Last Line of Defense [2010 Season Preview]

It is a scary position to be in… often times they are the only thing standing in the way of a charging ball carrier and the end zone. They are often times the best athletes on the field. They have to be fast enough to keep up with wide receivers and strong enough to take down running backs and tight ends that are bigger than they are.

The Ohio State defensive backfield, as it does every year, has the task of backing up a very talented front seven. This year’s group has a nice mix of young new comers and experienced veterans.

The cornerbacks:

Chimdi Chekwa

He will be Ohio State’s #1 corner back. Chekwa is one of the best athletes on the team. He has outstanding speed and quickness along with a very good ability to tackle. Chekwa, early in his career, was known as a gambler and was often beaten deep as a freshman and sophomore. Last year, as a junior, he took over for star Malcolm Jenkins. He was a solid replacement and should only get better this year.

Devon Torrence

Torrence will most likely start the season as the #2 corner but will need to fight off hard charging sophomore Travis Howard who is a star in the making. One thing the Buckeyes always seem to have is depth at the corner position.

The Safeties:

Orhian Johnson

This kid is a former QB turned safety. Apparently he has been “scary” patrolling the secondary in early practices and could be the next big hitter to come out of OSU’s secondary. Look for him to be plowing Big Ten WRs into the turf every Saturday this fall.

Jermale Hines

In my mind, Hines is the star of the Ohio State defensive backfield. The guy will make plays all over the field. He can be a bigger, stronger, faster version of Kurt Coleman. Hines seems to always be around the ball making things happen. Whether he is making a tackle behind the line or tipping a pass to himself and returning it for a touchdown.

I see Hines putting the Ohio State defense over the top in 2010.

The Star:

Tyler Moeller

So what is the “star” position at Ohio State? It’s basically a hybrid between a linebacker and safety and corner. It’s a very important position in Ohio State’s defense. This player will be charged with run support against many spread option attacks as well as covering slot receivers and underneath routes. This player will also be asked to put tons of pressure on opposing QB’s, something Moeller knows about. Before some drunken Florida jealous doucher sucker punched Moeller, almost ending his football career, Tyler was in line to be Ohio State starting outside linebacker opposite Ross Homan.

Early in his career, Tyler displayed a unique ability to get to the quarterback. In 2008 vs. Illinois, Moeller had his best game accounting for seven tackles and harassed Juice Williams all day. In the following spring game he sacked Pryor numerous times and chased him down from behind on broken plays. This was when Pryor was “live” in the game. Moeller dominated.

Moeller is a player that all Buckeye fans will and should be rooting for this year. I expect him to create some serious matchup problems for every teams OSU plays this fall.

All in all, this Ohio State defensive backfield is loaded with experienced and elite athletes, and with the help of a very active front 7 this squad should lock down many a receiver and come away with a ton of turnovers.