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Has Arvell Reese Earned A Bigger Role On The Buckeye Defense? · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to buck Eyes Tomorrow Morning for Thursday, Sepvember twelfth,
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  Speaker 1: from your host Tom Moore, the Marshall game in nine days,
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  Speaker 1: the game against Michigan in seventy nine days. That you're
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  Speaker 1: going to get to hear from someone who I always
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  Speaker 1: think is one of the most interesting interviews on the team,
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  Speaker 1: that is defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Typically these interviews end
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  Speaker 1: up getting buried behind Ryan Day interviews. I feel like
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  Speaker 1: we've given you a lot of Ryan Day this season.
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  Speaker 1: Today you can just going to hear about the Ohio
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  Speaker 1: State defense from Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Who better, right,
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  Speaker 1: So let's start with that targeting call against Denzel Burke.
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure all of you have thoughts on it. Seems
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  Speaker 1: like Jim Knowles may have some thoughts on it as well.
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  Speaker 1: Is was that an avoidable penalty? Did he give any
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  Speaker 1: coaching notes to Denzel Burke after that one? Here's a
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  Speaker 1: little hint. Note the long pause here between the time
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  Speaker 1: that he gets asked the question and when he answers.
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  Speaker 2: Fortunate understand the rules and trying to protect players. It's
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  Speaker 2: just have to keep your head up, you know. It's
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  Speaker 2: a gray area. You know, just I think anything we
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  Speaker 2: can learn is keep your head up. You know, it's
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  Speaker 2: been something I think since football players put on helmets,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the natural tendency to kind of drop your head.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I think that can you know, that can
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  Speaker 2: eliminate a lot of errors and potential injuries is just
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  Speaker 2: see what you hit. Keep your head up.
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  Speaker 1: The Buckeye defense had a solid first game against Akron
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  Speaker 1: and then got even better in Game two against Western Michigan,
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  Speaker 1: holding the Broncos to a whopping zero points and ninety
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  Speaker 1: nine yards of total offense. Not too bad. One of
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  Speaker 1: the changes there between game one and game two with
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  Speaker 1: the return of senior captain senior linebacker Odi Simon. Where's
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  Speaker 1: the block o Jersey this year? Obviously very well respected
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  Speaker 1: by his teammates, and you saw him make an immediate
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  Speaker 1: impact on the field as well with a sack on
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  Speaker 1: the first drive of the game. Just how big an
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  Speaker 1: impact did Cody Simon have when he's out on the field.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Cody's the leader of the defense, the quarterback for
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  Speaker 2: the defense, conscientious young man and Bleeds Ohio State. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: there are, as you said, so many more things that
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  Speaker 2: he gives the team aside from statistics, and I think
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  Speaker 2: it just brings a general confidence to everyone when he's
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  Speaker 2: out there.
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  Speaker 1: I think in most seasons, second year cornerback Jermaine Matthews
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  Speaker 1: would probably be a starter on the Ohio State team.
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  Speaker 1: This year, with Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock and Davis
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  Speaker 1: sniggunosen all back, Matthews is relegated to a reserve ball
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  Speaker 1: at least for a little bit of time. When Burke
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  Speaker 1: went out with the injury, Matthew stepped right in. So
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  Speaker 1: what did Jim Noles think of Jermaine Matthews play on
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  Speaker 1: the day and what could hit matthews role be on
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  Speaker 1: the team this fall?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean this is a long season, strange things
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  Speaker 2: can happen, unfortunate things, so depth is critical. Yeah, I
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  Speaker 2: mean Jermaine is in that area I've talked about before
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  Speaker 2: of guys who you know might not be a starter,
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  Speaker 2: but in our mind he's considered one. So you don't
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  Speaker 2: blink when he goes in. I mean, he's a guy
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  Speaker 2: who has proven to be able to compete in you know,
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  Speaker 2: the toughest games and situations. So he's kept himself prepared
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  Speaker 2: with a good attitude and you know came in and
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  Speaker 2: did a good job.
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  Speaker 1: Jermaine Matthews was not the only second year player to
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  Speaker 1: make a real impact in that game against Western Michigan.
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  Speaker 1: How about linebacker r Vel Reez defensive tackle Caden McDonald,
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  Speaker 1: two more young guys who really seem like they're playing
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  Speaker 1: their way into bigger roles this year. Here's what Jim
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  Speaker 1: Knowles had to say about that.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, on both, I mean Arvel has he has made
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  Speaker 2: tremendous improvements since he's arrived here. You're seeing him play fast.
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  Speaker 2: He's got tremendous physical tools. So for a linebacker, it's
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  Speaker 2: just a matter of you know, knowing what to do
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  Speaker 2: and not have any think about it. So what you're
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  Speaker 2: seeing out of Rvel now is he's understanding where all
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  Speaker 2: the pieces go and he's able to play fast without thinking.
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  Speaker 2: You know, k Mack has been doing a great job
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  Speaker 2: since he got here, even on scout team and given
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  Speaker 2: our offense fits, so you know, we've been expecting him
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  Speaker 2: to have a breakout year and he and and he
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  Speaker 2: showed it last week, made a lot of plays.
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  Speaker 1: Do you have State defense hasn't been perfect this year,
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  Speaker 1: but they've been fairly close two games into the season,
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  Speaker 1: and they've given up a whopping six points all year
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  Speaker 1: long both of those long field goal attempts. So really
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  Speaker 1: not no one has even gotten within twenty yards of
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  Speaker 1: the end zone for the Buckeyes all year long. So
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  Speaker 1: where does this defense still need to improve?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I see a lot of things formationally.
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  Speaker 2: I see things that maybe other people don't. So that's
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  Speaker 2: really my biggest concern is just staying top on top
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  Speaker 2: of things that maybe didn't show up in the game.
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  Speaker 2: But I saw the possibilities for you know, down the
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  Speaker 2: road and how other people are going to scout us
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  Speaker 2: and self scouting and you know, seeing what I called
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  Speaker 2: and how how I can have the you know, more
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  Speaker 2: changeups available when we need them. But it's just it's
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  Speaker 2: just trying to look at every play and seeing what
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  Speaker 2: we did, which for the most part has been good,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, one of the other things that can
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  Speaker 2: come off of it, how are other teams going to
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  Speaker 2: look at us.
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  Speaker 1: Earlier in the year, when we were talking about areas
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  Speaker 1: of concern for the Buckeyes, one of them was, well,
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  Speaker 1: you know, the depth that safety might be a little
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  Speaker 1: bit of a question mark. That feels like even that
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  Speaker 1: question mark is starting to go away, at least to
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  Speaker 1: some degree. Jill and McLain the league Hartford, they have
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  Speaker 1: both gotten a chance to play a decent amount the
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  Speaker 1: first two weeks. Has Jim Noles seen signs of progress there?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I mean both of those guys are are coming along.
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  Speaker 2: And the more reps they get. They've been showing up
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  Speaker 2: and doing all the right things and playing hard and
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  Speaker 2: making the checks and making plays when their numbers called.
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  Speaker 2: So the more reps we can get them, the better, because,
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  Speaker 2: like I said, football is a it's a tough game,
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  Speaker 2: long season, and we need them.
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  Speaker 1: So when guys don't show up on the stat sheet,
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  Speaker 1: what does that mean to Jim Knowles? They could mean
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  Speaker 1: that a guy is getting double teamed, or the the
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  Speaker 1: other opponent is just running or throwing away from him,
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  Speaker 1: or maybe he's just not making an impact at all.
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  Speaker 1: So how do you figure that out? Well? Or did
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  Speaker 1: Jim Knowles? It sounds like figuring that out seems like
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  Speaker 1: it's getting easier thanks to the new technology on the sideline.
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  Speaker 2: So much happens in our game that you know, most
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  Speaker 2: of us can't see, and you never know what the
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  Speaker 2: guy's assignment was, what he was taught what he was
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  Speaker 2: trained to do. So it all comes down to the
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  Speaker 2: evaluation by the coaches. And you know, we have those
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  Speaker 2: iPads now, so we're getting everything in real time, so
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  Speaker 2: you know, you can really pretty much grade grade a
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  Speaker 2: player after every series. I mean you can, so you
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  Speaker 2: can see what his value is to the defense based
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  Speaker 2: on the call. But whether his name gets called or
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  Speaker 2: not is really not important to us. It's more of
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  Speaker 2: how is he functioning in the scheme.
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  Speaker 1: Next up a guy who for years I've talked about
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  Speaker 1: as one of the most, if not the most underrated
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  Speaker 1: players on the Ohio State team. That's defensive tackle Ty Hamilton.
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  Speaker 1: He's in a defensive line with five star defensive ends
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  Speaker 1: like j. T. Twey Moloo and Jack Sawyer, longtime fan
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  Speaker 1: favorites like Tyler Williams, and then it's Ty Hamilton, a
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  Speaker 1: little old three star at a little year old Pickerington, Ohio,
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  Speaker 1: and just like his brother DeVaughn, he's turned from a
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  Speaker 1: low three star prospect into a really really effective space
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  Speaker 1: eater tackle maker on the interior of that defensive line.
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  Speaker 1: Here's Jim Noles's thoughts on Ty Hamilton.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, he's he's been making an impact since
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  Speaker 2: I've been here, but he has developed into a dominant player.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, he's a guy that can control
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  Speaker 2: the interior of the line of scrimmage and that's a
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  Speaker 2: big deal. You know. I've always said when your defensive
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  Speaker 2: tackles make tackles, it allows you to do other things
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  Speaker 2: and coverage and how many people you commit down to
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  Speaker 2: the box. So you know, he's tie is quiet, but
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  Speaker 2: he's like a cold blooded gentleman. I mean, he just
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  Speaker 2: he really is a force that I think is sometimes
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  Speaker 2: maybe difficult to see, but when you watch the tape,
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  Speaker 2: he is knocking people back and really just creating some
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  Speaker 2: difficult situations for the offense.
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  Speaker 1: The buck Eyes, as we talked about earlier in the week,
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  Speaker 1: are not calling this an off week. They're calling this
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  Speaker 1: improvement week. So, coming off of a shutout where they
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  Speaker 1: gave up less than one hundred yards, where is there
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  Speaker 1: still to improve? Where is Jim Knowles focused on improvement
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  Speaker 1: this week?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? It comes down to fundamentals one, right, all those
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  Speaker 2: things that in matchup games are going to be critical,
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  Speaker 2: you know, whereas maybe we had you know, a decided
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  Speaker 2: advantage in certain areas, but when I watch the tape,
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  Speaker 2: I can see how we have to, you know, fix
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  Speaker 2: certain things or be on top of certain things, slight
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  Speaker 2: adjustments here or there, because it'll be critical when you
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  Speaker 2: get to the matchup game. So and then yeah, it's
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  Speaker 2: all again, it's all looking at what we did and
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  Speaker 2: how future offenses are going to view us and where
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  Speaker 2: I'm predicting that the attack will come from. So we
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  Speaker 2: try to stay ahead and work in those areas.
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  Speaker 1: One player who fans are always asking us about is
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  Speaker 1: c J. Hicks. He became a very popular guy during recruiting.
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  Speaker 1: Mark Gifler dubbed him Captain Buckeye for his role in
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  Speaker 1: getting that recruiting class together. He was a five star
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  Speaker 1: prospect out of Dayton, just didn't hasn't quite translated to
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  Speaker 1: the field yet. So if TJ. Hicks is not going
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  Speaker 1: to be able to get a regular role at linebacker,
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  Speaker 1: and it seems like maybe he's going to have a
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  Speaker 1: tough time getting a starting spot this year, maybe is
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  Speaker 1: there a role for him at the line of scrimmage instead,
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  Speaker 1: just as a pass rusher off the edge. You can
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  Speaker 1: hear that answer from Jim Knowles and then a follow
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  Speaker 1: up from Bill landis we.
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  Speaker 2: Haven't discussed that because you know CJ is still developing
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  Speaker 2: very well, and you know he's considered very much a
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  Speaker 2: part of that mix with those guys at linebacker. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, I've said it before, it's always in the
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  Speaker 2: back of my mind because you know, I think he
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  Speaker 2: has those gifts and tools to be able to do
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  Speaker 2: something like that. So it's nothing we've really discussed, but
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  Speaker 2: it's it's always there for me because I know it
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  Speaker 2: may come into play. Point what brings it to the
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  Speaker 2: front of your mind. I guess what would have to happen.
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  Speaker 2: I would have to you know, you would have to
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  Speaker 2: maybe experience some depth issues in other places, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, we're we're so talented on the on the
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  Speaker 2: edge right now with and our depth is so good
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  Speaker 2: that it's not something that we need to do right now,
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  Speaker 2: but you know, if something comes up, it's always possibility.
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  Speaker 1: One of the reasons that CJ. Hicks has had trouble
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  Speaker 1: getting on the field so far this year is the
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  Speaker 1: ascension of Rvel Reese. Reese has gone from a little
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  Speaker 1: bit of an afterthought to potentially a major player in
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  Speaker 1: the rotation for the Buck guys at linebacker this year.
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  Speaker 1: So how has the ascension of Reese opened things up
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  Speaker 1: for Jim Knowles to mix things up at linebacker a
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  Speaker 1: little more.
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  Speaker 2: It adds another guy and rvel you know, like I said,
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  Speaker 2: his growth has has really been fantastic, and and he's
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  Speaker 2: gone through some lulls, you know, as a as a
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  Speaker 2: younger guy. You know, he's gone through some ups and downs,
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  Speaker 2: and it's like, you know, it's like a daily thing
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  Speaker 2: in practice. And now he's on a path of sustained
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  Speaker 2: production and you see him kind of jumping off the film,
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  Speaker 2: playing fast. So that adds to our depth at that position,
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  Speaker 2: which is really important, particularly when you get into three
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  Speaker 2: linebacker looks. You know, it's an extra guy and we
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  Speaker 2: need four, we need five. You know, I've liked, actually,
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  Speaker 2: I really liked what Gabe has done in limited rep.
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  Speaker 2: You know, he's had limited reps, but he's really done
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  Speaker 2: a good job. So I'd like to see him starting
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  Speaker 2: to get into that mix. But Rvella has certainly helped us.
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  Speaker 1: There's an old saying that every dark cloud has a
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  Speaker 1: silver lining, and the opposite is also true. Every good
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  Speaker 1: thing there can always you can always college football find
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  Speaker 1: a reason to be discouraged by it. So how about
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  Speaker 1: this one? The buck Eyes have not gotten a lot
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  Speaker 1: of red zone reps and defense in games, mostly because
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  Speaker 1: they've kept teams out of the red zone. But without
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  Speaker 1: getting red zone reps and games, how important is that
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  Speaker 1: for the defense to work on that in practice during
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  Speaker 1: this improvement week.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we do it all the time, and coach Day
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  Speaker 2: puts that in constantly. We do it every week. You know.
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  Speaker 2: Of course we do it against the scouts when we're
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  Speaker 2: going against an opponent, but we do it against our
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  Speaker 2: offense too. You know, good own, good red zone pass
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  Speaker 2: stuff and you know regular red zone We keep it
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  Speaker 2: in now against good competition all the time.
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  Speaker 1: And we're going to wrap this up with the safeties.
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  Speaker 1: Jim Knowlles has talked in the past about this being
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  Speaker 1: a safety driven defense. So have guys like Lathan Ransom
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  Speaker 1: and Caleb Downs played up to the standard of Jymnole's
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  Speaker 1: safety driven defense so far they have.
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  Speaker 2: And we keep pushing and get to push everybody, you know,
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  Speaker 2: striving for perfection. And you know those are two guys.
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  Speaker 2: You know, let's face it, we haven't had to unleash
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  Speaker 2: very much, so to speak, but you've seen on those
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  Speaker 2: specific examples when we have unleashed them. You know, they
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  Speaker 2: go for me to be pretty quick, you know, so
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  Speaker 2: I think it's just a matter of continuing to push,
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  Speaker 2: putting some tweaks in, keeping their aggressiveness alive through the
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  Speaker 2: different call. Like we just haven't had to do it
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  Speaker 2: very much, but when it shows up, it's pretty cool.
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  Speaker 1: Having a pair of safeties at the back end of
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  Speaker 1: that defense is an incredible luxury for a defensive coordinator
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  Speaker 1: like Jim Knowles. What is it like for him to
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  Speaker 1: have two guys back there that he can trust.
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  Speaker 2: I don't want to say take it for granted, but
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  Speaker 2: you don't sweat it. I mean, it's just you know,
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  Speaker 2: you know, you can go in to those two and say, hey, hey,
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  Speaker 2: this week, we want to do it this way and
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  Speaker 2: by the way, against this, I want you to make
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  Speaker 2: this call. Okay, ready break, you know, and then you
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  Speaker 2: just you know what I mean, You know, when you
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: have to put in these slight adjustments week to week,
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  Speaker 2: it's not something you don't so I can Nick I
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  Speaker 2: handle that. You know, you just kind of roll, You
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: just kind of roll, Okay, here's what we're going to do.
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  Speaker 2: And then okay, got it, coach, and that's it. So
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  Speaker 2: it makes it certainly makes it easier to make adjustments.
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  Speaker 1: Hope you guys enjoyed that one. We always like talking
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  Speaker 1: to Jim Knowles. He's always gives you some thoughtful answers,
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: a little bit of a different twist on things, sometimes
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  Speaker 1: not your traditional football coach, but has had incredible results
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: since getting to Columbus in twenty twenty two, and those
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  Speaker 1: are seemingly continued this year so far two games into
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  Speaker 1: the twenty twenty four season, so we will see whether
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  Speaker 1: they can continue next week when the Buckuys host Marshall
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  Speaker 1: at the Horseshoe. The game is a noon off on Fox.
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  Speaker 1: We will be there for that one. We'll be there
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  Speaker 1: for all the interviews during the week next week and
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: all the excitement, all the coverage, all the recruiting. You
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: can follow it all at Buckeye Huddle dot com. That's
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: where Tony Kevin and I cover the team, markcovers recruiting,
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: got our whole team of exes, and tow his guruz
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: there to make you a smarter football fan. That is
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: all at Buckeyehuddle dot com and YouTube dot com slash
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: Buckeye Huddle. We hope to see you there. That'll do
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: it for today Thank you guys all for joining us.
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  Speaker 1: Have a great day. We'll talk to you tomorrow.