Ohio State safety Caleb Downs covered a lot of ground in the latest episode of Downs 2 Business, from bye week routines to big-picture thoughts on the Buckeyes’ defense.
With the No. 1 Buckeyes off last weekend, Downs described the week as a throwback to fall camp: multiple practices with an emphasis on fundamentals, plus time to get bodies right before heading west to face Washington [59:29].
"We're kind of doing fall camp practices," the All-American safety said. "We're going back to Week 1. Just trying to get better – pushing ourselves to get better than we were in Week 3. We had three days of practice and two days off."
The biggest challenge? Not just the Huskies’ explosive offense, but also a five-hour flight. Downs noted the Buckeyes are traveling Thursday instead of Friday to offset the dreaded “plane legs.”
The safety also shed light on how the defense communicates on game days. Although he did wear a helmet with coach-to-player comms last season, Downs confirmed he's not using the device this season, despite his reputation as a coach on the field. Instead, Ohio State’s linebackers get the play calls, which Downs then relays across the secondary. He stressed how much of OSU’s defense is “formational,” with coverages changing on the fly depending on offensive looks and how that's advantageous [1:02:20].
One person Downs is learning a lot from: new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The first year defensive coordinator, Downs said, is off-the-charts smart [1:03:49].
“He's one of the smartest people I've met on and off the field.”– Caleb Downs on Matt Patricia
"I think he's great. He's one of the smartest people I've met on and off the field," Downs said of Patricia. "He talks about Greek philosophers before practice. He talks about the Bible before practice. He talks about so many different things in terms of just mindset and mentally being clear and on the field he's one of the sharpest people I've met. He's been great for me and great for our team."
As always, the show closed with the Eleven Warriors Fan Question of the Week. colo_buckeye asked how Caleb and Josh ended up at their current positions. Downs revealed he only moved to safety as a freshman in high school after playing running back and linebacker, a switch encouraged by his father to preserve his body and create more opportunities. He stuck with it and has thrived since. Josh Downs, meanwhile, said he followed his love for Odell Beckham Jr. and receivers from LSU, with his father steering him toward wideout by eighth grade [1:05:22].
Downs and the top-ranked Buckeyes return to action Saturday at Washington, Ohio State's first road trip of the season. Keep an eye out in the Eleven Warriors forum for your chance to ask Caleb and Josh a question.
