Ohio State football: Two big changes have Buckeyes back on track

“This is kind of a goofy word, but we like re-engineered the defense,” Day said. “We had to almost start from scratch after the Oregon game.”

That did not mean drastically changing the scheme, which remains a 4-2-5 with some other looks mixed in, but the coaching staff did re-examine what each position group was doing, how they were doing it — and how that could all be better.

“We’ve got to put our best players in a position to be successful,” Day said.

He also cited needing to figure out how teams were using the strengths and weaknesses of coordinator Jim Knowles’ plans against them after Oregon was able to isolate defenders and attack them both in the run and pass games.

“How are teams scheming us up in terms of what are they looking at?” Day said. “And you start going through that process and you almost have to kind of knock it down and rebuild it a little bit.

“Now to the naked eye, there’s probably not a lot out there that you’re really noticing, but there’s significant things that are going on that I think are giving our guys confidence. I think we’re doing a better job of putting our guys in a position to be successful.”

The Buckeyes allowed 270 yards and 13 points at Penn State, but the Nittany Lions only generated six points on offense.

They also scored on an interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter but had a pair of possessions end inside the Ohio State 5-yard line with no points.

That effort by the Buckeyes’ stop unit was sufficient thanks in no small part to a new-look offensive line delivering its best performance in years considering the stakes of the contest and the strength of the opponent.

The Buckeyes ran for 176 yards, but more importantly they managed to keep the ball away from the Nittany Lions for the last five minutes after the defense delivered a goal-line stand to protect their seven-point lead.

The line came through despite having to start left guard Donovan Jackson at left tackle for the first time in his career in and plugging Carson Hinzman in at left guard.

Hinzman started 12 games at center last season, but that job went to Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin in the offseason.

An illness in preseason camp presented another setback for Hinzman, who fell behind Austin Siereveld and Tegra Tshabola at guard, but the coaching staff felt his experience in a hostile environment like Beaver Stadium might be an asset.

“I do feel like Carson was practicing better, but I can’t sit here and tell you that there was a whole bunch in practice that put him ahead of anybody else, then when he had the opportunity of his life, grabbed it,” Day said.

That figures to be the starting lineup moving forward — including Tshabola at right guard and senior Josh Fryar at right tackle.

Day was jubilant in the immediate aftermath of the Buckeyes’ win at Penn State, but not surprisingly he was looking ahead by Tuesday.

“The Penn State game’s over,” Day said. “We’ve got to worry about Purdue. We’ve got to keep moving forward. So now we’ll see kind of how things go as we move forward, but (Hinzman) showed he can do it. And again, I hope that builds confidence for him as he moves forward. I mean, it’s looked the way that we wanted it to look.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

Purdue at Ohio State, Noon, FOX, 1410