Ohio State football: 5 things the Buckeye defense said about matching up with Alabama’s prolific offense

1. Kerry Coombs called Alabama a complete offense.

For years, the Crimson Tide were known as a conservative, smash-mouth offense. That is no longer the case as Alabama ranks second in the nation in scoring (48.2 points per game) and sixth in total offense (535.0 yards per game).

The Crimson Tide are fifth in the nation in passing yards per game (272.3) and just 46th in rushing (185.7) but had Heisman contenders at quarterback in Mac Jones, running back in Najee Harris and receiver in DeVonta Smith, who beat them out along with star quarterbacks such as Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Kyle Trask of Florida to actually win the award Tuesday night.

“They have great players, but they also have a great scheme and they understand how to attack defenses,” Coombs said. “People have tried numerous different things against them, and they always have an answer.

“I think their kids play hard. I think they play physical. They run the ball well. They throw the ball obviously extremely well. They have great skill.”

2. Smith is more than just fast.

“He’s just really, really gifted as a route runner,” Coombs said. “He’s got extraordinary physical ability, which everybody understands, but it’s way more than just being a guy who can run fast.

“He runs great routes. He catches the ball. He high points the ball, catches it in his hands. You know, he catches short balls and makes some big plays. He catches obviously the deep balls as well as anybody that we’ve gone against.

“He’s a blocker. He’s a team guy. You know, he’s involved in every phase of their offense.”

3. Jonathon Cooper praised the Alabama offensive line, which was recognized as the top unit in the country when it won the Joe Moore Award.

“We just have to come out and attack them the same way we do against every other opponent,” the senior Ohio State defensive lineman said. “Obviously it’s a big challenge for our defensive line here at Ohio State. They’ve got some great guys, big guys across the offensive line, but when you come to play football, that’s why you come to Ohio State, to play in these type of situations and to play against these type of opponents.

“It’s no different from I feel like going against our guys every day in practice. We compete against the best here at Ohio State, and obviously Alabama and Clemson both have amazing offensive lines.”

4. Harris presents another great running back for Ohio State to slow down.

Last week, the Buckeyes held Clemson star Travis Etienne under 100 yards from scrimmage (32 rushing, 64 receiving).

Next Monday, they have to contend with a bigger, more physical back in the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Harris — who showed off his athleticism by hurdling a Notre Dame defender in the Rose Bowl and continuing to chug down the field.

“They compare pretty close,” OSU linebacker Pete Werner said. “They’re two of the top backs in the country. The thing to look more about Najee Harris is he’s more of a physical guy, but then we have certain things to prep for that. The guys are a little bit different, but as long as we do what we did for Etienne, then I think we’ll be very good at stopping him.”

5. Shaun Wade looks forward to matching up with Smith.

Wade could be in the NFL this year, but he came back to Ohio State to show he can play outside cornerback after starring inside last season.

He’s had some ups and downs but was voted an All-American and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year.

Now comes the ultimate test. Alabama has a deep receiving corps, but Wade wants to tangle with Smith when he can.

“You already know who I want to go up against at the end of the day, but at the end of the day we’re just focused on this win and the way of getting the win.

“What Coach Coombs says every day is we’ve got to win by one point to get the national championship,” Wade said. “That’s the obstacle. At the end of the day we’ve got to put the best on the best and just go from there, play different things, and just go from there.”

MONDAY’S GAME

Ohio State vs. Alabama, 8 p.m., ESPN, 1410