Julian Sayin Confirms $2.5M OSU Asset as Main Culprit Behind Arch Manning’s Texas Humiliation

“The story of the game was the defense,” said Ohio State coach Ryan Day. “Those fourth-down stops were big.” The 2025 season opener for Ohio State and Texas was more than just a game. It was a defensive masterclass that set the tone for the Buckeyes’ national title defense. From the get-go, Ohio State’s defense took center stage, smothering Texas and rattling star quarterback Arch Manning at every turn. The face of the defense after the Jim Knowles era is carried out by Matt Patricia, fresh from an illustrious NFL career with multiple Super Bowl wins and a $2.5M contract. He showed up with a revamped defense featuring eight new starters ready to prove a point.

Their goal? Make every yard a fight, and every fourth down a moment to seize. And seize they did. Throughout the game, Ohio State’s defense was relentless, frustrating Texas by forcing four turnovers on downs, including two critical stops inside their own 10-yard line. The defense’s toughest moments came late in the game when Texas was mounting a serious comeback attempt. With the score still 14-7, the Buckeyes held the Longhorns from scoring on the final possession, thanks to a game-clinching tackle by safety Caleb Downs, who was described by Patricia as “unbelievable back there as a field general.”

Julian Sayin, Ohio State’s QB making his first start, had a front-row seat to this defensive fireworks show every single day at practice. And Sayin didn’t shy away from singing the praises of Patricia’s defense during the post-game press conference. “They’re very fast, very physical,” Sayin said. “Coach Patricia does a great job mixing things up and keeping you on your toes as a quarterback. And it’s very hard to play against them. So you know it’s great practice going against our offense and makes my job to practice very hard.” Indeed, that was a major surprise for the Longhorns. Patricia wasn’t hired to tear down Jim Knowles’ tactics that won the Buckeyes a national championship last year.

Instead, he was brought in to build on that winning foundation with his own NFL-honed expertise and nuanced tweaks. Having spent 19 years in the NFL, mostly with the New England Patriots, Patricia arrived with a wealth of experience, including coaching multiple Super Bowl-winning defenses. His focus? Putting players in the best position to succeed, using simplicity and clarity over complexity. His teaching style stood out. And especially with players like Caleb Downs. Downs, who was chosen as the guinea pig to replicate NFL star Patrick Chung’s “big nickel” technique, surely paid off.

Patricia’s philosophy centered on position flexibility and unpredictability. Instead of locking players into rigid roles, like defensive end or linebacker, he treated them as versatile chess pieces with unique skills. They can be ready to move wherever the team needs. The base defense remained a 4-2-5, but Patricia introduced elements from the 3-4 and other schemes to keep opponents guessing week after week. This meant the defense could morph and adapt without needing to swap personnel.

Defensive backs became hybrid players who could fill multiple roles on the fly (hello! Caleb Downs). Players like Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. showed they could handle both 4-2-5 defensive end spots and the stand-up outside linebacker roles of a 3-4. Plus, communication becomes a major factor with so many moving parts. This ‘conceptual teaching’ meant players learned defensive principles they could apply no matter where they lined up. It speeds up their adjustments and boosts their football IQ. And the results of this blueprint were on full display in Ohio State’s 14-7 win over Texas.

Matt Patricia’s strategic edge from NFL rivalries to college showdowns

Matt Patricia didn’t just roll the dice when he laid out Ohio State’s defensive strategy against Texas in 2025. He was playing a smart chess match with Steve Sarkisian, and he’d already been through this battle before. Back in 2017, Patricia, then the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator, faced off against Sarkisian, who was calling plays for the Atlanta Falcons. That showdown? A 23-7 blowout win for Patricia’s Patriots defense.

Caleb Downs didn’t mince words about bringing that experience back to Columbus. He called Patricia the “$7.5 million game changer” ($2.5M for 3 years). He is confident that Patricia’s NFL wisdom would be invaluable against Sarkisian’s top-ranked Texas offense. Patricia’s 2016 Patriots defense led the NFL in points allowed, locked down the run, and engineered one of the greatest Super Bowl comebacks.

When Texas charged into Columbus as the No. 1 team, loaded with stars like Arch Manning and Anthony Hill Jr., they were facing the guy who once held Sarkisian’s NFL squad to just seven points. Sarkisian himself acknowledged how tough it is to prepare against a coach like Patricia, who blends NFL-caliber tactics with college football fundamentals.