The Ohio State Buckeyes have waded into uncharted waters this year, where they have to live in a world without an elite defense.
It's been at least four seasons in a row that the Ohio State Buckeyes have had an elite defense on their side. It has been such a consistent factor that Buckeye fans everywhere have gotten so used to it that seeing what we all saw on Saturday is enough to smash the panic button.
The Illinois Fighting Illini put together over 400 yards of total offense on Saturday but were only able to cash in for just 19 points. They missed a couple of easy scores that would have kept the game closer than what they did.
The biggest issue for the Buckeyes was that what Illinois did was very, very sustainable. They were able to run the ball with ease; they found huge openings in the pass game, and at times they controlled the line of scrimmage.
It was a shocking thing to watch because it has been so long since that was reality. However, looking back at the first three games of the year, the writing has been on the wall.
In week one, Ball State was able to find some creases in the run game; week two against Texas could have been a really bad day for the Buckeyes if not for some goofy bounces. Week three against Kent State again was similar to Ball State; it wasn't bad, but there were obvious signs that it wasn't up to the Buckeyes' standards.
It came to a head against Illinois, and now the Buckeyes are looking at a really tough stretch of football where they have to find some answers.
They are going to be challenged by the Iowa Hawkeyes offense; they are going to be challenged by Indiana, Oregon, USC, Northwestern (yes, Northwestern), and Michigan.
Each of these teams proved that they have a level of physicality on offense that will cause problems for the Buckeyes. That is, unless they find some answers.
While the Buckeyes figure out what they need to do on the defensive side of the football, their offense has to carry the load. The good part is that they have the firepower to do it; the bad part is that it is not sustainable to continue to lean on it week after week.
The offense can't be elite every week, so the defense has to figure it out at some point.
It is up to Ryan Day and the coaching staff to figure it all out. Until they do, let's hope that Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith can continue to carry the load for the Buckeyes.
