COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State won the national championship last season with the nation’s No. 1 defense.

It was full of talented players, but arguably the most important was Caleb Downs, a sophomore safety whose versatility gave then-defensive coordinator Jim Knowles lots of options for stopping opposing offenses and confusing their quarterbacks.

Lining up deep on one play and in the box on the next, he kept opponents guessing about what he was doing on a given snap and made multiple game-saving stops during the Buckeyes’ playoff run in January.

Although Knowles and eight NFL draft picks are gone, No. 1 Ohio State again tops the nation in total defense and scoring going into Saturday’s pivotal rivalry game at No. 15 Michigan.

With 39 tackles, including five for loss, two interceptio

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