No. 1 Ohio State's new-look defense
remains dominant ahead of matchup at No. 17 Illinois
[October 09, 2025]
By MARCUS HARTMAN
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State lost every starter on its defensive
line, three of five starting defensive backs and a linebacker who
was both productive and a key leader for the Buckeyes' title-winning
team last season.
Coach Ryan Day also needed to hire a new defensive coordinator
following Jim Knowles' departure to Penn State.
A drop in production would have been understandable. Yet the
top-ranked Buckeyes are right back at the top in scoring defense and
third in total defense after five games this season and heading into
a matchup Saturday at No. 17 Illinois.
Ohio State has held opponents to 10 points or fewer in its first
five games, its longest streak since Earle Bruce's first season as
coach in 1979.
How did the Buckeyes reload so quickly?
In the mind of Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, a better question might
be, “How could they not?”
“They put you in a corner and they change up so many different
coverages and fronts,” Fleck said after his team lost 42-3 last
week. “After that first drive I thought we had them in their base
defense and their base coverages and we had a really good bead on
them. Then we came back and they changed it.”
Matt Patricia replaced Knowles, spent the spring learning the
strengths of his new players at every level of the defense and
installed a pro-style defense reminiscent of the ones he used to
help coordinate with the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick.
At several positions, players who might have been ready to play last
year but were blocked by seniors have stepped into starting roles.
That includes junior cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. taking the
place of Denzel Burke, junior linebacker Arvell Reese replacing Cody
Simon and senior defensive linemen Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson
Jr. taking the spots at end vacated by Jack Sawyer and J.T.
Tuimoloau.
They joined returning starters Sonny Styles at linebacker and
Davison Igbinosun at cornerback to form a unit long on talent and
short on youth.
“It’s not just the players and the depth,” Fleck said. “That’s just
exceptional. That’s off the charts. Some of the best I’ve seen. It’s
the schematic pieces that make it so complex. Every single play is a
different front structure, blitz structure, coverage structure.”
Downs is key
While there is versatility up and down the starting lineup, Caleb
Downs is the prime piece Patricia uses to keep quarterbacks and
offensive coordinators guessing.
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Generally regarded as one of the best defensive players in the
nation last year, he would most likely be in the NFL right now if
the rules allowed, but the collective-bargaining agreement between
the league and its players requires draftees to be at least three
years removed from high school.
“It’s one thing to have an idea or have an adjustment, but it’s
another thing to put it on the field,” Day said Tuesday as the team
began preparations for Illinois. “So when you have guys like Caleb
and Sonny and Arvell and IGB (Igbinosun) and Kenyatta and Caden who
have played football enough and seen it, they have sort of a rolodex
of plays that they can recall to get back to and then communicate
that to the other guys on the defense. So that’s the sign of a
mature team when you can make adjustments but then actually execute
them on the field.”
Patricia, the popular leader
Since August, players have praised Patricia for his approach.
He jibed quickly with heady, veteran leaders such as Downs and
Styles, whose father played linebacker in the NFL.
“It’s not like we’re on our heels,” Styles said Saturday night.
“We’re on the attack all the time. We know that the different looks
we give to offenses keeps them on their heels, keeps them a little
bit confused. It just feels good. We’re all confident what we’re
doing. We all know our jobs. We’re really just growing in terms of,
like, football knowledge and becoming smarter.”
Sophomore linebacker Payton Pierce said he talked to Patricia more
probably his first two days here than with Knowles in total.
“So he’s poured into all of us, and he does every single day. And
he’s still sitting out here talking to players. Any questions we
got, he’s always here to help and not just in football, but in
life,” Pierce said.
The connection even extends beyond the starting lineup to younger
players still learning their way.
“When we got a new DC, I feel like it was clicking more,” said
sophomore cornerback Aaron Scott Jr., who arrived in Columbus last
year as a five-star prospect from nearby Springfield.
“I was able to get more time with coach Patricia,” Scott said. “He’s
like a real player-type guy, so whenever I needed help, I could just
go in and talk with him and we had a good role, so I feel like he’s
made it way more easier for me.”
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