Coming into the season, Ohio’s secondary was often described as talented but inexperienced. Four weeks into the season, it is still unclear which adjective better describes the unit.
After limiting its previous two opponents to only 15 total receptions, Ohio struggled to slow down Rutgers’ passing attack in the 38-26 loss it suffered Saturday.
Despite playing at High Point Solutions Stadium, the Bobcats had no solution to contain Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu, who hauled in a Big East-record 16 passes for 176 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
“I think Rutgers had a good plan for Sanu,” Ohio defensive backs coach Fred Reed said. “Their quarterback was very comfortable in getting the ball to him. It doesn’t take much for a guy to get separation if he’s a good player.”
At times this season, Ohio’s secondary has shown its talent. With nine interceptions in the first four games of the season, the Bobcats rank second in the country in the category.
At other times, however, the group’s inexperience has overshadowed its talent.
“Looking back at it on film, there were a lot of mental mistakes and things that we could’ve done better and should’ve done better,” safety Gerald Moore said about Saturday’s loss. “There were a lot of simple things that we have done since training camp that we didn’t take care of.”
Adding to the unit’s inexperience was the loss of junior cornerback Travis Carrie after the defensive back suffered a concussion while tackling Sanu in the first half.
While Carrie is expected to return to the Bobcats’ lineup this weekend, Ohio coach Frank Solich said the team felt the loss of Carrie’s presence on the field.
“Carrie is one of our top players,” Solich said after the game. “He’s a great punt return guy, and he’s an excellent corner. He could battle for the starting running back position, that’s the kind of player he is. Obviously losing him today had an affect on us, but it came down to more than just one player.”
Ohio entered Saturday’s game as one of the top third-down defenses in the country, but struggled to get off the field on third down against Rutgers this past weekend.
Sanu alone caught seven passes on third down, six of which went for either a first down or a touchdown.
Despite their attempts to throw him out of rhythm, Ohio was not able to slow Sanu down.
“We mixed up coverages to throw different things at him,” Moore said. “We had mental busts everywhere on all aspects of the game on defense. It’s something we’re going to take care of, and it won’t happen again.”
While Sanu was able to make 16 grabs, no other Rutgers receiver had more than one. Moving into conference play, Reed said the ability to remain consistent will determine the unit’s success down the road.
“We weren’t very consistent on Saturday, which we have been up to that point,” Reed said. “If we can corral ourselves this week and get back on track we’ll be right.”
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