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Ohio State’s defense leading the nation in one key stat

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

It’s not just the Ohio State offense that is doing good work early in the season.

Heading into Week 3, the Buckeyes have looked dominant in their first two wins of the season. After allowing some early points to Nebraska, the defense woke up and shut down the Cornhuskers. In Week 2, the Nittany Lions struggled to build consistent drives against Ohio State.

A big reason for the strong showings by the defense as a whole has to deal with the amount of pressure the Buckeyes are getting on opposing quarterbacks. Defensive lineman Tommy Togiai is currently tied for the B1G lead with 3.0 sacks while Zach Harrison has 1.5. Three other Buckeyes have at least a full sack through two games.

All together, PFF College has Ohio State at a 56% pressure percentage as a team. That mark is the best rate in college football:

With traditional counting stats out of whack due to delayed starts and cancellations across the country, rate stats like these provide a little better insight into how strong Ohio State’s defense is playing early on. The offense may continue to steal the highlights and headlines, but the defense is more than holding up its end of the bargain on the field.

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.