Ohio State Football: Playoff Run Proves Buckeyes' Defense Is Back

After winning his first 24 games as Ohio State's head coach, Urban Meyer watched from the sideline as his defense imploded in a 34-24 loss to Michigan State in the 2013 Big Ten title game.

It was a devastating defeat for Meyer and the Buckeyes, who were one victory away from punching their ticket to face Florida State in the national championship. Instead, the loss sent them to Miami for an Orange Bowl matchup against Clemson, which carved the Buckeyes up for 576 total yards in a 40-35 victory.

Those back-to-back losses triggered a change in the way Ohio State approached defense. Meyer was through with the zone schemes that allowed opposing teams to chip their way down the field. He wanted a fast, aggressive unit that set the tone against its counterpart.

A year later, that's exactly what Meyer had. Ohio State's defense clicked at the right time during the 2014 season, limiting three talented offenses as the Buckeyes marched their way through the Big Ten title game and the first-ever College Football Playoff. 

With that unexpected run, Ohio State's defense proved that it's ready to reclaim its dominant status. 

It started in the offseason when Meyer brought in Chris Ash from Arkansas to be the co-defensive coordinator alongside Luke Fickell. Ash installed his aggressive 4-3 scheme that featured a secondary that played more press coverage and man-to-man patterns. 

Early returns from that overhaul were positive. Bleacher Report's Michael Felder broke down Ohio State's 2014 spring game and highlighted a much more disruptive secondary. That was the Buckeyes' Achilles' heel the year before as they surrendered an average of 268 passing yards per game, which ranked 112th nationally, per CFBstats.com.

According to Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch, Meyer knew his defense needed to change: "I felt we were a ‘what-if’ defense last year: ‘What if they did this?’ I saw it from my coaches and I saw it from our players. What I’m looking for is simplicity — four to six, A to B. If you can’t give us that, then we’ve got to move on and get another player who will. So if you see big plays right now, I don’t care."

Ohio State's defense did surrender some big plays early in the season. After getting past Navy and its pesky triple-option attack in the season opener, Ohio State struggled in games against Virginia Tech and Cincinnati. The Hokies confounded the Buckeyes defense, converting nine of 17 third-down attempts in a 35-21 upset win. Two weeks later, the Bearcats torched Ohio State with three big plays as quarterback Gunner Kiel connected with wide receiver Chris Moore for touchdowns of 60, 83 and 78 yards. The Buckeyes offense outpaced Cincinnati to secure a 50-28 win.

But as Ohio State's season wore on, the defense showed flashes of what was to come. The Buckeyes limited their first four conference opponents to an average of 19.8 points per game. Sophomore Joey Bosa emerged as one of the country's top pass-rushers, and most importantly of all, the secondary was holding its own.

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press/Associated Press

After running through the conference unscathed, Ohio State faced its stiffest challenge of the season in the Big Ten title game. After losing quarterback J.T. Barrett to a season-ending ankle injury the week before, the Buckeyes were tasked with stopping the NCAA's leading rusher in Melvin Gordon and a Wisconsin team that was hitting its stride.

Just a year removed from collapsing in the Big Ten title game, Ohio State found itself back on the big stage with its championship hopes resting in the hands of its defense.

And this time, the "Silver Bullets" delivered.

Ohio State throttled Wisconsin with a historic beatdown, limiting one of the most explosive rushing attacks in the country to a season-low 71 yards (249 yards below its season average) in a 59-0 shutout. Gordon managed just 76 yards and 2.9 yards per carry, with a long run of 13 yards.

Gordon was just the first of three consecutive Heisman Trophy finalists that Ohio State would shut down.

In the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama, wideout Amari Cooper broke free for two touchdown catches, but he was limited to his third-worst output of the season as he registered just 71 receiving yards in a 42-35 loss.

In the title game against Oregon, Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota was held in check as his Ducks were held to a season-low 20 points as the Buckeyes rolled to a 22-point victory.

In the aftermath of their title run, some Ohio State defenders had fun pointing out that they shut down the nation's top running back, wide receiver and quarterback in consecutive games:

"

What do these 3 players have in common.....???  pic.twitter.com/lbOqfTWS92

— Tyvis Powell (@1Tyvis) January 22, 2015"

Ohio State's defense should be even better in 2015.

The Buckeyes only lose defensive tackle Michael Bennett, middle linebacker Curtis Grant and cornerback Doran Grant from a unit that finished 19th nationally in total defense. Bosa will be back to attack the edge. Linebackers Joshua Perry and Darron Lee will look to build off breakout seasons. The secondary returns playmaking safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell, along with a host of talent at cornerback.

Ohio State showed drastic defensive improvement in its last three outings, but with what's returning in 2015, the best is yet to come. 

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NCAA.com.

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.