Thirteen games into Ohio State’s season, the linebacker group has proven to be one of the strongest on the team, with Arvell Reese being named a consensus All-American, and Sonny Styles making an appearance on an All-America first-team as well.
They have made the job for opposing offenses very difficult being able to do so many different things. Reese in particular has been used often as a pass rusher, a quarterback spy, sent back in coverage, and to fit runs as well.
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia couldn’t help but smile when talking about Styles and Reese and what they have brought to the Buckeyes No. 1 defense this season.
“Both of them have really good coverage skills. They’re both really good in the rush. They’re big. They’re long. Some of the matchup stuff they can do. They have a little bit of savvy suddenness to them,” Patricia said. “When you’re inside (on the O-line) with some of those alignments, sometimes that quickness is a little bit different than a defensive tackle or three-technique.”
Knowing that both Reese and Styles can do so much, and also taking into account safety Caleb Downs, who also has an extremely versatile skillset and play-style, makes it tough for opposing offenses to prepare for what they are going to see from the OSU defense when it comes to the pass rush.
Miami redshirt senior offensive lineman James Brockermeyer said as much, noting that each of those three defenders are going to be playing on Sundays very soon.
“It’s a huge challenge,” Brockermeyer told BSB. “(Reese, Styles and Downs) are elite players and are going to have very successful careers in the NFL. There’s no drop off with their pass rush. All of those guys are able to do whatever their coach asks them, whether that’s drop back in coverage, rush the passer or fit the run.”
Sometimes Styles and Reese don’t even know what their role is until they see how the offense is lined up, and Patricia has given them the freedom to make some of those decisions on their own.
“He’ll call a coverage or something like that, then we usually have the freedom to figure out what we want to do up front, different stunts and stuff like that,” Styles told BSB. “He even gives us freedom sometimes in base down stuff. You’re able to move guys based on coverage. It’s really making us smarter football players. We’re able to play the game and understand, ‘Maybe I should move this guy here,’ or ‘I see this coming, I’ll move guys this way.’
“(Patricia) doesn’t really care what we do, as long as we understand why we’re doing it and there’s a reason we’re doing it. He always says, ‘I’m not out there playing, you are. So, whatever you see, you can make it happen.”
Having that freedom has made playing defense fun for Styles this season.
“It feels like you’re out there playing a video game being able to move guys in front of you like that,” he said.
It’s also been the case that Ohio State can benefit from Reese’s pass rush when he doesn’t actually rush the passer on a play, too. Often times, Reese will be showing pressure at the line, and the opposing offensive line will account for him, freeing up lanes for his teammates to get into the backfield.
“That’s definitely happened,” Patricia said. “Teams have seen enough film on it, so a lot of times they’ll slide to his spot where he is or try to make sure they have him accounted for in different ways. That gives opportunity to other players on the field when that happens.”
But Patricia also said that they have to balance getting the benefit of not sending Reese on a pass rush with actually sending him since it’s something he’s so good at.
“(You want to) make sure your good players are doing things that they do well,” Patricia said.
Being a veteran lineman, Brockermeyer believes his experience can make it easier to spot disguised coverages and figure out who is rushing and who isn’t, but he admitted that it can still be tough for him to figure out what OSU is sending at them.
“The more you play, the quicker you can react to things like that,” Brockermeyer said. “But it’s not like you’re sitting there and you always know with 100 percent certainty exactly what they’re going to do.”
