Ohio State’s 70–0 demolition of Grambling may have felt like a foregone conclusion before kickoff, but for safety Caleb Downs it offered a chance to notch his first interception of the season and brag up Ohio State's roster depth.
Speaking on this week’s episode of Downs 2 Business, the podcast he co-hosts with his brother and Indianapolis Colts wideout Josh Downs, Caleb described the play as a mix of instinct and preparation.
“I was just faking a rush, the quarterback didn’t really see me, and I bopped into the window and caught me one,” he said. “That ball was coming in hot, so I was just focused on catching it.” Downs joked he wished he’d stayed on his feet for a return but emphasized that the takeaway mattered most.
Beyond his own highlight, Downs said games like Grambling are about testing whether Ohio State can sustain intensity regardless of the opponent as it's easy to come out slow in games teams are heavily favored to win.
Caleb had nothing but love for quarterback Julian Sayin, noting a flawless start (15-for-15 passing with four touchdowns) that gave the offense confidence. The Downs brothers also had som fun with a lighthearted roast of the quarterback that Sayin later shared:
Julian Sayin plays football like he is listening to Maroon 5 in his AirPods
— Hamp (@Ron_Hamp) August 30, 2025
“He’s kind of buying into it now,” Caleb said, adding that the lighthearted jab has become a running joke inside the program.
Downs praised the effort to feed freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith early after a quiet opener. Smith responded with an 87-yard touchdown, the longest scoring play in Ohio Stadium history.
“You got to feed the dog,” Downs said. “He told everybody after the first game, give me a chance and I’ll make the play, and he lived up to it.”
The brothers dug into Carnell Tate's new touchdown celly, and looked ahead to the game with Ohio University. The Bobcats nearly knocked off Rutgers in Week One and upset old friend Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia the last weekend.
Later on in the episode, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones joined the show and asked Caleb which team had a better game day environment, Ohio State or Alabama.
"That's a tough one," Caleb said. "I feel like the fanbases are so similar with the expectations. If you don't play good for a quarter, they got that winning type of… they don't believe in the game being close. But I'll say O-H!"
This episode also featured the debut of the Eleven Warriors Fan Question of the Week in which NewPhilaFan asked how important to the development of a defensive back is the quality of wide receivers they face in practice. Tune into the forum Sunday morning for your chance to ask Caleb and Josh a question on next week's pod.
