ESPN Big Ten Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On the surface, Jim Heacock's job looks pretty easy right now.

The Ohio State defensive coordinator returns nine starters from a unit that led the nation in fewest yards allowed (233 ypg) and fewest points allowed (12.77 ppg). He has the reigning Butkus Award winner at middle linebacker (James Laurinaitis), the Thorpe Award front-runner at cornerback (Malcolm Jenkins) and several others who could take home some hardware in December.

Then again, it was Heacock's unit that allowed a combined 79 points in the last two BCS national championship games. It was Heacock's unit that helped fuel the perception -- founded or unfounded -- that the Big Ten is a step or three slow. And like many teams in many leagues, the Buckeyes' defense has had some struggles with the spread offense. So Heacock has plenty of work to do.

I spoke briefly with Ohio State's fourth-year defensive coordinator before his afternoon meeting and discussed the outlook for the unit.

Is the defense about where you thought it would be at this point in the preseason?

Jim Heacock: They've been consistent, had a good camp. There's a few areas we've got to continue to improve on, making sure everybody's doing their job. We talk about one-eleventh, doing their assignments. Overall, it's been a good camp. They've worked hard. The best thing for me is they've been consistent. Every practice, they've come out to work.

Is that just the experience showing?

JH: I think so. In the summertime, the seniors got together and that's what they talked about. Trying to not worry about the past or the future, zeroing in on the present.

What are those things you mentioned that need to be improved?

JH: It's a matter of just execution. As you throw stuff at them and put in defense, a few execution breakdowns you've got to eliminate. You can't give up big plays. That will all come.

How has Lawrence Wilson looked in camp?

JH: Lawrence looks good. He's ready to go. I think he's anxious to get back out there and play. He's worked hard in the offseason to get himself ready.

You addressed some of the criticism the [defensive] tackles have been taking. Are those guys playing with a chip on their shoulder at this point?

JH: I don't know if it's a chip. I think they're taking a little bit of undue criticism because they were young. Those guys were all first-year players. The year before, we had three seniors that had all played and these guys were kind of backups, sitting in the wings. And they were put into that situation. They've played well. They were able to be a part of a good defense. The run defense was very good. So I think they did a lot of good things. They'll be better now, not because they have a chip on their shoulder but because they have some experience. If they would ever do a study of defensive-tackle sacks, those guys get double-teamed a lot. Over the years, our tackles haven't been big sack-masters. It's usually the ends. But they'll have more. They'll be a much better group this year.

I know turnovers are an emphasis. For the two safeties [Anderson Russell and Kurt Coleman], is that their next step, getting interceptions and making plays?

JH: Turnovers is an area. There's a lot of areas we can make improvement in. We all know that. Turnovers are something our kids have bought into, where they identify it as a situation we'd like to do a better job at. You can't predict [when turnovers come]. You hope you're disruptive and attacking and hope you can strip the ball out a few times. They're working on it. I know that's a point of emphasis.

How have Anderson and Kurt performed in camp?

JH: Good. They're similar to the defensive tackles. Those guys right down the middle, those two guys were new. Anderson was hurt and last year was the first time he came back and played, and of course, Kurt Coleman, that was his first year. Those guys are just like the tackles. They're young and inexperienced. We had four guys down through the middle of our defense that were very young and very inexperienced. They came along as the year went on. I think they'll be better this year.

For James, Marcus [Freeman] and Malcolm, do you even worry about those guys anymore? What do you look for from them?

JH: We want good leadership. We want them to do their jobs and execution and be great leaders. Hopefully, they're an extension of the coaching staff and handle the situations and any problems we might have in really trying to keep the defense together in all scenarios.