Austin Siereveld has been a stonewall of a first-year starter at left tackle.
Forget not allowing a sack, Pro Football Focus says he hasn't allowed a pressure through four games this season. One of six players who met with Ohio State media on Wednesday, he laid out his simple mentality in pass protection: "The quarterback can't get touched."
Fellow starting offensive lineman Luke Montgomery talked about putting defenders "in the dirt" about a half-dozen times as he discussed how he flips a switch when he gets on the field, while defensive tackle Tywone Malone Jr. broke down how he broke through as the Buckeyes' starting three-technique.
Cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. says he wants to "turn the Shoe up" whenever he gets a chance, whether on defense or special teams, as kicker Jayden Fielding and safety Jaylen McClain also spoke with reporters ahead of Ohio State's matchup with Minnesota this weekend.
LT Austin Siereveld
“you always got to protect the quarterback and if you give up a sack, you have a horrible game. So I live by that, the quarterback can't get touched, he can't get hurt, he can't get under pressure.”– Austin Siereveld on not allowing any pressures through his first four starts at left tackle
- On Minnesota's defensive line: "Up front they're really good. Both their D-ends are really good, both their D-tackles are really good. They play hard, they play physical, it's going to be a good challenge for us up front to see where we're at."
- Starting right tackle and Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels has shared some tips on what to expect against Minnesota, Siereveld said. "He pretty much shared what he knew when he was over there."
- On his progress at left tackle through four weeks: "I'm more confident in myself. And just knowing that I can do what I train for. Coach is gonna keep pushing me every day. We got to keep pushing ourselves."
LG Luke Montgomery
“There’s a switch that turns when I get on the field. I have a lot of fun playing the game. Football is a kid’s sport, it’s a child’s sport at heart. As an older kid, getting to play this, it’s part of my job with school and stuff like that, but it’s been great and it’s a lot of fun.”– Luke Montgomery on his mentality when stepping on a football field
- On his pancake block against Washington: “Play through the whistle. I didn’t hear a whistle. I usually don’t hear a whistle, so it’s good that they didn’t call a flag. But we do that a lot. We’re ‘4 to 6, A to B, Plus 2’ here. We got to find that edge. We got to continue to drive people and put people in the dirt. That’s like a touchdown as an offensive lineman. You feel good when you do that, when you got your guy on the ground like that.”
- Montgomery said Ohio State’s offensive line “has been great” and that the group is “super close.” He added: “It makes your job easier when you’re playing around guys like Carson (Hinzman) and Tegra (Tshabola) and Austin (Siereveld) and Phillip (Daniels) and guys like that.”
- Montgomery said he gained confidence from his performances during Ohio State’s national championship run last season. “Game to game, growing confidence. … You’re not gonna play in anything bigger than a national championship game until years down the road, hopefully in the Super Bowl. There’s nothing bigger than that.”
S Jaylen McClain
“This defense is very versatile. We’re able to do many things that messes with quarterbacks and different offenses. And Coach Patricia has just allowed us to have fun and just play ball.”– Jaylen McClain on what he likes best about Ohio State’s defense
- On Aaron Scott Jr.: “He has a different look in his eye. He’s been balling out. He’s been buying into special teams, and he’s been productive on it.” He says Scott flying down the field in kickoff coverage “sets the tone for the defense.”
- McClain said he feels “a lot more comfortable” now that he has a month as a starter under his belt than he did going into the season. “I’ve played home and away, and I’ve went against different styles of quarterbacks and different teams, so I feel like I’m comfortable now.”
- Asked which defender has stood out to him the most with his growth over the first four games, McClain went with Caden Curry. “Obviously, he had a great game last week vs. Washington. He puts in that work every day on the practice field. I’m not surprised that he did anything like that on the field.”
DT Tywone Malone Jr.
“just understanding the game better. watching everybody before me play and seeing what they did, how they prepared for games. And just knowing that I gotta do what I gotta do to help my teammates.”– Tywone Malone Jr. on how he changed his mentality to become a starter at defensive tackle
- Ryan Day said Tywone Malone Jr. graded out better against Washington than he has in any game prior. "It goes back to my preparation. Before the fall camp, we was talking, me and Coach (Larry Johnson) was talking about what I need to improve on to help the team out in a better way. And the most important thing was film study. Understanding what the opponents like to do, what they like to run. If they're in certain formations, what they like to do out of those formations. Just get a better feel of the game for myself."
- Malone said he and the rest of the defensive line were motivated by the doubters who expected the unit to fall off after it lost all four starters from 2024. "Everybody didn't really have high hopes for us coming out in this season. And the biggest thing was we all came in the game and just realizing, like, we got a standard for the D-line. And we got to uphold that."
- Not letting one mistake bring him down has been key to Malone taking the steps he has, he said. "Not just letting one bad play take over. Just live on for the next one. Just keep going hard and keep focusing. Just keep getting off the ball, and great things will happen."
CB Aaron Scott Jr.
“Put the crowd on their feet and turn the Shoe up every chance I can.”– Aaron Scott Jr. on what he wants to do every time he gets on the field
- Scott, who made two tackles inside the 20-yard line in kickoff coverage last week, says Ryan Day places a big emphasis on special teams. “He feels like every play matters and I took that to the game. It was like, ’If I get a chance to make a play, I’m gonna make it.’”
- Scott, who has been the first player to the 30-yard line on 13 straight kickoffs according to Ryan Day, said his goal is to be the first player down the field in kickoff coverage every time. “I’m trying to make every tackle.”
- Scott believes he is “way better” now than he was a year ago. He said he wasn’t able to play full speed last year because he was still learning the playbook. He said he spent a lot of time with Matt Patricia this offseason to learn the playbook better.
K Jayden Fielding
“I like being the villain. It’s a fun mentality to have. But I wouldn’t say it’s easy to kick in the Shoe. There’s a bunch of wind factors and stuff like that, and it’s one of the tougher stadiums to kick in, I would say, in the Big Ten.”– Jayden Fielding on whether kicking on the road helps him
- Fielding said Ryan Day has added “consequences” for his kicks in practice this season, including the entire team running sprints if he misses a kick. Fielding has appreciated Day adding that layer this season. “If there are consequences on it, you know, there’s heightened stakes, stuff like that. It really adds emphasis on it, I guess you could say, makes it more game-like, so it’s nice to have that opportunity in practice, so it’s not the first time it comes up when it happens in a game.”
- Fielding said Ohio State practiced a 63-yard field goal at Wednesday’s practice. Fielding said he “had the leg” but missed wide left.
- Fielding said his parents are at every Ohio State game. He said his mom told him she “almost threw up watching” as Fielding took the field for the first time as Ohio State’s starting kicker. When someone asked if she’s gotten over that, Fielding said, “A little bit. Still a little nervous.”
