There have been plenty of subtle hints from Ohio State defenders throughout the year that they have a better relationship with new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia than old defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, but Wednesday’s interview sessions at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center brought perhaps the most direct comment on that contrast yet.
Asked about his relationship with Patricia on Wednesday, sophomore linebacker Payton Pierce said he spoke more with Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator in Patricia’s first two days at OSU than he spoke with former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in his entire freshman season.
“I got to know him pretty well (in the offseason),” Pierce said of Patricia. “It was a lot different than the previous defensive coordinator. I talked to Patricia more probably his first two days here than I did with our old defensive coordinator my whole time being here.
“He’s poured into all of us, and he does every single day. I mean, he's still sitting out here talking to players. Any questions we got, he's always here to help. Not just in football, but in life. He's given us different advice and stuff like that and he's been through so much, so it's great hearing from him every single day, and I appreciate him a lot.”
While Ohio State’s defense had a lot of success under Knowles, leading the nation in both scoring and total defense last season when the Buckeyes won a national championship, it’s been even better so far under Patricia. Five games into the season, Ohio State has allowed just five points per game, the best mark in the country, on 215.8 yards per game.
Pierce said the strong relationships he and his teammates have with Patricia has played a key role in their success so far this season.
“It makes you trust that he wants what's best for you and wants what's best for everyone else,” Pierce said. “We can just go have fun and play fast and play free and love each other. A lot of people talk about the process; he said it's not even about the process, it's about the company and who you do it with, and he truly means that. And we're living that every single day.”
Pierce wasn’t the only Buckeye who praised Patricia on Wednesday. Defensive end Beau Atkinson, who never played for Knowles as he transferred from North Carolina to Ohio State this offseason, said he loves playing for Patricia.
“He's an awesome, super, super obviously smart guy. But there's just lots of little details that a lot of people probably overlook that he's able to focus on. And then obviously schematically, he's a genius and everything,” Atkinson said.
Cornerback Aaron Scott Jr., a sophomore like Pierce, hinted at the stronger relationships the Buckeyes have with Patricia than Knowles last week. After seemingly stopping himself from commenting specifically on Knowles, who’s now the defensive coordinator at Penn State, Scott said Patricia had made a huge difference in helping him become more comfortable in Ohio State’s defense this season.
“Well, last year – hold on, I don’t want to say too much – but when we got a new DC, it started clicking more,” Scott said. “I got to spend more time with him, and just getting more time with Coach Patricia, he's a real player-type guy. So whenever I needed help, I could just go in and talk to him and we had a good (rapport), so I feel like he's made it way more easier for me.”
Nine months into his Ohio State tenure, it’s clear Patricia is loved by Ohio State’s defensive players and is allowing them to play at their best. The Buckeyes’ defense has been the best in the country so far this season as a result, though Ryan Day doesn’t want them to become satisfied with their early success.
“Nobody's gonna probably really remember much about the first five games we played, but they're gonna remember the rest of them. So we gotta keep getting better every day,” Day said Wednesday when asked about Ohio State’s defense being the best in the country. “And what'll matter in the end is who's the best defense at the end of the year, not right now.”
