Welcome to the Skull Session.
It's always about the Buckeyes.
IT'S ABOUT USpic.twitter.com/fOwVVeUO3s
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 6, 2025
Have a good Friday.
“FUN IS KICKING ASS.” Ryan Day appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday. As McAfee hammered dahn his point that Ohio State is the best team in college football, he asked Day if he’s had fun coaching the Buckeyes this season after winning a national championship the year prior.
“Fun is winning,” Day answered.
“OK, OK, OK,” McAfee responded.
Day had more to share.
“Fun is kicking ass. I can tell you that. Losing is no fun,” he said.
"Fun is winning and losing is no fun..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 6, 2025
Coming into this building every day is a lot of fun..
Our staff and plays really like being around each other" ~ @ryandaytime #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7UwXYPZMEf
For what it’s worth, Day said that he has, in fact, had fun coaching the Buckeyes this season.
“Being around these players and these coaches is fun. Coming into the building every day is fun,” Day said. “I think for this age group, it’s important when you walk in this building every day, if you’re gonna play all the way to January, these guys better like coming into the building because if they don’t, it’s not going to go very well…”
See: Penn State.
“... We have to figure out ways to drive them, push them, make them uncomfortable — but they have to like being around each other. It’s like that with the staff and with the players.”
THE ROSS-ADE BLUES? Purdue has beaten a ranked Ohio State team eight times, with four of those coming when the Buckeyes ranked in the top five. That includes the infamous 49-20 blowout in 2018 and the 31-27 defeat in 2000, which propelled Drew Brees and the Boilermakers to a Big Ten title.
Speaking of which, Purdue will welcome back Donald Winston, a wide receiver on the Boilermakers’ 2000 team, to Ross-Ade Stadium to be the team’s honorary captain on Saturday. Bad vibes!
A 2000 B1G Champion is set to lead the way on Saturday
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) November 6, 2025
We're excited to welcome back Donald Winston as our Honorary Captain vs. Ohio State pic.twitter.com/M4ndRRLdBi
On Tuesday, Ryan Day shared his respect for Barry Odom and the Purdue football program. Odom said the respect is mutual — but made it clear that his team isn’t interested in moral victories or Ohio State’s résumé.
Barry Odom Press Conference vs. Ohio State | Purdue Football https://t.co/nWUR10wW6J
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) November 3, 2025
“Well, I think, you know, I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Day. I think they have great players. They’ve got a great scheme,” Odom said. “But the more time you would spend on they’re 8-0, they’re undefeated, they’ve got all the different things, the numbers by their school, rankings and all those things. To me, respectfully, that’s wasted time. I think you try to look for advantages for your team. Again, I’ll say it, I have a lot for how they play the game, the players they have and the coaches they have, but it’s about how good we can get this week to try to execute the game plan. If we worry about the color of the uniform or the ranking, then that’s wasted energy in my opinion.”
My advice to Day and the Buckeyes? Don’t look past Odom and the Boilermakers — even if they’re 2-7. Crazy things tend to happen at Ross-Ade Stadium.
REMEMBER WHEN…? I learned this week that Barry Odom faced Ohio State twice while he played linebacker at Missouri from 1996-99. The Buckeyes beat the Tigers in both matchups — a 31-10 win in Columbia in 1997, and a 35-14 win in Columbus in 1998.
“I remember both of them well,” Odom said this week.
I’m not sure what Odom remembers about the Tigers’ losses, but I bet he can recall watching Andy Katzenmoyer send his quarterback, Corby Jones, to the Aether.
While Katzenmoyer’s six tackles trailed Antoine Winfield (13) and Kevin Johnson (nine) for the team lead vs. Missouri in 1997, Odom led the Tigers with 11 tackles, including one for loss and one forced fumble. The following year, Katzenmoyer paced the Buckeyes with 12 takedowns, while Odom’s 10 ranked third on the Tigers behind Carlos Posey (13) and Marquis Gibson (13). Odom also led Missouri with six solo stops.
Xs AND Os, JIMMIES AND JOES. I think I mentioned this in a Skull Session at some point — it’s been a long season, so forgive me if I’m repeating myself — but my niece loves corn. It's her favorite food. Bananas, yogurt or watermelon are contenders for the No. 1 spot, but corn holds a special place in her heart.
When my niece has had a serving of corn at dinner, she’ll throw her hands in the air and yell, “More corn! More corn!” That’s how I feel about watching Julian Sayin pick apart defenses. I just want to shout, “More film! More film!”
This week, I’ve watched more film on Sayin and the Buckeyes than ever before, and it’s been glorious! On this wonderful Friday, I’ll share breakdowns from Jake Butt, Max Browne and Eleven Warriors’ Kyle Jones, who may be the greatest of the three names I mentioned.
A two-time All-American tight end at Michigan, Butt praised his old rival Ohio State while breaking down some tape on Sayin. “The Buckeyes are rolling, and it’s November. This is where championships are made,” Butt said.
Julian Sayin deserves his own in-depth tape breakdown, and @Jbooty88 delivers A must-watch for @OhioStateFB fans
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 5, 2025
Cliffs Film Room pic.twitter.com/AErEBppVpl
Full disclosure: I had never seen a Max Browne video until this week, when YouTube recommended his breakdown of Sayin’s Penn State performance to me. I am thankful to have found his channel, because he has some great analysis! Here’s what he shared about Sayin this week:
I wrote earlier that Jones might be the greatest of the three names I mentioned. Some will contend with that claim, but you can’t dispute that his breakdown outshines Butt’s and Browne’s in both quantity (31 minutes!) and quality. Is that because Jones also breaks down the Silver Bullets and the back-and-forth between Ohio State and Penn State’s coaching staffs? Yes! But that just means there’s more to watch — and more to love.
More film! More film!
DAILY DUBCAST. The final Eleven Dubcast of the week welcomes back Ramzy Nasrallah to speak on the disorienting effect West Lafayette has on Ohio State fans, preview the Buckeyes' matchup with Purdue and offer an outlook for the final score.
SONG OF THE DAY. "I Want It All" - Queen.
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