Ohio State Buckeyes: Proctor’s versatility an asset for Silver Bullet ‘D’

While cornerbacks Shaun Wade and Sevyn Banks work on slowing down receivers Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle, a player to keep an eye on for the Scarlet and Gray is Josh Proctor.

That’s because Proctor is not guaranteed to be in the same spot from play to play.

So far in this young season that got off to a late start, Proctor has shown the ability to play multiple roles, including deep safety, nickel back and slot corner.

At 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, the junior from Owasso, Okla., has the size to play in the box and the athleticism to play deep.

That should help him combat the Hoosiers’ running game and match up with Indiana tight end Peyton Hendershot, one of the Big Ten’s best at that position.

Although Proctor has the body type of an old-school, in-the-box safety that was more prevalent in the days the I formation and its relatives dominated college football and the NFL, he was expected to play mostly deep safety in Ohio State’s current style of defense.

He said he worked on man coverage at times last year under position coach Jeff Hafley, though, and that has made him a more versatile weapon for new defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, who also replaced Hafley as the leader of the secondary.

“(Coombs) talked to me about multiple spots, but he just basically sat me down and told me that he wanted me to learn every spot in the back end basically,” Proctor said. “He said versatility is our biggest threat. I think I took that to heart, and I felt like that was my biggest chance of getting on the field.”

Proctor was part of Ohio State’s two-deep-safety nickel package last year, and that is the case again in 2020, but he’s gained playing time with his ability to do other things.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me,” he said when asked about his preferred role. “I just want to get where we want to be at the end of the season.”

While Ohio State enters this weekend ranked sixth in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed and eighth in opposing passer efficiency, Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has put the ball in the air more times than anyone in the conference and is third in the league in passing yards per game (267.5)

“I think the thing that stands out is their athleticism,” Proctor said. “Every year they’ve improved so we have to come in this week with the mindset we have to play at our best because they’re going to come at us with everything they’ve got.”

The Ohio State offense also expects the Indiana defense to throw everything it has at the Buckeyes.

Not only is that the Hoosiers’ M.O., it’s also typical of Ohio State opponents, according to center Josh Myers.

“What some of our opponents have done is just completely thrown sound defense out of the window,” said Myers, indicating teams are sometimes content to leave parts of the field vulnerable if it means causing conflict for the Buckeyes.

He estimated opponents have blitzed on 80-90% of snaps against the Buckeyes this season, and quarterback Justin Fields noted Indiana’s Big Ten-best 10 interceptions have often been a result of confusing opposing quarterbacks.

“What i’ve seen in film, they blitz and the quarterback doesn’t know where it’s coming from,” said Fields, who has not been picked off this season. “The quarterback gets rattled and ends up making a bad decision or an errant throw. That’s going to be the toughest part this week, picking up their blitzes. And if we do that I feel like we’ll be successful throwing the ball.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

Indiana at Ohio State, Noon, Fox, 1410