Chris Holtmann: ‘No secret’ Ohio State is struggling heading into season’s end

Ohio State is not in a good place right now. Head coach Chris Holtmann admitted as much after Tuesday’s home loss to last-place Nebraska.

It might be hard for fans to remember, but the Buckeyes just recently beat Illinois on the road in Champaign. Unfortunately, Ohio State has dropped back-to-back games against unranked opponents with losses at Maryland and vs. Nebraska.

After the loss to the Huskers, Holtmann admitted the struggles of the Buckeyes “are no secret” but related them to pressing too much on offense. He also pointed to the Buckeye defense as a cause for concern for a team wanting to keep playing deep during the NCAA Tournament.

Holtmann: “We’re obviously really struggling right now, that’s no secret. … I think we’re pressing too much right now, certainly on the offensive end.”

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) March 2, 2022

Holtmann: “There are very few teams that defend the way we are defending right now that advance in the NCAA Tournament.”

— Connor Lemons (@lemons_connor) March 2, 2022

Holtmann also addressed the absence of Kyle Young. Young started the game with Zed Key sidelined due to an ankle injury. Unfortunately, young left with an illness and did not return.

Chris Holtmann says Kyle Young was “out with an illness” and is still being evaluated in the back.

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) March 2, 2022

Ohio State is locked into an NCAA Tournament bid, but seeding is still up in the air. Either way, the Buckeyes need to get healthy – and quick – with the postseason coming.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.