Phillip Daniels had the last laugh after Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons tried to talk trash to him during Ohio State’s season opener.
According to the Ohio State right tackle, Simmons told Daniels he was “trash” while they were going up against each other early in the second quarter of last Saturday’s game. On the very next play, Simmons drew a 15-yard penalty for knocking Daniels’ helmet off – a penalty that not only gave Ohio State a first down on what would have been a third-down incompletion, but led to the Buckeyes’ first of two touchdowns in their 14-7 win.
“I was just chilling. I was like, ‘OK, cool guy, I'm finna go against him.’ I didn't really see too much of nothing on film. And then before the play he smacked my helmet off, he was like, ‘You trash,’ lined up and said it before me,” Daniels said. “I was like, ‘Huh? Me? I know you’re not talking to me.’ I hemmed him up. He took my helmet off, I’m still going, had a few choice words.”
Daniels – who posted a clip of Simmons’ penalty on Instagram on Monday, drawing three crying laughing emojis from Simmons in the post’s comments – said “it was cool after that” between him and Simmons and that he didn’t hear much more trash talk from Simmons for the rest of the game. But he was visibly fired up after drawing that penalty, which he said was a special moment for him as Ohio Stadium celebrated the penalty with him.
“After I did all that, the whole stadium erupted. It was kind of like a movie a little bit, I ain't gonna lie,” Daniels said Wednesday.
Daniels said he’s not typically one to initiate trash talk himself, but he will respond if someone talks trash to him – ideally with his play as much as his mouth.
“I don't talk trash; I'm really, I'm an offensive lineman, I'm tired,” Daniels said with a laugh. “But if you try me, I'm not gonna just stand there and let you say something to me, you know what I'm saying? I'm gonna respond, either on the football side or both.”
In his first game as a Buckeye, Daniels’ game said plenty on Saturday as he helped lead an Ohio State offensive line that allowed zero sacks to Simmons and the Longhorns. After battling with Ethan Onianwa for the right tackle job in preseason camp, Daniels played all 59 of Ohio State’s offensive snaps against Texas and received the top grade from Pro Football Focus (61) among the Buckeyes’ linemen.
Simmons – who also posted a picture of Julian Sayin to his Instagram following Ohio State’s starting quarterback announcement, and said he was “ready to sack” Sayin when asked about that post in the week leading up to the game – was held to two tackles and one quarterback hit against the Buckeyes.
While it wasn’t the most explosive day for Ohio State’s offense, which finished the game with just 203 yards, Daniels felt the offensive line made a statement with how they shut down Simmons and the rest of Texas’ defensive line in pass protection.
“We don't care what PFF says or anything; we're one of the best offensive lines in the country, and once we get out there, we're just one unit,” Daniels said. “We're showing the world that we're the best.”
By beating the team that was ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls, Daniels felt the entire team made a statement in their season opener.
“We just set the tone,” Daniels said. “You're gonna come here and talk crazy, y’all think y'all the number one team, y'all gonna come in here and just beat on us? Nah. Home-field advantage, and we got one of the best QBs in the league, we got Jeremiah, we got the whole O-line, we got the running backs; everybody was clowning. So it just felt good.”
Daniels wasn’t surprised that he got the call to start against Texas, saying he “always knew I was a starter since the beginning.” But the Cincinnati native, who transferred to Ohio State after two years at Minnesota, said it was a “dream come true” to start his first game as a Buckeye and get the win.
“I’ve always been an Ohio State fan, and just being out there on the field, looking around, seeing all the fans and everybody supporting, when we make big plays or when we get the first down or anything, just seeing the crowd erupt, it was amazing,” Daniels said.
