ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit awaits new-look Ohio State defense against Notre Dame

Kirk Herbstreit knows Ohio State's defense will look different Saturday night against Notre Dame.

The ESPN college football and "College GameDay" analyst said he's covered many Oklahoma State games, seeing what defensive coordinator Jim Knowles did with the Cowboys. He knows the defense the Buckeyes have run in the past, stemming from the single-high safety looks that Jeff Hafley put in place in 2019.

But when Knowles combines with Ohio State's personnel, Herbstreit, who will call the Buckeyes' season opener against Notre Dame Saturday on ABC, has no idea what the defense will look like.

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"Now you go from a very simplified scheme for a quarterback or coordinator looking at Ohio State — you know what they are going to be in — to now Jim Knowles, you have no idea, pre snap to post snap, what his defense will be," Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback, said Tuesday.

"It's a defense that's built around keeping you guessing. You will not be able to lock in and have an idea of what they're in. They're going to disguise and, especially on third down, they are going to get after the quarterback. That's his calling card. That's what he's known to do. And now he's got some serious players at his disposal to be able to dial this defense up."

Knowles' first game as Ohio State's defensive coordinator will be against a Notre Dame team that already has an idea of what to expect, having seen aspects of his scheme when the Fighting Irish played Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl to end the 2021 season.

Against the Cowboys defense, Notre Dame scored 35 points and recorded 551 yards of offense against Oklahoma State.

"This being the first game, of course you're going to go back to the game that you played against that school where even though he wasn't calling the defense, it was his scheme, just to see how matchups work out," Herbstreit said.

Kirk Herbstreit talks Ohio State's challenge for Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees

With Tommy Rees returning for his third season as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator, Herbstreit says Notre Dame's performance against Knowles' scheme in the Fiesta Bowl may "give him a bit of a better feel" heading into the Ohio State opener.

However, Rees will have to do it with first-year quarterback Tyler Buchner, who served as a "change-of-pace" option to graduate transfer Jack Coan in 2021.

With the environment Buchner's facing in his first career start, Herbstreit said the stage is set for Notre Dame's offense to show what it can do against Ohio State's new-look defense, adapting to a scheme with a quarterback that can put pressure on opposing defenses with his legs and his arm.

"This is, I think, an opportunity for Tommy Rees to show America and Notre Dame fans it's not just 'This is our system, this is who we are,'" Herbstreit said. "Great offensive coordinators like Tommy, they adjust their scheme to their personnel and to their strengths."

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football's new defense will have new look vs. Notre Dame