SEATTLE – Ohio State tied a school record back in April when a whopping 14 players, eight of them on the defensive side, were selected in the NFL draft.
The losses of key contributors from the national championship-winning team like tackle Tyleik Williams, end JT Tuimoloau and others were expected to hurt the Buckeyes’ vaunted defense, if only a little bit. Same goes for the loss of former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who accepted the same job at Penn State.
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It would have been difficult to gather as much based on the defensive dominance that was on display Saturday as No. 1 Ohio State beat Washington 24-6 on Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The Buckeyes (4-0) limited the Huskies (3-1) to 234 total yards in front of 72,845 fans at Husky Stadium, Washington’s largest crowd since Sept. 28, 2010, against Nebraska. In the process, Washington had its 22-game home winning streak broken.
“I think it’s a great reference point to come into a stadium like this,” coach Ryan Day said. “This is a great environment. I thought that the fans on their end were loud and showed up in a big way.”
Ditto for Ohio State’s Caden Curry, who set career highs with three sacks, five tackles for loss and 11 total tackles. The Buckeyes brought down Washington’s dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr. three other times, and the Huskies converted just one of 11 third-down attempts.
Curry said Ohio State knew that containing Williams would be a key to victory, and that in turn brought out the best in the defense.
“You love to see the pressure put on you as a defensive line,” Curry said. “I feel like our defensive line this year’s just a bunch of no-names. We just go out there, we just try to ball, we try to play as hard as we can.”
The Buckeyes’ offense, meanwhile, slowly but surely grinded down the Huskies’ defense, especially in the second half. Julian Sayin completed 22 of 28 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, the latter of which was an 18-yard strike to CJ Donaldson to give Ohio State a commanding 24-6 lead.
With 1:08 left in the first half, Sayin also found Jeremiah Smith for an 18-yard touchdown pass that gave Ohio State a 7-3 lead it would not relinquish. On third-and-11, Sayin avoided a seven-man blitz to locate Smith.
“Down 3-0, that was a huge play for the offense …” Sayin said. “We really needed that, and I think the whole offense executed that very well.”
It was the Buckeyes’ defense, though, that truly impressed, just as it has a third of the way through the regular season under first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Including two field goals by Grady Gross on Saturday, Ohio State’s defense has yielded just 22 points this season, and only two touchdowns.
For as stellar as the Buckeyes’ defense was in 2024, it continues to demonstrate on a weekly basis why it could be as good — if not better — in 2025.
“I’m not surprised, but it’s exciting,” Day said. “It’s exciting to see the capability, the potential. And I think if we can all stick together as a team, we’ll have a chance.”
Savvy Sayin
Sayin passed his first road test without a turnover. The true sophomore entered the contest as the most accurate quarterback in the country, and demonstrated his success through the air can translate on the road, too.
Throughout the week leading up to the game, Saying said that Day preached to the team to embrace all aspects of playing in a loud, road environment. Sayin’s play proved he was up to the task.
“Our mindset was just keep swinging,” Sayin said. “Things aren’t going to go our way the whole time, there’s going to be momentum shifts, so we just got to keep swinging.”
Troublesome without Tacario
Though Washington’s defense mostly held up against Ohio State offense that had scored at least 37 points in back-to-back weeks, it had to operate without Tacario Davis. Arguably the Huskies’ top defensive back, Davis sat out their 59-24 win against Washington State in the Apple Cup, and was sidelined Saturday despite practicing Thursday and participating in Friday’s team walk-through, per coach Jedd Fisch.
“I am optimistic about next week based upon how he progressed this past week,” Fisch said. “The doctors will make that final call.”
The takeaway
Ohio State: The Buckeyes were the first team this season to rush for over 100 yards in a game against the Huskies, who entered the contest giving up just 62 yards per game on the ground. Bo Jackson led Ohio State with 80 yards on 17 carries.
Washington: Freshman receiver Dezmen Roebuck continues to assert himself as a solid No. 2 receiving option for Williams. Roebuck had four catches for 58 yards.
Up next
Ohio State: Hosts Minnesota on Oct. 4.
Washington: At Maryland on Oct. 4.
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Up next
Ohio State: Hosts Minnesota on Oct. 4.
Washington: At Maryland on Oct. 4.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football