Our defense has been fast and physical all season long. Certainly a far cry from last year (and the year before). Unfortunately that style of play comes with a cost - injuries. And by the end of the regular season, we were incredibly banged up defensively:
Defensive Injuries
Tommy Eichenberg - Two broken hands. Missed zero games.
Latham Ransom - Broken thumb. Missed one game.
Mike Hall Jr. - Shoulder injury. Snaps heavily managed most of the season, especially during the last six games. Clearly affected his level of play.
Jordan Hancock - Hamstring injury. Missed the first half of the season and has been in and out since.
Cameron Brown - Knee injury. Missed most of the season.
Denzel Burke - Shoulder injury in camp + Severe finger fracture that required surgery. Missed one game.
Tanner McCalister - Groin and hamstring injuries. Missed two games.
And these are the injuries that we know about. Given Ryan Day’s minimalist approach to releasing player information, there are surely other injuries that starters have been battling through.
Zach Harrison: If Tommys out there with two broken hands and Lathans dealing with what hes been dealing with and theyre out there on the field playing, what do I got to say if I'm a little sore or my knees hurt or so and so. I just gotta go play. We all gotta go play.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 20, 2022
While many of these guys fought to continue playing in games, clearly, our best defenders were simply not healthy and playing at their best by season’s end. It’s no coincidence that our worst defensive performances came in the last two games of the year.
Mike Hall said hes feeling healthier now and thinks he will be full-go for the College Football Playoff after he was limited by injuries for much of the season.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 14, 2022
All of these key contributors will be at the healthiest they’ve been since early in the season come December 31st.
The Knowles Factor
It’s been established that Jim Knowles ran a defensive system unlike any other against Michigan. This is Joel Klatt describing Ohio State’s defensive approach in The Game:
I watched every Ohio State defensive snap this season, and they hadn't run a defense like this all year long. It was insane. There were between six and eight snaps where all eleven guys were within two yards of the line of scrimmage. And the thing is, it was working. They were stopping the run.
But because of that, it left guys in one on one coverage who hadn't been in one on one coverage all year long. And they got beat.
This new system had many of our players playing out of position in unfamiliar roles. A return to a more familiar game plan with an extra four weeks to prepare will help eliminate the mental mistakes.
And you can bet Knowles will have our guys hungry coming off of a disappointing performance against Michigan.
Conclusion
We have the longest layoff of any of the four CFP teams this year. 35 days straight of rest, rehab, and getting healthier.
This will be the healthiest the defense has been since the Notre Dame game. Especially the CB room, which hasn’t been at full strength since training camp. And when you feel well, you play well.
Tanner McCalister says J.T. Tuimoloau stood in front of the defense to remind everyone of the possibility that they could still make the CFP to pick the team up once OSU returned to practice following the Michigan loss.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 14, 2022
Our defense will deliver an angry, inspired effort in the Peach Bowl. I look forward to the return of the turnover forcing, top ten defense we saw for the majority of the season.
Go Bucks!
