The Key to Shattering Miami’s Offense Is Hiding in Plain Sight

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Ohio State prepares for its Cotton Bowl showdown with Miami, the latest Buckeye Talk podcast has identified what could be the most crucial strategic adjustment for the Buckeyes’ defense – unleashing linebacker Arvell Reese as a pass rusher instead of continuing to use him primarily as a spy.

The podcast’s deep dive into defensive personnel usage revealed a surprising statistic that has largely gone unnoticed: despite Reese’s reputation as a disruptive force, his pass-rushing opportunities have been severely limited in recent games.

“Arvell Reese has 25 pressures on the year. Do any of you want to take a guess at how many of those pressures have come in the last five games?” Stephen Means asked his co-hosts. The answer was shocking: “He’s had three pressures in the last five years. He had one against UCLA and two against Indiana.”

This dramatic reduction in Reese’s pass-rushing role wasn’t arbitrary. As Means explained, “They have turned him into a threat just by showing he might blitz and then turning him into a spy.” This strategic shift made sense against mobile quarterbacks like Arch Manning, Bryce Underwood, and Devon Williams, where containing quarterback scrambles was a priority.

However, against Miami quarterback Carson Beck, this approach could be leaving Ohio State’s most potent defensive weapon underutilized. “Carson Beck is not a runner by any means,” Means emphasized. “And in fact, he is not good when you send guys at him at all.”

The statistical evidence supporting this argument is overwhelming. The podcast revealed Beck’s dramatic performance drop-off when facing pressure: “When he is kept clean, that’s at 76.8%. When he’s under pressure, it’s 53.7%. When he’s not blitzed, it’s 78.5%. When he gets blitzed, it drops down to 68.2%.”

Even more damning were Beck’s PFF grades: “In his PFF grades, offensive grade when kept clean, 84. When not blitzed, 84.3. When under pressure, 42. When blitzed, six.” As Means succinctly put it: “Those are the numbers of a quarterback you’d expect to be in his first year where like pressure still is that stark of a difference in what he is.”

Given these statistics, continuing to use Reese primarily as a spy against a non-mobile quarterback like Beck would be missing a massive strategic opportunity. “I think the time of not letting Arvell just go needs to be over with,” Means declared. “That’s my X factor.”

The podcast hosts expressed frustration that Reese’s potential as a game-wrecking pass rusher has been largely untapped in recent games. “I’m tired of draft analysts being the only people allowed to talk about Arvell Reese,” Means said. “I want to get back to talking about Arvell.”

What makes this potential adjustment so compelling is how perfectly it aligns with Miami’s offensive weaknesses. The Hurricanes’ offense has struggled against pressure all season, with Beck frequently making mistakes when rushed. Stefan Krajisnik noted the clear mismatch: “We have a turnover prone quarterback going up against a defense that disguises things really well and makes life very difficult for opposing quarterbacks. This screams to me like Matt Patricia’s going to scheme Ohio State into like three or four interceptions.”

Unleashing Reese as a pass rusher wouldn’t just affect Beck directly – it would have cascading effects across Miami’s entire offensive approach. The Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson has already shown a tendency to abandon what’s working in favor of higher-risk plays. Under additional pressure from Reese, this tendency could be exacerbated, leading to even more mistakes.

Beyond the tactical advantages, letting Reese rush the passer more frequently would add another dimension to an already fearsome Ohio State pass rush led by Kaden Curry (who has 11 sacks, the first 10+ sack season for an Ohio State player since Chase Young in 2019) and Kenyatta Jackson, who has been increasingly disruptive as the season has progressed.

As the Cotton Bowl approaches, Matt Patricia faces a crucial decision: continue using Reese in the conservative spy role that worked against mobile quarterbacks, or adjust the game plan to exploit Carson Beck’s well-documented struggles against pressure by unleashing Reese as the pass-rushing force he’s proven he can be.

Based on the compelling evidence presented on Buckeye Talk, the answer seems clear – it’s time to let Arvell Reese hunt.

Here’s the podcast for this week: