Jim Knowles and the Ohio State defense had a chance to shine in Week 1, kicking off the year with a dominant performance against Indiana. However, the performance still left a sour taste in the mouths of some defenders.

Speaking at his Tuesday press conference, Knowles said the unit is aiming for a higher standard this fall with the defense feeling “on top of your game” against the Hoosiers. That meant even a single field goal led to some players feeling a bit unhappy with their performance.

“I think guys are striving for a higher standard. You know, games go differently all the time, but when you feel you’re on top of your game, (and) you know, you can stop them, you should,” Knowles explained. “So I guess that’s probably why they felt that they weren’t happy with that.”

That’s certainly good news for a program with great Big Ten Championship odds looking to reclaim the national title. Interested parties can get in on the action via our special Ohio sports betting promo code!

As for Week 1, Knowles’ unit allowed just 153 total yards of offense and limited the Hoosiers to a 4-for-15 performance on 3rd downs. Ohio State did allow 71 rushing yards but held Indiana to 2.2 yards per carry.

Main photo via Lanter Sports on X (formerly Twitter).