Urban Meyer likes to say that Ohio State is an “offensive line-driven program,” but in the Buckeyes’ 24-7 Cotton Bowl win over USC, it was the defensive line that carried the team, and ultimately drove USC into the ground.
Ohio State’s Rushmen accounted for seven of the defense’s eight sacks, 11 of 14 tackles for loss, and god knows how many quarterback hurries and blown up plays. It got to the point where they were nearly making a huge play on every other USC snap:
Ohio State's defense created a havoc play on roughly 1/3 of USC's plays.