Despite finishing AS a top 25 SCORE defense IN 2022, process ONE FOR JIM KNOWLES IN 2023 IS restricting big plays

Chances are, as we're sitting here on January 8, with Ohio Kingdom out of the college football playoff despite setting up 41 points

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After racking up eleven straight wins to start the season, things came to a screeching halt when new protection coordinator Jim Knowles

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Even as the Wolverines and Bulldogs (and the Maryland Terrapins before them, albeit in a knockdown attempt) bludgeoned the Buckeyes

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Knowles' unit finished their season with the 24th-best scoring protection in the kingdom (21.0 ppg). and the fourteenth quality. total defense (321.5 ypg).

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Those numbers constitute modest gains over Ohio State's 2021 defense that gave up 22.8 points and 372.7 yards per game

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Gene Smith and Ryan Day presented Knowles with a three-year contract worth $1. Nine million a year to restore things and fix things quickly.

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The good news is that Knowles' first Ohio national guard showed improvement and his track record indicates a giant could come in due time

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Although Knowles' protection had its moments in the first year, his downfall was largely the inability to save you explosive plays

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