Doubters can provide motivation.
Ohio State's defense had doubters after eight of its starters from last season were selected in the 2025 NFL draft. But all it did was make the Silver Bullets hungry to prove everyone wrong, as Caleb Downs expressed in an interview on Monday, predating the Buckeyes' clash with Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game.
Luke Montgomery spoke on how special it was for the offensive line to dominate Michigan in the fashion it did, especially for him personally as a native of Ohio. Caden Curry was Ohio State's third player representative on the Big Ten Championship Game players‘ teleconference and touched on the matchup with Indiana's offense and what it's like to play for a conference title near his hometown in Indiana.
Before Ohio State's players took to the Zoom call, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, center Pat Coogan and linebacker Aiden Fisher met with the media. Mendoza, a Heisman Trophy candidate, equated the matchup between him and Downs to the one between Tom Brady and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed, while Fisher wants to "right some wrongs" after Indiana was blown out by the Buckeyes last season.
Ohio State LG Luke Montgomery
- Montgomery opened his interview by expressing his excitement to play in the Big Ten Championship. "It's something I dreamed about playing in as a young kid."
- On what feels different about the offense now as opposed to start the year: "I feel like it goes back to doing the routine plays routinely."
- The Michigan game truly took the Ohio State OL to a new level. "I think we learned a lot about ourselves from that game and what we're capable of. ... I think we took a big step."
- On the importance of the Big Ten title: "Every game's important. At this point, we've gotta win them all. ... It's gonna be a lot of fun on Saturday."
- On the difference between last year's Ohio State team and this year's Ohio State team: "New coaches, new players, new positions, and then new personalities. ... I think our team was already closer in spring ball as we were last year."
- Montgomery had an especially special experience as a native Ohioan dominating Michigan in the fashion the OL did. "Growing up as an Ohio kid ... it was a dream that came to reality. It was so cool and just an amazing experience that I'll cherish the rest of my life."
- Montgomery made sure Carson Hinzman held up his end of the bargain on their bet about bleaching his hair. He holds his teammate in high esteem. "I held him to it and made him schedule an appointment the week before the Rutgers game ... I think it's awesome. ... I'm a big believer in, when you have adversity in your life, you learn a lot from that. And Carson's done that. ... Just to have him as one of my best friends on the team, and obviously playing next to him, I learn a lot from him."
- The Game prepared Ohio State for any hostility that there will be from Indiana fans in Indianapolis. "It was a pretty toxic environment, so that's gonna help us going into this week."
- On Bo Jackson: "We got a special group of running backs. ... Bo's one of the most talented running backs I've ever seen at that age. ... It's been a lot of fun watching him, Zay (West), James (Peoples) and CJ (Donaldson) run the ball."
Ohio State DE Caden Curry
- On playing near his home in Indiana for a Big Ten championship: "I'm definitely going to need a lot of tickets, first off. ... I got the honor to play three state championships there. ... Gonna be exciting, exhilarating to play there."
- Curry credits the defense's no-name, playing as one, hard-nosed mentality for its success. "I feel like we just go out there and we have fun and we play together."
- On playing in the Big Ten title game after not being there his first three seasons: "It's something we wanted to accomplish all year. ... We've just gotta go and finish it now."
- Curry's family grew up as Indiana basketball fans, but converted to the Buckeyes when he went there. "Growing up, everybody was an Indiana basketball fan ... you didn't really have a lot of Indiana football fans. ... They're all Ohio State fans now."
- Curry said that Indiana has a lot of great pieces on its offensive line and the Buckeyes are ready for a battle up front.
- There was a time when Curry thought he'd be an Indiana Hoosier. "I just couldn't go wrong with Larry Johnson and Ryan Day."
- On Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: "KJ, he plays so hard, and he's just such a good playmaker out there on the field. ... He's getting a chance to show himself."
- Curry said he knew early on that Matt Patricia would be a great coordinator of Ohio State's defense. "I knew he was gonna be a great addition to our team, I knew he was gonna bring the right mindset. ... We knew that we definitely had the players ... he's just been such a great dude and definitely no one else I'd rather play for."
Ohio State S Caleb Downs
- On the biggest difference between last year's Ohio State defense and this year's: "I think a little bit of a different mindset because everyone doubted us at the beginning of the season. ... I think that's been a positive for us, just coming in, knowing that we have to prove ourselves."
- On the similarities between Ryan Day and Nick Saban: "I think the biggest similarity right now is ... the ability to say, every week, we're going to have the same level of urgency. ... Every week, we've gotta go out and get it. I think Coach Saban did that at an elite level. ... I would say that's the type of thing that Coach Day and Coach Saban would have in common right now."
- "I feel like everybody always knew that goal and it was something that was always there in the back of our minds."
- The biggest things that stand out to Caleb Downs about Indiana's offense are how well-coached they are and their quarterback play. "He can see the field well, which puts them in the right position. Their running backs are running hard and their receivers are making plays."
- While there's a confidence Ohio State has from beating Indiana last year, Downs knows there's no carryover. "We got a new team, new players and we gotta go prove it every game."
- On Matt Patricia embracing players postgame: "It's really just who he is. He cares about people and cares about people he's around."
- On how Ohio State's used Arvell Reese all over the field: "It's shown a lot of versatility for him. ... He's put that on film and everybody knows that he's played at the highest level this year."
- On Kayden McDonald: "He's a playmaker. That's a difference between a lot D-linemen. ... He can eat up blocks, he can do all that stuff, but he can make the plays when he has to."
- Downs laughed when hearing that Mendoza compared their matchup to Tom Brady going against Ed Reed, but said that he's looking forward to diving into film study and seeing what he can do on the field vs. Mendoza. He complimented how the quarterback uses his eyes and the plays he can make.
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza
- Mendoza said Indiana's confidence has grown as it's assembled more late-game wins and beaten more top teams. "There are a lot of teams that made our team successful in that way. ... It's the unwavering belief and confidence in each other. ... By the time we're in the Penn State huddle, we're saying, 'This is what we do.'"
- On Ohio State's defense: "A fantastically-led defense by Coach Patricia and Caleb Downs. ... Stick to the process and stick to what's gotten us to this point."
- More on the Silver Bullets and how difficult the changing pictures of Ohio State's secondary are to deal with: "They're all tied into a string where they're disguising presnap and changing postsnap. ... It's gonna be a tough challenge ... a lot of quarterbacks have struggled throughout the season with them, and there's a reason for that."
- Mendoza compared himself going against Downs to Tom Brady going against Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed in the NFL. "He's one of the best defensive players in the country for a reason."
- On Julian Sayin: "He is so effective and he fits that offense perfectly. ... It's going to be a great matchup and a great honor to play against him and hopefully meet him after the game."
Indiana C Pat Coogan
- On establishing the run against Ohio State's elite defensive front: "It is absolutely crucial. ... It starts in practice."
- On the difference from last year's Buckeye defense to this year's: "They play a little bit more of that bear-spacing type, with the Will linebacker (Arvell Reese) on the ball. ... (Matt Patricia) lets his playmakers make plays and he gives his players the ability to go out there and play confident and fly around. It's going to be a huge challenge for us."
- Zen Michalski is a former Ohio State player on Indiana's offensive line. "He's been huge for us. He's put in the work to be able to play multiple positions. ... He's done it for the betterment of the team. ... I'm sure there's some things, maybe tips or things he remembers. He, obviously, has familiarity with those guys. ... But at the end of the day, we've gotta go out there and perform between those white lines."
- Coogan is a former high school teammate of Carnell Tate's, through their freshman year. "We were pretty tight. ... I asked him his dream school, and he said, 'Oh, I want to go to Ohio State.' So it's been really cool to see his journey. ... Great talent, and I wish he would have stayed at our high school."
- On last year's experience playing the Buckeyes and how it helps against Ohio State this year: "There's a few things here and there, but it's different because it's a different defense and a new team. ... Incredibly intense and incredibly physical, you gotta be on all your P's and Q's."
Indiana LB Aiden Fisher
- Fisher wants to "right some wrongs" after Indiana's 38-15 loss to Ohio State last year. "I want to go out and prove I'm the best linebacker in the country. And I think the way this team operates, that's everybody on this team. ... To be the best you gotta beat the best. This matchup is one we've been looking forward to for a really long time."
- The scheme, talent and execution of Ohio State's offense are all tremendous, Fisher said. "They have phenomenal players at every level. ... Their pass game really opens up their run game. They're just solid everywhere."
- On the Ohio State run game and its growth late in the season: "They've done a great job getting the run game going. Their O-line is playing hard. ... We have a big challenge for us as a defense, but as a linebacker corps especialy. ... Then you have talented running backs that can hurt you in a lot of ways. ... They've been elite the last couple weeks."
- On Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds matching up with Jeremiah Smith: "The confidence that we have in him in general is through the roof. ... Anything that lines up in front of him, he does a great job keeping it in front of him. ... He did a great job (last year), so more of that."
