COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It took just one game for Matt Patricia to prove the doubters wrong.
When Ohio State hired the former Detroit Lions head coach and New England Patriots defensive coordinator to lead their defense, skepticism ran rampant. Even the hosts of Buckeye Talk were among those questioning the move.
“I have to say for myself, maybe the judgment for you was still out, but I was wrong. Matt Patricia is going to be very good at this,” Stephen Means admitted during the latest episode of Buckeye Talk, reflecting on Patricia’s debut performance against Texas.
That admission didn’t come lightly. Just nine months ago, when Patricia’s hiring was announced, Means was texting colleagues: “I get the concept of what this hire is. It’s a head coach of the defense. I just don’t get that that’s the guy you gave the hat to.” Now, he’s singing a completely different tune.
What makes Patricia’s defense so different from previous Ohio State units? According to Means, it’s the sophistication of the schemes rather than just relying on superior talent.
“This is the first game I’ve covered with Ohio State’s defense where it didn’t feel like some element of their defense was simply just go be better than the other team... even in 2019 that defense was a lot of single high, a lot of coverage one, a lot of cover three. We have Chase Young, you don’t. We have Jeff Okuda, you don’t,” Means explained.
Instead of the “we have better players than you” approach, Patricia deployed a complex, NFL-style defensive system that constantly shifted looks pre-snap and post-snap. One play, safety Caleb DS would show blitz at the line of scrimmage, only to drop deep into coverage after the snap. The next, linebacker Arville Reese might fake dropping into coverage before blitzing through the A-gap.
This level of deception completely bewildered Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who spent much of the game desperately searching for open receivers that simply weren’t there.
“I don’t know the last time in college football, like I I’m talking nationally. I don’t know the last time in college football I saw a secondary play as well as Ohio State secondary did... even on the plays where he had some time... I just don’t think anyone’s open right now,” Stefan Krajisnik marveled during the podcast.
What’s most impressive about Patricia’s defensive masterclass is how quickly he implemented his system. While his predecessor Jim Knowles took three years to fully install his defense, Patricia did it in just nine months – and with eight new starters on defense, including almost an entirely new front seven.
The secondary, featuring standouts like Caleb DS, Lorenzo Styles, and Jaylen Mlan, shifted positions constantly. According to Means, DS played 24 snaps in the box, 23 at free safety, and 13 in the slot – confusing Texas about where he would be on any given play.
And that confusion extended to the defensive line, where Patricia’s scheme didn’t rely on winning one-on-one matchups but instead focused on eating up blockers and allowing the linebackers and secondary to make plays.
The result? Texas managed just seven points and couldn’t generate a single passing play longer than 15 yards until the fourth quarter. Arch Manning, the Heisman favorite entering the game, looked completely lost against Patricia’s defensive wizardry.
In just one game, Patricia has transformed Ohio State’s defense from a question mark into perhaps the most formidable unit in college football. If this is what he can accomplish in nine months, imagine what his defense will look like by the end of the season.
Want to hear more about Ohio State’s defensive transformation? Listen to the full Buckeye Talk podcast where Stephen Means and Stefan Krajisnik break down all the ways Matt Patricia is redefining what Buckeye defense looks like.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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