Pat Narduzzi says Ohio State 'stole' Michigan State's defense

Michigan State’s defenses under Mark Dantonio and Pat Narduzzi were consistently among the best in the nation in recent years, so other programs studying their schemes would certainly seem worthwhile.

When addressing the increasing prevalence of teams running up-tempo spread offenses with run-pass option plays, Narduzzi, now the head coach at Pitt, said in a radio interview on 92.1 The Team in Lansing, Mich., that Ohio State – the 2014 national champions – did just that when adjusting its defense.

“We’re all fighting the same disease. You’re facing spread wherever you go,” Narduzzi said per MLive.com. "Ohio State’s facing the same problem because they stole our defense, too. There’s a lot of teams throughout the country. You go watch them, they’re exactly us, whether they admit it or not. They’re exactly us, and they weren’t before. They won a national championship with the defense.”

Defending offensive plays with run-pass options has presented issues for defenses across the country, so why not utilize Narduzzi’s proven, effective style?

Look at what Michigan State did in the Cotton Bowl against Baylor, for example.

The Bears stormed out to a big lead (and ended up finishing the game with more than 600 passing yards), but the Spartans still focused on stopping the run. Baylor could not run out the clock, allowing MSU to storm back to a 42-41 win.

“It’s the same stuff you’re looking at,” Narduzzi said. “It’s run-pass conflicts, but whether it’s Purdue or Baylor, that’s what people want to try to do to you, so you’ve got things you’re going to change. Ultimately, in the end, what your philosophy is is to stop the run.

“Baylor lines up and can throw it all they want, but it was run conflicts that weren’t runs. They were minus-20 yards rushing. When you make a team one-dimensional, you’ve got a chance to win.”

Narduzzi said the comeback against Baylor was one of the most-impressive wins during his eight-year tenure at Michigan State. He says that other programs are learning by watching the Michigan State defense that limiting the run is the key.

After learning the scheme, the next step is to imitate the Spartans on the field. And according to Narduzzi, that's what the Buckeyes did en route to a national title.

“That was probably the second-most impressive win (for us at MSU), because they threw for so many yards, but we talk to our kids all time that, if they can’t run the ball, they can’t win,” Narduzzi said. “It was another shot of evidence of what we believe. There’s going to be those run-pass conflict teams. That’s what we’re seeing.”

For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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