If you watched No. 1 Ohio State rumble through UCLA 48-10, you probably walked away thinking it’s business as usual. The Buckeyes were down Carnell Tate for a second straight week and Jeremiah Smith was basically playing on one leg. Still, Ohio State outgained the Bruins 440-222 who were playing without their starter Nico Iamaleava. They hit 10-0, and stretched their streak of nine straight wins by at least 18 points. But the loudest headline belonged to a 6’5, 315-pound wall who became the face-saver of Ryan Day’s Week 12.

On November 16, PFF College dropped their “Week 12 College Football Team of the Week” rankings on X. And for an Ohio State team swimming in stars and storylines, only one Buckeye cracked the offensive list. RT Phillip Daniels. Not Julian Sayin. Not Jeremiah Smith. Not the defense, which was snubbed entirely. And that twist becomes even wilder once you remember where he started.

Julian Sayin came into Saturday completing over 80% of his throws for a month straight. Even with Carnell Tate out and Jeremiah Smith hobbling, he still went 23-of-31 for 189 yards and a score. That dip dragged his national-best percentage down below 80%, but the kid still dealt. Smith managed four grabs for 40 yards and another viral one-handed highlight before limping out for good. Yet all the noise about the QB-WR duo drowned out the one guy who actually earned a national nod.

Phillip Daniels was never supposed to be this guy. Back in August, he wasn’t even a guaranteed starter. Ryan Day openly said the battle between him and Ethan Onianwa would go deep into game week. He entered fall camp as a backup while Onianwa was projected at LT and Austin Siereveld at RT. Then Siereveld moved to the left side, the door cracked open, and Daniels smashed through it. What happened next is the classic homecoming twist.

A Cincinnati native and Minnesota transfer, Phillip Daniels started the final four games of last season with the Gophers. Just a three-star out of Princeton High, he came home to prove everyone wrong. Back in August he declared, “I’m trying to help this team and be the best right tackle in the nation.” Saturday, he carried receipts and PFF made sure the whole country knew about it. And when the Big Ten rankings were revealed things suddenly made sense.

Ryan Day’s O-line is a wall

For all the noise around PFF’s defensive snub, the Big Ten quietly delivered a message of its own. Ohio State’s offense is still running the league’s trenches. The weekly honors featured three Buckeyes up front Austin Siereveld at left tackle, Luke Montgomery at left guard, and of course, Phillip Daniels locking down the right side, reinforcing that Ryan Day’s team is winning games from the inside-out. And honestly, that context matters. The Buckeyes weren’t operating anywhere close to full strength against UCLA. 

Carnell Tate missed his second straight game. Jeremiah Smith limped through warmups, gave Ohio State one highlight reel grab, and didn’t return after halftime. Brandon Inniss played through visible discomfort. Even backup center Josh Padilla was unavailable. Yet in the middle of that injury storm, the offensive line became the engine. They kept Julian Sayin clean, steady, and composed who still managed a 74.2% completion day without his top weapons. And that doesn’t happen unless the front five take over the game plan. They did exactly that, paving lanes, neutralizing UCLA’s front even without their usual explosiveness.

Now Ohio State enters Rutgers as a heavy favorite before the Nov. 29 trip to Ann Arbor. The injury sheet is long but Ryan Day says they’ll be fine.  “They will be fine,” added Inniss. In a week of injuries, doubts, and one glaring defensive omission, the Buckeyes walked out with the only flex that truly matters. They’re still dominating the Big Ten where it counts, and they’re still undefeated.