Ryan Day Reveals True Feelings on $7.5M OSU Asset Who Busted Major Steve Sarkisian Claim

Week 1 was absolute cinema. The whole college football world showed up expecting the Arch Manning show, Texas’ shiny QB1 debut. Sark cooking gourmet plays on a silver platter, and maybe even some Heisman highlight reels. But what 107,524 fans got instead was a defensive clinic, straight from the NFL’s playbook, run by Ohio State’s new $7.5 million off-season investment. The Buckeyes didn’t just crash the party, they almost shut it down. Final score? Ohio State 14, Texas 7. And yes, Ryan Day let everybody know exactly how he feels about the man who pulled it off.

Matt Patricia came into Columbus with heavy baggage. Fired in Detroit, clowned in New England, forgotten in Philly, and unemployed in 2024. But Saturday night? He was the puppet master. And Ohio State HC Ryan Day gave big props to Matt Patricia’s menacing debut against No.1 ranked Texas Longhorns. “We had a good plan going in..Matt’s done a really good job of building trust with these guys, with the staff, with the players. I’m happy for him. This is a signature start for him.” Matt Patricia literally shut Steve Sarkisian’s claim.

Sarkisian, who’s been crowned the king of play-calling, had his crown yanked clean off. The same guy many analysts called “the best play-caller in college football”? His Texas offense got stonewalled for 3 and a half quarters. 4 failed 4th downs. Zero juice. By the time Arch Manning finally connected for a late touchdown, Patricia’s defense had already iced the game. Sark came in ready to flex. Patricia made him look like he was stuck on beginner mode.

Ohio State’s defense was straight nasty. Linebacker Arvell Reese went full beast mode with 9 tackles, a sack, and a TFL. Jermaine Mathews Jr. ripped Arch’s heart with a pick that had the Shoe rocking. Caleb Downs was everywhere in the secondary, barking and balling like he’d been in scarlet and gray his whole life. Even the freshmen guys like Jaylen McClain looked like they’d been waiting for this exact moment. Ryan Day said it best: “You have guys who are starting for the first time.. these guys have never started a game before, so you don’t know what you’re going to expect. But I thought our guys had them ready. I think you saw that from the guys. It’s a gritty group, and if we can keep building on this and stay competitive as we are, we’ll have a chance.”

Ohio State’s offense gave Patricia zero room for mistakes. Julian Sayin, making his first start, was solid but far from spectacular. He went 13-for-20, 126 yards, and one TD. CJ Donaldson Jr. chipped in 67 yards and a score, and Carnell Tate hit Texas with a nasty 40-yard TD bomb in the fourth. That was basically it. Just 14 points all game.

But Patricia’s defense? They made that stick like Gorilla Glue. If Patricia hadn’t been flawless, if even one fourth-down stop had gone the other way, we’d be talking about Texas walking out of Columbus with a win. Instead, we’re talking about Matt Patricia being the most valuable $7.5 million investment in the sport.

The Buckeyes ruin Arch Manning hype train

The former 5 star was supposed to be the guy, or at least better than Quinn Ewers. All offseason it was Arch this, Arch that, Finebaum even called him “the best QB in the country” before he had even played a legit Power 5 defense. Vegas put him at the top of Heisman odds (+550). ESPN had him front and center like he was already a Manning-made legend. But against the “Silver Bullets”? Different story. Arch finished with 170 yards, one pick, and one garbage-time TD. For three quarters, he was throwing like he was blindfolded. Patricia and his disguised coverages had him second-guessing everything. Every snap looked like a riddle he couldn’t solve.

Arch had a rough first half. Only 26 passing yards. Twenty-six. The Mannings probably had more yards pacing in the luxury box. Every third down felt like a setup, and every red zone trip felt like a mirage. Ohio State stuffed a goal-line attempt in the third quarter that had the Shoe vibrating. When Arch finally threw a late TD to Parker Livingstone, it felt like too little, too late.

The contrast was wild. Ohio State’s offense was quiet but efficient, doing just enough with Sayin and Donaldson to hold serve. But the defense? That was the exclamation point. Four fourth-down stops and a pick, to a whole lot of humiliation for the guy who was supposed to take over college football this year. Sark’s golden boy got humbled, plain and simple.