In analyzing the play of Ohio State's defensive linemen, co-captain Malcolm Jenkins took the same straightforward approach that led to his tone-setting blocked punt in Saturday's 16-3 victory over Purdue
"Basically, they had been pretty average,"
the cornerback said after the game. "The biggest thing we take out of the win is how hard our defensive line played."
For the most part, the pressure up front that OSU put on Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter had been missing ever since Vernon Gholston took his Mr. Olympia body and pass-rushing skills to the NFL last spring.
Even with two sacks Saturday, the 6-1 Buckeyes have just 11 on the season. Only Wisconsin, with nine, has fewer in the Big Ten.
Moving Thaddeus Gibson from linebacker to end has helped. He's caused two fumbles in the last two games and rattled Wisconsin quarterback Allan Evridge into a victory-sealing interception by Jenkins at Wisconsin.
Shifting ends Cameron Heyward and Rob Rose inside to boost performance from the tackle position has also given the team a spark, though some of the optimism was muted by a knee injury end Lawrence Wilson suffered against Purdue.
Wilson, whose fumble recovery led to a field goal Saturday, was expected to step in and replace Gholston as a sack master. But he hasn't really rounded into form after missing virtually all of last season with a broken leg.
With Ohio State meeting fellow co-Big Ten leaders Michigan State and Penn State the next two weeks, the Buckeyes are going to need more of the inspired play they got from the likes of tackles Todd Denlinger and Nader Abdallah in their latest win.
"Whenever you can affect the quarterback and make him pass quick, it's tough for the offense to be patient,"
Jenkins said. "All they could do was nickel and dime it, and that's tough on an offense."
Painter on Saturday became only the fourth Big Ten quarterback to throw for over 10,000 yards in his career, but he -- not the Buckeyes' D-line -- looked "pretty average."
He threw for 228 yards, needing 51 attempts and 23 completions to do it. He was sacked twice, had a pass picked off by Jenkins and eight others broken up.
Cornerback Chimdi Chekwa and linebacker James Laurinaitis had two deflections apiece, but the one that stood out was by Jenkins on a fourth down gamble by the Boilermakers from the OSU 46 in the second quarter.
"They are fast, talented guys and getting someone open is tough,"
Painter said of the Buckeyes. "When you play a team with this type of athletes, it's difficult. The better team you play the smaller margin for error. You can't be a step behind."
With Ohio State's offense struggling, staying a step ahead of Jenkins was Purdue's biggest problem. In addition to his interception and big fourth-down play, he had four solo tackles and a hand in the only touchdown of the game.
Coming untouched off the edge, Jenkins made a beeline for Purdue punter Chris Summers, whose bobble of the snap made him easy prey for the Buckeyes' All-American. Freshman Etienne Sabino scooped up the first block of Jenkins' career and raced 20 yards to the end zone with less than four minutes gone in the game.
A defense spearheaded by Jenkins made that touchdown stand up as the OSU offense generated only three field goals. Two of those were set up by the defense.
"We always think of it as, if the other team doesn't score, we win,"
Jenkins said. "So we weren't really frustrated with the offense. We would like them to score points, but there will be a day when they help us out."
Jenkins said Ohio State only used about four coverages, but the Buckeyes did a good job of disguising them and mixing up their personnel, with former starter Donald Washington and converted linebacker Jermale Hines seeing extensive duty in OSU's nickel and dime deployments.
"We kept it simple and went after them,"
Jenkins said. "I thought our defensive line did a great job. We knew they would throw the ball quick, so we did a nice job of jumping some balls."
The Buckeyes' only player from New Jersey reacted modestly to his big game against Purdue.
"It had nothing to do with being amped up,"
Jenkins said. "The coaches called the punt block after it had worked all week in practice, and we got pressure on my interception and made them throw a bad ball. I was just reaping everybody's labor."
Led by Jenkins, with three interceptions, the Buckeyes have already picked off 10 passes this season, one less than all of last season. Since allowing four touchdown passes by Mark Sanchez in USC's 35-3 rout, the Buckeyes have recovered to lead the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing only 4.9 yards per pass attempt
Remember, they're doing this despite an inconsistent pass rush.
How well the secondary lives up that No. 1 ranking will be determined in these next four weeks against four of the Big Ten's top six passers -- Illinois' Juice Williams (No. 1), Northwestern's C.J. Bacher (No. 4), Penn State's Darryl Clark (No. 5) and Michigan State's Brian Hoyer (No. 6).
Painter was No. 1 until he ran into the Buckeyes.
"We've always been a relentless, physical defense, but I think we're coming together now,"
Jenkins said. "If we can continue to get guys in position to make plays and our defensive line continues to affect the quarterback, we should be very successful."
