A $3.1 million per year contract. A job near his home in Philadelphia. And the promise of his longtime Penn State fandom. All of these were fulfilled for former Ohio State DC Jim Knowles after he left Columbus abruptly. Much was talked about him after his bitter exit. Many then even predicted OSU’s defense to regress in his absence as OSU was losing eight starters, including the entire D line. Cut short to present, under Matt Patricia, the Buckeye defense is thriving. Amid all of this is a major sacrifice Ryan Day is making this season.

The offense for Ohio State this year hasn’t been at its 2024 levels, as they are ranked 33rd nationally, notching 445.8 yards per game. Of course, it’s still a playoff-caliber offense, but probably not a championship-caliber one yet. Still, OSU is continuing as returning champions, having already defeated formidable teams like Texas and, most recently, Washington in Seattle. That has more to do with OSU’s defense under Matt Patricia, which is 1st nationally, giving away just 5.5 points per game.

Former Washington Huskies head coach Rick Neuheisel appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and offered his insight on why the Washington game was lopsided despite the Huskies’ performing well under Jedd Fisch this season. “I really thought Washington would put up a better test, but does it say more about Ohio State or Washington?“ asked Dan Patrick. Neuheisel, despite his past Washington connections, didn’t hesitate once to praise the job Patricia is doing after Jim Knowles’ departure.

“Well, it says a lot about Matt Patricia,” replied Neuheisel, and described a major offensive sacrifice Ryan Day makes without thinking about his offensive numbers. “First of all, we’ve known that Ryan Day has this chameleon ability to see what the opponent can do and then adjust a game plan without thinking about his offensive numbers. When you have a guy like Jeremiah Smith, you’ve got to get him the ball. But he doesn’t worry about getting Jeremiah Smith the ball. He worries about making the game go in the direction that he wants with the best chance to win.” said Rick Neuheisel. That sacrifice is surely visible in games this year for Ohio State.

The 24-6 victory is huge in itself. But along than that, limiting Demond Williams inside the pocket was the thing that suffocated the Huskies’ offense. In earlier games, Williams Jr was notching up good rushing numbers, including 88 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown against Washington State recently. However, the Ohio State defense, led by players like Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald, extracted 5 sacks combined, with another sack coming from Kenyatta Jackson Jr. The same three players were responsible for 9 TFLs, taking Williams’ rushing yards tally to -28 in the game. All of this wasn’t possible without some sacrifice.

Jeremiah Smith sacrifice and OSU’s defensive dominance get praise from Jedd Fisch

Jeremiah Smith had 81 yards, which also included a touchdown. However, this year Smith is greatly limited in his ability, notching up just 396 yards so far in four games, with just 43 yards against Texas. Of course, these aren’t bad numbers, but they are still far less than Smith’s 17.3 yards per reception average in 2024. Instead, we are seeing more involvement from players like Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss, who are playing significantly better when teams throw double coverages on Smith. As for the defensive prowess of Ohio State, even Jeff Fisch was in awe of Patricia’s defense.

“They’re very disciplined. They know their assignments. They are well-executed, and that’s what I think Ohio State’s defense is now. A year ago, their defense was fantastic too, with just a different coordinator, but coach Knowles did an amazing job there as well. They do a great job of setting the edge. They do a great job of tackling. They do a great job of disguising their coverages, lining up in two-high shell and dropping their safeties down late and lining up in a one-high look and getting back to two-high,” Fisch said in the post-game press conference.

Matt Patricia is in no way a lesser-known DC, since his exploits in the NFL (3 times Super Bowl winner) are widely acknowledged. The 51-year-old’s role at OSU did come under some scrutiny owing to his inexperience in college football. But that sentiment now is completely faded, as Patricia is doing an incredible job. Surely then, the next three games against Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin would be a cakewalk for the team. The Buckeyes could possibly repeat as national champions this year.