.
He’s a Cincinnati native — something I will never say to his face because he’s actually from the Kentucky side — and has been a Bengals fan his whole life. He’s endured the playoff losses, the T.J. Yates games, as I like to call them.
When he picked up, all I could hear was screaming, pure ecstasy. It was unreal to him, unthinkable, dumbfounded by the turnaround this team had made and against a team many thought would be a Super Bowl champion by the end of this tournament.
The phone call was short, much safer while driving than a text message, I felt. But I still got that sense of excitement, a representation of a fanbase that’s been waiting for this day since 1989.
I missed it. But I got what I wanted from it.
And then I turned back on Set 1 of a Phish show from Oct. 19, 1996.
Song of the Week
In honor of the Bengals making the Super Bowl, my song this week will be from one of my favorite bands of all time that just so happens to be from Cincinnati.
Meet The National: the basis of why my friends say all I enjoy is “sad-dad rock.”
This band has been my favorite since I was in high school when I was drawn to the orchestration and build of many of their songs along with a captivating live performance.
I’m going to make you do some work for this one.
While this whole set is incredible, fast-forward to 31:50 to see one of the best performances out there of one of my favorite songs by this band: “Bloodbuzz Ohio.”
Stay to the end of the main set at 1:09.20 for a back-to-back of “Fake Empire” and “About Today,” both of which will be showcased in this story at a later date.
See you on the board.
