Ohio State kicked off its 2025 campaign in style, beating Texas 14-7 in Columbus on Saturday, notching its fifth straight win over a top-10 team, with two of those wins coming against the top-ranked team in the country. The victory put the rest of the country on notice that the Buckeyes are a serious threat to defend their national title despite having 14 players from last year’s squad selected in the 2025 NFL Draft in April. Now that we have seen 60 minutes of Ohio State football, we actually have some
game footage to digest on the 2025 team after nearly nine months of speculating on what the Buckeyes might look like this season. There were some areas where Ohio State overperformed, others that underperformed, coaches that exceeded expectations, while some left a little bit to be desired in the victory over Texas. Luckily for the Buckeyes, with games coming up against Grambling and Ohio, there will be even more opportunity for this year’s squad to grow before Big Ten play begins at the beginning of the month. Today we want to know what was most surprising in Ohio State’s win over Texas on Saturday. Was it how the defense shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Arch Manning? Maybe it was how clean the offensive line was able to keep Buckeye quarterback Julian Sayin. It could be a position group that either met or failed to meet expectations. Or there could have been a member of the coaching staff who put together a perfect game plan.
Today’s question: What was most surprising about Ohio State’s win over Texas?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Ohio State’s linebackers are even better than advertised
It’s not that the bar was low for the Buckeye linebackers headed into the 2025 season. The linebackers were just that good on Saturday afternoon against the Longhorns. After registering 100 tackles in 2024, Sonny Styles entered this season as the leader of the group after the graduation of Cody Simon. Not only was Styles named a team captain, but the honor of wearing the Block “O” was bestowed upon him. Styles finished with five tackles. Even though one linebacker had an even bigger game than Styles on Saturday, the senior from Pickerington established himself as one of the top players in the country at the position.
The star of Saturday’s game at linebacker for Ohio State was undoubtedly Arvell Reese. Last year, Reese showed glimpses of the athleticism he possesses as he worked his way into the rotation. Reese was not finished with nine tackles against the Longhorns; his sack of Arch Manning in the second quarter was the only sack of the game, as well as the only tackle for loss by the Buckeyes in the victory. With his speed, power, and intelligence, Reese is going to be a big problem for Ohio State opponents this season as he is primed for a breakout season.
The best explanation for why the Buckeye linebackers were able to exceed expectations to start off the season is the linebackers coach, James Laurinaitis. Gone are the days of Billy Davis being gifted a job as linebackers coach because he was friends with Urban Meyer. While Al Washington was solid as the position coach, he can’t hold a candle to what Laurinaitis brings to the position.
Just listening to Laurinaitis talk has me ready to run through walls, so I can’t imagine just how much he inspires his players. Not only is Laurinaitis one of the best linebackers in Ohio State history, but he also went on to be one of the best at his position during his NFL career. Words from Laurinaitis carry a lot of weight, and his players are excited to soak up all the knowledge he tries to give them just because of the success he has had at the position. What is even scarier is that Laurinaitis is still pretty new to his role. It feels like only a matter of time before Laurinaitis goes on to become a defensive coordinator, and likely a head coach if he wants to in the future.
Matt’s answer: How exotic Matt Patricia’s defense was
I could have been cheeky and pretended like I was worried about Jeremiah Smith dropping two balls early in the game against Texas, but, while those drops were annoying, I have zero concerns about J.J. being able to hold onto the ball as the season progresses.
But if I’m being serious, I would have to go with how creative and unique Matt Patricia’s defensive scheme was. We knew that a guy who had spent practically his entire career at the NFL level would bring something different to the table than what career-college coach Jim Knowles did, but I don’t think I anticipated it being as exotic as it ended up being.
The whole goal of a defensive coordinator is to confuse the quarterback and create advantageous mismatches, giving his side a favorable edge in terms of numbers. While Ohio State defenses have generally stayed in fairly consistent schematic arrangements over the years, Patricia opted to move guys around far more than his predecessor did and, more importantly, asked them to do things that were outside of what they had done before.
Since I am not an Xs and Os genius by any stretch of the imagination, I appreciated this insightful (and passionate) breakdown from ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.
Orlovsky mentioned something called a “coffeehouse” blitz, something that, until Saturday, I had never heard of. But as soon as it happened in the game, all of #CoachTwitter exploded with excitement, since it is apparently extremely uncommon at the collegiate level.
I know that Patrica et. al wanted to bring out all of the big guns for Texas, and had the entirety of camp to prepare for the game. But, I was still super impressed by how unique and creative the designs were, and that just makes me more and more excited to see what this coaching staff and roster of players can do the rest of the season.
