Skull Session: Ryan Day is a Ranked Warrior, Arvell Reese is a Freak of Nature and Jermaine Mathews Jr. Says Ohio State Runs Through the SEC

By Chase Brown on September 1, 2025 at 5:00 am
Ryan Day
Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Horns down.

Have a good Labor Day.

 RYAN DAY, RANKED WARRIOR. Remember when Ryan Day couldn’t win the big one?

Day has now led the Buckeyes to seven consecutive victories against top 10 opponents. Before Ohio State’s win on Saturday, it had beaten No. 3 Penn State (in State College) and No. 5 Indiana last November, then No. 7 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon, No. 4 Texas and No. 3 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. The current hot streak has improved Day’s record to 17-8 against AP top-10 teams as Ohio State’s head coach.

Is that good?

I’ll answer this one: Yes.

Day’s critics were loud after the Oregon game last season, claiming he couldn’t win when it mattered most. Then, Day knocked off two top-five teams, went on the greatest run in college football history and — despite losing 14 NFL draft picks and three more players signed to undrafted free agent contracts — beat top-ranked Texas in the 2025 season opener.

That’s as good as it gets, folks.

 ARVELL REESE IS EVERYWHERE. Ohio State’s coaches and players tried to tell us about Arvell Reese. They really did.

“Arvell is so talented. Like, so talented,” James Laurinaitis said in March. “I think what we’re doing is realizing everything Arvell Reese can do, and it’s a lot. He’s a special talent.”

“Arvell is probably one of the most athletic guys I have ever seen in my entire life,” Ian Moore said in April. “Him bending that edge — it’s not scary, but it’s kind of scary.”

“He can be one of the top defensive players in the country,” Sonny Styles said in August.

In Ohio State’s win over Texas — phew — Reese looked like a special talent, he looked scary, and he looked like one of the top defensive players in the country. Here’s how I imagine NFL scouts reacted while watching him collect nine tackles and one sack (Ohio State’s only sack of the game) against the Longhorns.

Part of Matt Patricia’s Masterclass was how he utilized Reese across 64 snaps, which ranked sixth among Ohio State defenders behind Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Mathews Jr., Caleb Downs and Jaylen McClain (67 each) and Lorenzo Styles Jr. (65).

Reese started at middle linebacker but played interior defensive line in Ohio State’s Rushmen package, blitzed up the middle, dropped back in coverage and shadowed Arch Manning as a quarterback spy. As The Athletic’s Dane Brugler put it, Reese was everywhere on Saturday.

Talk about a freak of nature.

My goodness.

 JERMAINE, JERMAINE, REMEMBER THE NAME. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt hosted a live show Friday at Ohio State’s Browning Amphitheater, located beside Mirror Lake, and had Lathan Ransom appear as a guest. The national champion defensive back told Klatt that he attended one of the Buckeyes’ practices this past spring, watched Jermaine Mathews Jr., and told Tim Walton, “This might be one of the best corners I’ve seen since I’ve been here, and I was here forever.”

Ransom’s praise made a certain Eleven Warriors writer — *clears throat* me *clears throat* — confident that Mathews would deliver a big moment for the Silver Bullets on Saturday.

He did.

In addition to his interception, Mathews deflected another pass that Sonny Styles nearly intercepted. He also had three tackles, all solo stops. Mathews, one of the most competitive players on the team, said after the game that all the praise Manning and Texas received this past summer motivated him to have that kind of performance.

“That was all the motivation I needed,” Mathews said after the game. “All the hype they gave (Manning) throughout this offseason, that’s all the motivation I needed to get prepared for this game. We’ve been preparing for this game for a long time. I think we went out there and did what we were supposed to do.”

I think Texas being an SEC team also played a role in it, too.

Gosh, I love him.

Jermaine, Jermaine, remember the name!

 WE SEE YOU, SLIM MAC. We all know how well Reese and Mathews played against Texas, but do we all know how well Kayden McDonald played? I’m not so sure. Allow me to make the case that McDonald had Ohio State’s most underrated performance in the season opener.

Last season, McDonald was Ohio State’s No. 3 defensive tackle behind future first-round pick Tyleik Williams and future fifth-round pick Ty Hamilton, and he collected 19 tackles across 16 appearances.

On Saturday, McDonald had nine tackles.

As a nose tackle!

Against the No. 1 team in the nation!

McDonald’s performance was special. It becomes even more special when you remember Ohio State’s depth concerns at defensive tackle, especially with Jason Moore out for the game with a lower-leg injury.

Like with Reese, however, Ohio State’s coaches and players tried to tell us about McDonald — heck, McDonald tried to tell us about McDonald!

“It started in the offseason, fixing my diet, getting my weight down, having Coach Mick (Marotti) on me every day,” McDonald said in August of his offseason transformation as he prepared for a starting role. “I just kept working.”

His work paid off in the season opener. He hopes it will next week, too.

“We worked really hard in the offseason. It showed today,” McDonald said after the game. “We just got to keep building off of it and just keep going.”

 BEFORE I GO… Last month, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said Texas would beat Ohio State and that it wouldn’t be close. He also said Manning would be “the best player we have seen in every aspect since Tim Tebow.”

On Monday, he will eat crow.

Call in and give Pawwwwwwl some guff, Buckeye Nation.

 DAILY DUBCAST. The first Eleven Dubcast of the Ohio State football season recaps the Buckeyes' solid 14-7 win at home over Texas and offers insight on which areas stood out relative to preseason expectations.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Carmen Ohio” - TBDBITL.

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