Ohio State Midseason Superlatives: Team MVP, Space-Devourers, Gamewreckers and Brick Walls

By Andy Anders on October 15, 2025 at 1:28 pm
Arvell Reese
5 Comments

Halfway through the 2025 regular season and a lot has already been learned about this year’s Buckeye team.

Ohio State has rolled to a 6-0 start to its season, relying on a defense that is No. 1 nationally in scoring and an offense with fantastic playmakers. The Buckeyes opened their season with a bang by knocking off then-No. 1 Texas 14-7 and have held the top spot in the AP Poll ever since. They passed their first road test against a quality Washington team 24-6, and most recently notched another road win against a ranked team in then-No. 17 Illinois 34-16.

With so much success in the first half of the regular season as Ohio State continues its quest to repeat as national champions, we here at Eleven Warriors are handing out some midseason superlatives to some very deserving Buckeyes. Many of them are for men who have exceeded preseason expectations.

Team MVP: Arvell Reese

Listen, value is all in how you define it.

There’s no denying here that Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs are the best offensive and defensive player in college football. But Reese is the chess piece that’s turned the Ohio State defense from elite to potentially generational with how he’s impacted the line of scrimmage, driven fear into the hearts of opposing backfields and eliminated the threat of mobile quarterbacks.

Before diving into Reese’s exceptional statistics, let’s take a look at those of Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. Williams is one of the most lethal dual-threat QBs in college football. He rushed for 136 yards against Rutgers last weekend and has rushed for at least 54 yards in every game the Huskies have played except one – the one where Reese stared him down.

Williams rushed for -28 yards against Ohio State. Minus-28. Even removing the six sacks the Buckeyes piled up that day, Williams had 18 yards on seven carries, just 2.6 per carry. That’s thanks to the efforts of Reese and, to a lesser extent (he’s been used more in coverage) fellow linebacker Sonny Styles, who spied Williams throughout the contest. It allows defensive linemen to pin their ears back more.

Arvell Reese hunts down Demond Williams Jr.

Playing spy is just one role of Reese’s that has elevated the Buckeye defense. He’s lined up at three spots often: Traditional off-ball linebacker, in the B-gap and on the edge as a rusher. There’s hardly ever an indication of whether he’s rushing, dropping or spying on pass plays and that type of disguise from a pass rusher of Reese’s caliber creates countless problems for an offensive line and quarterback in setting protections. 

Reese leads Ohio State in tackles (38) and is second in sacks (4.5). Per Pro Football Focus, he has 16 total quarterback pressures on just 58 pass rush snaps, by far the highest rate on the Buckeyes. He has a monstrous blend of speed, power and football savvy that’s made him one of the nation’s most exciting defenders to watch. How often do you see linebackers forklifting 320-pound offensive tackles?

Ultimate Decoy (and Offensive MVP): Jeremiah Smith

“Oh look, there’s Jeremiah Smith coming in motion! Better send five defenders after him!”

This gravity that Smith commands is enough to name him offensive MVP on its own. But as much as there have been calls for Ohio State to lean on its passing game more and create more opportunities for him, he’s actually averaging more receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns per game than he did in 2024. Through six games, he’s up to 40 receptions for 505 yards and seven touchdowns despite drawing constant double-teams and coverage rolls and even triple-, quadruple or quintuple-teams from opposing secondaries.

At the same time, it’s hard to blame those defenses. It’s once or twice per decade that a receiver arrives on the college football scene as physically gifted and technically polished as Smith. Dedicate that much attention to him at your own peril, though, because other incredible threats wait in the wings for the Buckeyes.

Toe-Tapping Future First-Rounder: Carnell Tate

The primary said threat waiting in the wings is Tate, who’s racked up 28 receptions for 476 yards and four touchdowns opposite Smith, on pace for a 1,000-yard receiving season now that the Buckeyes are bowl-eligible and therefore guaranteed to play 13 games. Of course, the goal is to play at least 16 games.

Tate has made the delicate and difficult art of tapping toes on the sideline to stay in-bounds for a catch look far, far too easy this season. It’s unreal to watch.

Not to erase the fact that Tate had the play of the game for Ohio State in its 14-7 season-opening win over then-No. 1 Texas. He’s a threat at every level of the route tree and the ultimate punishment for teams that focus too much on Smith.

Defensive Engine: Caleb Downs

Downs has stayed as dominant and versatile as ever for Ohio State in 2025. Patricia’s used him all over the field. Per PFF, Downs has played 120 snaps at deep safety, 109 snaps in the box and 59 snaps in the slot. He’s picked up 28 tackles, two TFLs and an interception while giving the same heat-seeking missile appearance in the run and screen games.

Targeted 21 times in pass coverage, Downs has allowed a mere 73 receiving yards on 14 receptions, per PFF. That’s 3.5 yards per target. The worst passing offense in college football this season, Northern Illinois, averages 4.2 yards per pass attempt. Don’t throw at Downs, don’t run at Downs.

Reese has elevated Ohio State’s entire defensive front, but Downs in turn continues to elevate what has been the best secondary in college football for the past two seasons. He drives the whole of the defense.

Space-Devourer: Kayden McDonald

Calling McDonald a “space-eater” at the nose guard position felt too understated. He devours space. He turns the middle of the line of scrimmage into a black hole from which there is no escape for running backs and even sometimes quarterbacks.

“You love to be strong in the middle of the defense, and he is strong in the middle of the defense,” defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said in September. “He’s right there, right in front of the center, right in front of the quarterback, and I think offensively, you’re trying to figure out, ‘OK, how do we get around this?’ That’s a key piece for us. He’s done a great job, I think, of really improving and showing just how big he can play inside.”

Nose guards just aren’t supposed to produce the king of numbers that McDonald has so far. He has 26 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks, second and third on the team in the latter two categories. He’s collected as many as eight tackles in a game and has become an honest-to-goodness playmaker on defense despite often drawing double-teams. Perhaps his best play yet came in the second quarter of the Illinois game, when he ripped the ball from the grasp of Illinois running back Ca’Lil Valentine.

“The running back’s there, little guy, I’m a big guy. I can easily take it away,” McDonald said. “Once I got the opportunity, I just took it.”

Mr. Pinpoint: Julian Sayin

The Buckeyes’ five-star signal-caller has delivered on every ounce of promise in his recruiting ranking thus far. Sayin’s been the decision-maker and distributor that national championship-caliber quarterbacks need to be, all as a redshirt freshman, all from his first start against Texas.

Sayin’s accuracy is his most impressive and palpable trait. He leads the entire nation with a completion rate of 78.4% this season. The gap from Sayin to second place on that leaderboard, the above-mentioned Williams at 74.1%, is the same as the gap from second to 19th place, which is Duke’s Darian Mensah at 69.8%. An overwhelming dominance of the nation’s 136 starting quarterbacks in a defining statistic.

On those completions, Sayin has 1,479 yards and 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions this year. He’s No. 8 nationally and second in the Big Ten with 9.7 yards per pass attempt.

Defensive Quarterback: Sonny Styles

The green dot wearer. The “Block O” jersey recipient. The second half of the nation’s best linebacker tandem. 

There’s a lot to be said of Styles quietly leading the defense and building on the foundations he laid in his first year at linebacker in 2024, when he was widely viewed as the defense’s most improved player. He’s second on the team in tackles with 37, adding 1.5 TFLs and a forced fumble.

Styles’ experience at safety as a freshman and sophomore has led to plenty of use in underneath coverage this season from Patricia. He’s played 156 pass coverage snaps to Reese’s 117, per PFF. He’s allowed just 6.6 yards per target.

Put ’Em in the Dirt Award: Luke Montgomery

Montgomery, the Buckeyes’ mauler at left guard, has been an absolute menace to defenders in 2025. He’s stacked pancakes and cleared running lanes for the Buckeyes’ backs, even if the team’s run game as a whole isn’t where it wants it to be. He’s been excellent in pass protection, too, just four total pressures and no sacks in 169 pass-blocking snaps per PFF.

“I just want to put people in the dirt and have fun,” Montgomery said before the season. “I'm looking to take out ribs and I'm looking just to put people in the dirt every single play.”

Gamewrecker: Caden Curry

The senior defensive end has taken his opportunity now that he’s finally a starter and made play after play with his relentless motor and versatile athletic gifts. Curry’s played defensive tackle on passing downs for the Buckeyes. He’s racked up a team-high six sacks to go with 31 tackles and 9.5 TFLs. 

Curry turned in the best individual performance of the first half of Ohio State’s season, offense or defense, at Washington in Week 5 when he tied the Buckeyes’ single-game record for TFLs with five, recording 11 tackles and three sacks. OSU smothered the Huskies’ prolific offense in a 24-6 win.

Brick Wall: Austin Siereveld

Many doubted, the writer of this story included, how well Siereveld would transition from offensive guard to offensive tackle when his position change along the offensive line was announced. After being named an Iron Buckeye twice and a team captain this offseason, as well as locking down the starting left tackle job over Rice transfer and favorite Ethan Onianwa (who now is a backup guard), Siereveld’s stock started climbing.

Just how well he’s taken to the tackle position is something few expected. Siereveld abides by a simple creed, and he’s upheld it all season long: Nobody touches the quarterback.

“If you give up a sack, you have a horrible game,” Siereveld said on Oct. 1. “So I live by that, the quarterback can't get touched, he can't get hurt, he can't get under pressure.” 

Despite a matchup with one of the nation’s most feared edge rushers, Texas’ Colin Simmons, in Week 1, it took three weeks for Siereveld to so much as allow a pressure in pass protection, per PFF. He still hasn’t allowed a sack while protecting Sayin’s blindside, surrendering four pressures in total. Ohio State is No. 2 in the country as a team in sacks allowed, with just two on the season.

Lockdown Twins: Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr.

Completing passes against Ohio State’s outside cornerback tandem has been a near-impossible task for quarterbacks this season. Igbinosun has five pass breakups this season while fixing the penalty issues that have hurt him in the past, and Mathews has three PBUs with an interception, plus one of the PBUs resulted in another interception last week against Illinois after linebacker Payton Pierce caught the ricochet.

On 42 combined targets this season, Igbinosun and Mathews have allowed a combined 24 receptions for 242 yards per PFF. That’s 5.8 yards per target. And don’t forget the versatility Mathews showed out of the nickel vs. the Illini.

Most Improved: Tywone Malone Jr.

Malone’s career seemed destined for a rotational player at best when he entered his redshirt senior season projected as a backup to sophomore Eddrick Houston at three-technique defensive tackle. Within three games, he claimed the starting spot over Houston. He’s improved week after week from there, having his best game yet against Illinois with a four-tackle outing, including this wonderful effort play to prevent a touchdown on a shovel pass.

The Jack Tatum Trophy: Jaylen McClain

Lathan Ransom is gone, but the Buckeyes already have the next in their historic line of hard-hitting strong safeties. The sophomore McClain has 24 tackles and a PBU in his first year as a starter.

Breakout Freshman, sponsored by Tecmo Bowl: Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson Tecmo Bowl

Jackson is now the feature back in Ohio State’s offense, easily the biggest impact a freshman has made for this year’s team. He gives the Buckeyes a different gear out of the backfield, with incredible burst and some of the best vision in their running back room. He laid claim to the job with back-to-back 100-yard performances against Grambling State and Ohio, and has been by far the most productive rusher for OSU with 58 carries for 407 yards (seven yards per carry) and two touchdowns.

5 Comments

Countless Meme Edits of Michigan Coach Sherrone Moore Flood Internet After He Wears “Blue Collar Jacket”

Sherrone Moore

Stock Up/Down: Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Kayden McDonald Generate Big Defensive Plays for Buckeyes, Michigan and Penn State Crash Out in Week 7

Jermaine Mathews Jr.
View 5 Comments