Ohio State’s Coverage Toolbox from the CFB Playoffs | Pt 2: Cover 1
In Part 1 of this series, we broke down how Ohio State utilized Cover 2 during their playoff run. One of the Buckeyes’ biggest strengths under Jim Knowles? Their ability to show different pre-snap looks, whether it was 3-high, 2-high, or pressure fronts, and then work back to their called coverage post-snap.
In this part, we’re diving into how they used Cover 1 and how those same disguise principles carried over.
5-Man Pressure + Cover 0
In this clip, the Buckeyes bring a 5-man pressure, including Safety Caleb Downs (#2) off the edge. Inside linebacker, #0 acts as a hug rusher, or what some call a green dog, adding on if the running back stays in to block. It’s a smart way to create a plus-one on the rush if the back commits.
On the back end, Ohio State plays what I’d call Cover 0, though some would label it Cover 1. You’ve got a MOF safety, man across the board, and no rat player. Call it what you want, it still lives in the Cover 1 family. The point is, the Buckeyes used this as an aggressive answer while still maintaining man principles.
Against Notre Dame, Ohio State goes back to a 5-man pressure look with Cover 0 on the back end. This time, they handle the running back differently, the defensive end to the RB’s side is responsible for him in coverage.
The linebackers run a cross dog opposite the back, and it hits exactly how you’d draw it up on the board. The second linebacker gets a clean shot to the QB, untouched and on time. It’s a great example of marrying pressure with aggressive man coverage while still accounting for all eligibles.
Cover 1 Cross
1 Cross, or 1 Hole, was another Cover 1 variation the Buckeyes leaned on it during their playoff run. This variation lets one of the safeties rob the middle of the field, cutting off crossers at the sticks.
When you’ve got a player like Caleb Downs patrolling the middle, he can do both, cut off those shallow and intermediate routes, then rally down on a scrambling QB. In this clip, he does exactly that, playing the sticks first, then triggering down for a minimal gain. It’s a great way to get an extra hat in the middle while still playing man across the board.
This clip against Oregon is an example of why 1 Cross can be such a problem for offenses. Once again, Ohio State rotates #2, Caleb Downs, into the high hole, giving him a free run downhill to rob anything crossing the middle.
Oregon lines up in empty and tries to hit an in-breaking route, but Downs is sitting right where the QB thinks he has space. Whether the ball gets tipped or not, Downs nearly picks it off on his break. It’s a classic case of a quarterback not accounting for the high hole defender, assuming he won’t be a factor from depth. Downs proves otherwise.
Cover 1 Rat
Our last look is what most coaches would call Cover 1 Rat, probably the version of Cover 1 most people think of first. Now, with Ohio State’s personnel, you could argue this looks a lot like 1 Cross, and I wouldn’t fight you on it. But because Caleb Downs is dropping into more of a Mike linebacker alignment pre-snap, we’ll go with 1 Rat here.
In this version, the “Mike” (Downs) becomes the low hole rat, looking to cut the first crosser he sees. In theory, and I’m not sure exactly how Knowles teaches it, but typically when the corner’s man gets cut by the rat, that corner should now replace the rat as the new low hole player.
It’s a clean way to add a bonus defender in the middle while keeping your man integrity outside.
Conclusion
Ohio State’s playoff defense was never about living in static calls. Even when they played Cover 1, it wasn’t just basic man-free, it came with layers: rats, crosses, and aggressive pressures. Whether they were green dogging the back, robbing crossers from depth, or using Caleb Downs as a versatile low hole player, the Buckeyes kept quarterbacks on edge by constantly changing the picture in the middle of the field.
This matches what we broke down in Part 1, where the Buckeyes built multiple looks off their Cover 2 toolbox, spinning from 3-high, disguising rotations, and forcing offenses to play left-handed.
In Part 3, we’ll dive into how they did the same thing with their Cover 3 variations, using late rotations, disguise, and personnel flexibility to tie everything back to their 4-down, 3-high system.