Matt Patricia Forced Johnny Manziel to Crown Ohio State National Champions After Texas Longhorns Wins

Matt Patricia’s arrival at Ohio State wasn’t just another coaching hire. It was a big shift as an NFL coach returned to the college circuit after almost 2 decades. This is the same coach who spent 14 seasons in New England, called the defense in Super Bowl XLIX against Russell Wilson, and later held Sean McVay’s high-powered Rams to just 260 yards and three points in Super Bowl LIII. Patricia didn’t just survive in the NFL. He engineered game plans that made legends look mortal.

That resume is why Johnny Manziel didn’t hesitate on the August 31 episode of Nightcap. He crowned the Buckeyes the national champions. And he admitted why. “Yeah, I think you’re going to see that the way they’re going to defend Jeremiah Smith all year. He’s going to be extremely frustrated. But that should let wide receiver two, wide receiver three, and even a running back be foaming at the mouth for the opportunities they’re going to have at the backside of some of these plays.”

This is classic Patricia football. In New England, his defenses finished top-10 in points allowed for six straight years (2012–2017). But his ability not to over-rely on just one player gives edge. We saw it when he used a scattered defense with Dont’a Hightower at the center. Moreover, he stabilized their defense during the Brady-Belichick dynasty.

And then came the bigger point, “Ohio State is extremely well coached. And Patricia leading that defense. Having a guy who’s been in the NFL for so long, being able to come back and do this at the college level, should be able to put in some different looks.” That’s not merely a statement; we have seen it over the years.

Patricia’s game plans once turned Peyton Manning’s 2013 record-breaking offense into a pedestrian 16-point night in the AFC Championship Game. He forced Andrew Luck into four interceptions the year before. This is what Manziel meant by different looks. Patricia sees quarterbacks differently because he’s broken the best of them.

Manziel even doubled down on Patricia’s creativity. “He’s sitting there watching film. It’s such a different look from everything that he’s accustomed to in the past and just has to be sitting there with a plethora of ideas of what he can bring to it.”

That isn’t empty talk. Patricia coached in 10 conference title games and three Super Bowls. He knows how to weaponize depth, disguise coverages, and bury tendencies. Dropping that brain into a college locker room stacked with four and five-star recruits? That’s going to change their view of the game.

Matt Patricia guides Ohio State to defeat the Texas Longhorns

The proof came under the lights at the Horseshoe. No. 3 Ohio State, defending champs, against No. 1 Texas and Arch Manning. The result? A 14–7 slugfest that looked more NFL playoff game than a Week 1 college football game. The story was a defense. Patricia’s defense.

Texas went 0-for-4 on fourth down, including two gut punches inside the Buckeyes’ 10-yard line. Arch Manning tried to sneak one in from the 1. Stuffed. Later, he tested the end zone on fourth-and-goal. Swatted away by Davison Igbinosun. And with two minutes left, down seven, Texas pushed to midfield. On fourth-and-5, Manning found Jack Endries, but Caleb Downs wrapped him up two yards short. Game over.

Texas’ four turnovers on downs were the most in a single game since 2017. That’s not a coincidence. Patricia planned it out. And Manziel remembers it. Downs was everywhere, nine tackles, a closer’s mentality, and the final play that sealed it. Igbinosun shadowed Texas’ top receivers and broke up Manning’s would-be tying throw. Linebacker Sonny Styles roamed sideline to sideline, anchoring a unit with eight new starters but zero fear.

Texas, the nation’s top-ranked team, didn’t score until 3:28 left in the fourth. They avoided their first shutout in nine years, but only just. Ryan Day said it plain, “The story of the game was the defense. Those fourth-down stops were big.” And Patricia, standing in for Jim Knowles after he bolted to Penn State, wasn’t shy about crediting his guys. “He was unbelievable back there as a field general,” Patricia said of Downs. “Guys stepped up to the challenge all the way across the board.”

That’s the NFL perspective Manziel talked about in action. Patricia brought Super Bowl-level schemes to a college field. He forced Manning to process looks he hadn’t seen before, then choked him on downs when it mattered most.

Ohio State 14, Texas 7. The champs held the nation’s No. 1 team to its lowest point total in nearly a decade. Manziel called it before kickoff. Matt Patricia proved it after.