Welcome to the Skull Session.
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are locked in.
Ryan Day said Ohio State must avoid distractions and eliminate noise to accomplish its goals this season.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 13, 2025
We've done X, Y and Z up until this point, but that means absolutely nothing like, zero. Weve done nothing. pic.twitter.com/CquBLaXxBL
Have a good Thursday.
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. Michigan State — not Michigan — had its wins vacated following an NCAA probe.
The NCAA vacated three years of wins from Michigan State football as part of a negotiated resolution associated with recruiting violations during Mel Tuckers tenure as head coach. https://t.co/ZRYaUWk4I0
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 12, 2025
** sighs **
Bull214 said it best in the comments of our post: Big brother did the crime, so little brother has to do the time. Makes perfect sense.
RAVIOLI, RAVIOLI, GIVE ME THE FORMUOLI? The Los Angeles Rams may have the secret formula to solving Ohio State's offensive line inconsistencies — and providing the Buckeyes with their next evolution on offense.
Sean McVay is one of the elite offensive minds in football. In his eight-plus seasons as the Rams' head coach, McVay's offenses have perennially ranked among the league's best in points and yards per game as the 39-year-old maestro has Los Angeles on the cutting edge with scheme and personnel. That's no different in 2025.
I'm not an LA fan — I think I've made that clear in the Skull Session, where I sometimes vent about the Factory of Sadness — but the Rams' offense has fascinated me since their dominant 35-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Oct. 19.
With star receiver Puka Nacua sidelined with an ankle sprain, McVay utilized 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends, one wide receiver), not 11 (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) or 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) on offense. Quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Kyren Williams, tight ends Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Terrance Ferguson, and wide receiver Davante Adams was the lineup, and that lineup looked unstoppable — not because the Rams ran the ball, but passed it. Stafford threw for 182 yards and five touchdowns, with Adams (three), Parkinson (one) and Ferguson (one) combining for the scores.
h/t to @NextGenStats -->
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) November 10, 2025
Sean McVay used 13 personnel for a grand total of 84 plays in his first 137 games as Rams head coach. Hes now surpassed that usage over the past four games. https://t.co/9uvF3xqOgN
Even with Nacua returning for the Rams’ matchup with the New Orleans Saints, McVay still leaned on 13 personnel. That decision paid dividends as Stafford torched the Saints with 281 passing yards and four scores. Nacua had seven catches for 95 yards and one touchdown, while Adams had five catches for 60 yards and two scores. Williams also thrived on the ground with 114 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries.
In a divisional matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, McVay pushed all his chips into the center of the table. According to Next Gen Stats, McVay used 13 personnel on 30 of 67 snaps (44.8%), the second-highest rate in a game since 2016, and their third straight game over 38%. The Rams averaged 6.7 yards per play, 63.3% success rate and 20% explosive play rate out of 13 personnel as Stafford threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns, and Williams ran 73 yards and two scores on 14 carries.
One of the key cogs in the Rams' 13 personnel revolution is the fact that rookie TE Terrance Ferguson (slot) has enough juice to space the field.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 12, 2025
Running the clearout route on dagger. Long strides with good burst. Creates the void for the dig. (Perfect timing from Stafford too) pic.twitter.com/DvwTU2dDL7
(Just to summarize Stafford’s insane run, the 37-year-old completed 68.4% of his passes for 743 yards and 13 touchdowns in the Rams' victories over the Jaguars, Saints and 49ers.)
It’s obvious McVay’s calculated shift has created an advantage for the Rams.
Why?
When LA goes “heavy” in 13, opponents expect a run and match with their “heavy” base personnel. McVay then pulls the rug out from underneath them and lets Stafford rip fastballs because the opponent’s cornerbacks and linebackers can’t cover the Rams’ pass-catchers. If opponents expect a pass and use nickel personnel, McVay has Stafford hand the ball off to Williams because the opponent’s defensive backs can’t evade the Rams’ run blockers.
Stats from SumerSports
It’s brilliant. Just brilliant. And it’s not just an NFL wrinkle. It’s a concept that could translate perfectly to college football, especially with a program like Ohio State, which has one of the deepest tight end rooms in America.
Before I continue, let’s address the obvious: Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are two of the best receivers in college football, and taking one off the field for Will Kacmarek, Bennett Christian, Jelani Thurman or Nate Roberts feels counterproductive. But for Ohio State, 13 personnel wouldn’t be about benching star receivers; it would be about keeping opponents on their toes while balancing the offense.
With an extra tight end on the field more regularly, Sayin could have cleaner pockets, and the Ohio State running backs could have clearer run lanes — both of which have been issues the past few weeks as the Buckeyes’ offensive line has been inconsistent. Given the Rams’ success, there’s reason to believe McVay has provided a solution to Ohio State’s problems.
Rams 13 personnel in 3 play sequence.
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 11, 2025
PA wheel route to Ferguson w/ great protection (including a double team by the TEs).
A true naked w/ motion at the snap and routes working back (look at the 49ers LBs).
Zone run against two-high (that formation vs. that front) for a TD. pic.twitter.com/R6ztQwBlkG
Stafford has been more accurate (66.6% in Games 1-6, 68.4% in Games 7-9), thrown more touchdowns (12 in Games 1-6, 13 in Games 7-9) and taken fewer sacks (11 in Games 1-6, three in Games 7-9) since the shift to more 13 personnel. Meanwhile, Williams has become a more efficient runner (4.4 YPA in Games 1-6, 4.73 YPA in Games 7-9) and scorer (two touchdowns in Games 1-6, three in Games 7-9).
Could the same evolution occur for Sayin and the Ohio State running backs?
It could.
With Sayin, Smith and Tate, the Buckeyes can air it out on anyone. But sooner rather than later, Ryan Day’s team will need to run the football against the nation’s best teams — not Purdue, UCLA or Rutgers. And when that time comes, why not do it with the personnel grouping that helped turn the Rams into a Super Bowl contender and Stafford into an MVP?
ARVELL REESE > THE FIELD? Through nine games this season, Arvell Reese has become the Butkus Award frontrunner and a Bednarik Award candidate.
On Tuesday, The Dispatch’s Joey Kaufman asked Ryan Day what makes Reese special. The head coach didn’t jump to his linebacker’s stats — a team-leading 55 tackles with 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two pass breakups — but rather his mindset as to where Reese sets himself apart.
“The first thing is that Arvell, you see this in guys when they get to year three, sometimes in year four, but where the program kind of kicks in,” Day said. “What I mean by that is all the work that they’ve done up to that point, it all starts to come together. And I think you see that with a lot of our guys, but in particular with Arvell, he was a very productive player in high school. Coach Ginn did a great job of bringing him along and providing a mindset of what it means to be a Buckeye — and that’s critical, what it means to play at Ohio State. Arvell has that mindset. He had it the minute he walked in the door.
“I think Arvell never gets distracted with noise. He just focuses on what matters, and that’s a unique trait. We were talking about this the other day, maybe there’s talk about him with awards, or maybe there’s talk about him in the draft. That doesn’t affect Arvell. Arvell just focuses on what matters.
“I think early in his career, he could have very easily been discouraged because maybe he didn’t play as much early on, we moved him to D-line for a couple of months, and all those things helped him. And then he sat and watched Cody (Simon), he watched Sonny (Styles), and now his athletic ability, his mindset, and now the understanding of what goes on in that room and what James (Laurinaitis) has done in that room in terms of football IQ is allowing him to play at a high level, and I think that combines to what you’re seeing on the field.”
Ryan Day said he's never coached a player with the athleticism, talent and versatility of Arvell Reese, though Sonny Styles comes close. "Both of those guys have that ability and versatility." pic.twitter.com/HDUPXtIHWL
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 11, 2025
Kaufman then asked if Day had ever coached a player with Reese’s athleticism, talent and versatility.
“I mean, I’m trying to think if there’s been somebody I’ve been around that has that type of skill set as talented as Arvell. Probably not. Probably not,” Day said. “I mean, Sonny’s right there, too. Both of those guys have that ability and versatility. Yeah, I’d have to go back and think, but they’re right there at the top.”
Ohio State now has the best two linebackers in college football, who are also two of the sport’s freakiest athletes. That’s incredible.
Smiling through it all, I can’t believe this is my life!
JEREMIAH SMITH’S GRAVITATIONAL PULL. This week, The Athletic’s Cameron Teague Robinson wrote about Jeremiah Smith and the “gravitational pull” the Ohio State wide receiver has on defenses. A line from his article has stuck with me for the past 12 hours:
Julian Sayin has already played with an impressive array of receivers in his career. The No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2024 class was an elite prospect in California and is now delivering the ball to a deep Ohio State receiving corps that includes five-star recruits Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Jeremiah Smith.
There’s still no one quite like Smith, who is regarded by many as the best player in college football. Sayin told The Athletic that he’s never seen a receiver demand the attention that Smith gets from opposing defenses.
“We have our read and it’s like, ‘OK you have to read this guy, but you never know, he might just go this way because Jeremiah is over there,’” Sayin said. “He demands so much from a coverage standpoint that we’re surprised when we do get one-on-one with him.”
Sayin’s never seen a receiver demand more attention than Smith.
I don’t think I have, either.
Emeka Egbuka? Marvin Harrison Jr.? JSN? Garrett Wilson? Chris Olave? K.J. Hill? Parris Campbell? Terry McLaurin? Michael Thomas? Devin Smith? Ted Ginn Jr.? Santonio Holmes? Michael Jenkins? David Boston? Terry Glenn? Joey Galloway? Cris Carter?
Maybe — just maybe — Harrison, Boston and Carter?
But even then, I don’t know.
JJ may be one of one, even at a place like Wide Receiver U.
DAILY DUBCAST. Today's Eleven Dubcast welcomes back Andy Anders to discuss the NCAA's controversial punishment handed down to Michigan State yesterday compared to the rulings and repercussions against Michigan for the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Ain't No Sunshine" - Bill Withers.
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