Behind enemy lines with Alejanj Zaniga previewing Michigan and Ohio State.

It continues and concludes right now here on the Michigan Insider on the Big 1050 WTCA.

Let's slip to the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State because that's an area that, especially now the last couple of seasons under Jim Noles, has really been impressive.

And this year, despite giving up almost 500 yards to Oregon in that, you know, top

five matchup a few weeks ago, Buckeyes enter this game with the number one scoring

defense in college football, top five in rush defense, past defense, number one in total

defense that's yards allowed, and number one to SP Plus.

As mentioned, gave up 500 yards to Oregon, really struggled with those deep shots.

I know Denzel Burke really struggled against the ducks.

What has Jim Knowles done since then that has turned this unit around and kept them, by most metrics,

one of the best, if not the best defenses in college football?

Well, they had an off week after the Oregon game, and the way Ryan Day has put it,

they re-engineered some things defensively.

I think with the frustration for a lot of Buckeye fans was that if you look at what Jim

Noles was doing at Oklahoma State or at Duke before he came to Ohio State, and you look at

the Ohio State defense the last couple of years, like it hasn't looked like a Jim Null's

defense. Some of that has to do with defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who's obviously

been very successful both Ohio State and Penn State and the way he wants to run for defensive linemen out there on every play, whereas Knowles would probably

prefer to mix things up a little bit more.

So I think they kind of had a, for lack of a better term, and it kind of come to Jesus

moment where it was realized that, hey, we've got to do some things differently.

And so they've done, they've still kept the front four the same.

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