Former Buckeye Jack Sawyer reached the pinnacle of college football last season with a national title. However, he still ended his Ohio State career with a void. The current Steelers LB had multiple shots at Michigan, but none of them resulted in a win. Ahead of Ohio State’s game at Ann Arbor, he has some words for Matt Patricia’s defense.

“I’m interested to see the way coach Matt Patricia has been dialing up pressure all year. The way he’s been moving Sonny [Styles] and Arvell [Reese] around,” said Sawyer on the November 26 episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward. “Both of them are having great years. I think they’re both maybe finalists for the Buckeyes. So, I think those two are going to control the game. Our D-line’s been playing good, too,” he added. 

No superlatives are enough to describe the kind of choke Ohio State’s defense has had on every opponent they’ve faced this season. Even the teams that had momentum heading into their game against the Buckeyes, like the Huskies, had no breathing room. The defending champions are allowing 7.6 points per game. They are No. 2 in rush defense and No. 1 in pass defense. It’s all on the back of the entire unit playing complementary football. The same needs to happen against Michigan.

“And I think that up front, we’ve got to dominate them. We’ve got to get off blocks. We’ve got to get our linebackers playing downhill,” Sawyer said.

Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese have been a major part of OSU’s defense, and their numbers prove why. In the 11 games they played this season, they’ve totaled 121 tackles, in which Sonny has 35 solo tackles, and Arvell has 30 solo tackles. Sonny has 1 interception, 3 pass defenses, and 1 forced fumble, and Reese has 2 pass defenses. Both will be needed against Michigan due to their quarterback being a dual threat. However, Sawyer has a solution.

“And their quarterback, their freshman, is a good player. He really is. But I think in a game like this, if you can make it a one-dimensional game. Offense put some points up, get him behind a little bit, but I got to get more into the one-dimensional game. I think that’s when you’ll see coach Patricia’s schematics and the way he’s able to game plan around and disguise coverages, and kind of throw their offense off-tilt.”

So far, Michigan has been a run-first offense. That puts Bryce in 3rd-and-short situations, which he can convert with both his arm and legs. However, when you’re trailing by over a touchdown, the clock becomes a huge factor. Lesser runs are called, and in such a situation, Bryce Underwood will have to do it by himself. He hasn’t done that this season.

Oklahoma stuffed the run game and shut down short-yardage passes, which significantly impacted the freshman QB’s performance. On the other hand, the Buckeyes come into the game with certainty at the QB position. However, the availability of their WRs, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, remains a source of concern. For Sawyer, though, the game is an opportunity to see his former team break the streak he is unfortunately associated with.

Jack Sawyer hasn’t tasted a win over Michigan

Throughout Jack Sawyer’s reign at Ohio State, from 2021 to 2024, Ohio State didn’t taste a victory over Michigan. In the last four meetings, Michigan has outperformed Ohio State, with wins of 42-27 in 2021, 45-23 in 2022, 30-24 in 2023, and 13-10 in 2024.

Last year’s loss was particularly hurtful for Sawyer, as Ohio State entered the game as the home favorites. The situation worsened when Michigan players placed their flags on Ohio State’s field. The whole thing turned into chaos. Jack Sawyer even grabbed the flag and ripped it apart. This led to more fighting, as police officers and staff of both teams managed to separate them.

To prevent even more embarrassment at Ann Arbor, OSU aims for a win over Michigan this Saturday. The Buckeyes are entering the game as a 10.5-point favorite.