Greg Schiano says he’s not worried about Ohio State’s pass interference problem

“I know people are in a little bit of hysteria about the pass interference. I’m not.”

- Greg Schiano via Bill Landis, cleveland.com

While Ohio State’s defensive line might be living up to its lofty expectations so far this season, the secondary, which last year dubbed itself “B.I.A.” for “Best in America,” has yet to follow suit.

After giving up a combined 806 yards in the first two games of 2017, there has been a bit of stabilization as the competition has regressed back to the opposite side of the passing pendulum.

However, even after giving up just 107 combined passing yards against Army and UNLV, there are still a number of issues that fans are having with the secondary, and the cornerbacks specifically. One being the unfortunately recurring instances of defensive pass interference penalties.

Despite the drive-extending flags, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano is not worried about Kendall Sheffield and Damon Arnette’s P.I. habits. He equated it to a baseball player who is getting just under the ball and flying out, instead of hitting a homerun. On Tuesday, Schiano said that those types of things are fixable.

“They’re very close calls, but if the flag is thrown, it’s interference,” he told collected reporters. “Whenever we have an issue around here, we put laser lights on it and learn how to get it fixed. It’s not where they’re very far off, and those will turn into productive plays.”

“Ohio State’s defensive line is so talented that players at other positions want to learn from them. Take linebacker Jerome Baker. When the Buckeyes practice kickoffs... the junior heads over to where Larry Johnson coaches his linemen.”

- Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch

With all of the talk about Tom Herman and Chris Ash and Greg Schiano and Kevin Wilson, it is easy to forget just how special and impactful a coach like Larry Johnson can be. The long-time Penn State assistant, who joined Urban Meyer in Columbus in 2014, has built one of the deepest and most impressive units in the Big Ten and the country.

So much so, that he is spending his practice time working with players not even in his position group. Last week, along with linebackers coach Billy Davis, Johnson emphasized to Jerome Baker the importance of pushing his hips properly while pass rushing.

The extra drills paid off, as the junior recorded his first sack of the season. Could it become a trend for linebackers to sneak into D-line drills? It sure doesn’t seem like it could hurt.

In his article, Rabinowitz also included a few comments from various Buckeyes about their thoughts on the on-going NFL controversy surrounding players protesting during the national anthem.

While Meyer, J.T. Barrett, and Jayln Holmes shared their thoughts (to varying degrees), Holmes brought it back to how this Buckeye team is handling the situation. He said that the team has discussed the protest, but currently has no plans to join, but that there is more to it.

He said, “One thing we do talk about (at Ohio State) is controlling what we can. The way I can control (social injustice) is to give back to the community the best way I can. There’s no point in taking a knee if you’re not really participating in the community.”

“The Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday the 35 men’s basketball standouts, including 20 seniors, tentatively scheduled to attend Big Ten Men’s Basketball Media Day.”

- Big Ten Network

For the first Big Ten Media Day of the Chris Holtmann era, the new coach has opted to bring his two seniors Jae’Sean Tate and Kam Williams to New York City. Big Ten Men’s Basketball Media Day will take place at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Oct. 19.

With Holtmann’s roster being made up of so many young players and walk-ons, this is a nice show of respect for two of the most important players that decided to stick around following Thad Matta’s firing.

Back in Columbus, the program held its own Media Day today, and beloved former walk-on Joey Lane took social media questions throughout. Check out #ThePeoplesQuestions to see all of Lane’s Media Day coverage.

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