Welcome to the Skull Session.
The Basketbucks!
Have a night Amare
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 21, 2025
O-H#GoBucks | #FightToTheEnd pic.twitter.com/ld7fD29u6w
Have a good Friday.
“THEY WANT TO BE IN HERE.” Ohio State is locked in.
How locked in?
Read what Ryan Day said on his radio show this week about the Buckeyes’ desire to never leave the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
“When you have to tell guys to get in the locker room and you have to run guys off the field, that’s when you know you’ve got something going,” Day said. “If they’re the first ones out the minute practice is over — they’re running to their car, grabbing a bite to eat, they’re leaving a patch in the parking lot, that’s not good. But these guys, they want to be in here. It’s late, and they’re getting treatment, and we’re watching film, and I’ll go use the restroom and these guys are still in the locker room hanging out. Or I walk out on the field, and they’re sitting on the bench talking about what’s going on. Or I see an older guy grab a younger guy and just sit down.
“I remember distinctly one year, I saw Paris Johnson and (Kenyatta Jackson Jr.) sitting there on the bench two hours after practice. They were still in their pads talking. And PJ was just talking to KJ about, ‘Hey man, this is the grind.’ … That’s leaving a legacy behind. If somebody did that to you at a younger age and said, ‘Hey man, I see something special in you, and I believe you can do this, this and this,’ it goes a long way. It makes you look at things differently. That’s why we try to recruit people who care about relationships, care about the team. It isn’t just about them individually.”
That locked in.
“YOU’RE DARN RIGHT IT IS.” Speaking of recruiting, Ryan Day expanded on the kinds of people and players Ohio State targets, emphasizing that one of the biggest factors is whether a prospect truly wants to be a Buckeye. He made the impassioned comment when asked how freshmen handle the workload in Columbus.
“Some of these freshmen — well, almost all freshmen — are going to go through different phases when they get here. … That’s one of the things in recruiting we take very seriously. You have to want to come to Ohio State. If we have to talk you into it, it’s probably not the right place for you. Now, we’re going to tell you all the reasons why it’s a great place, why we want you, and how we are going to fit you into the offense, defense, special teams.
“But at the end of the day, you have to own it because someday you’re going to wake up and drive over the Woody and say, ‘Why did I come to Ohio State again? Is it really worth all this work?’ You’re darn right it is when you pick it. And just like anything else in life, if you have ownership and you picked it for the right reasons, you’re going to make it work. There’s no other choice.
“I think for these freshmen, all that being said, they’re going to go through phases where they kind of plateau, they kind of hit a rut, and that’s why you invest in your faith, family and friends so that they can pull you out of that. I think there are examples of guys on our team right now that are coming out of that, maybe a couple of guys that are still kind of in that end of the season right there because it is a long one.”
Day’s message underscored one of his program’s core beliefs: the players who choose the Buckeyes for the right reasons are the ones who push through the grind and thrive in the program. With Ohio State on the attack for its second straight national title, the thriving has seldom been better than this.
CHESS, NOT CHECKERS. I featured Max Olson’s stop rate in the Skull Session on Wednesday — as I always do. However, I missed that the ESPN college football writer made Ohio State the main focus of his article this week. I want to circle back there on this fabulous Friday to share Olson’s comments on the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has once again put together one of college football's best defenses as it chases back-to-back national championships. Ten games into 2025, it's clear this unit is going to have a ton of gas left in the tank for the team's College Football Playoff run. Why is that? Because the Buckeyes, who remain No. 2 in this week's updated stop rate standings, are so efficient at getting stops that they've played the fewest defensive plays in the country so far this season.
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Ohio State's defense currently ranks No. 1 in SP+ and No. 2 in stop rate with stops on 82.1% of drives against FBS opponents. The Buckeyes' 48-10 rout of a UCLA team missing starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava played out a lot like most of their wins: The Bruins weren't given the opportunity to do much on offense.
UCLA got a season-low 48 plays on offense over nine full drives. The Bruins got only 21 plays in during the first half, with their longest drive going six plays and 14 yards, and trailed 27-0 by halftime.
That's been the magic trick of this unit under first-year defensive coordinator and longtime NFL coach Matt Patricia. The Buckeyes aren't leading the country in sacks or takeaways. They're leading the way — and on a historic pace — when it comes to playing less defense.
Ohio State's defense has been on the field for 550 snaps this season, which is 74 fewer than Texas A&M, 75 fewer than Georgia and 111 fewer than Texas Tech through those teams' first 10 games. They're defending 53.3 plays per game in conference play this season, the fewest by any Big Ten defense in more than 20 years, according to ESPN Research.
Over the past decade, no Power 4 defense has averaged under 10.3 drives per game on defense over a full season. Ohio State is currently at 9.9 — and if you filter out the end-of-half drives, it's actually 9.4.
Patricia's defense has given up 75 points over 84 drives against FBS opponents this season and still ranks No. 2 in yards per play allowed (3.98) against FBS offenses as well. That weekly dominance has allowed this Buckeyes team to play with a lead on more than 80% of its snaps this season, a nice jump up from 72% last season during its run to the national title.
The stats are impressive, but the long-term benefits are more valuable. Fewer drives and plays means less tread on the tires as this unit continues to develop its depth and prepare for tougher tests in December and January.
Ohio State has been playing chess all season; the rest of college football has been playing checkers.
BUTKUS NO MORE? This week, ESPN’s college football staff named Arvell Reese one of five breakout stars in college football this season, alongside Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, Texas Tech outside linebacker David Bailey, Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell and Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy.
Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State: Reese entered this season with only five career starts over two seasons with the Buckeyes, eager to finally become a full-time starter for the defending national champions. The 6-foot-4, 243-pound junior is quickly playing his way into projected top-10 draft pick status as one of the most versatile defensive playmakers under first-year coordinator Matt Patricia. Reese has produced a team-high 58 tackles with 18 pressures, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as a fast, powerful off-ball linebacker who's just as gifted at rushing off the edge for the No. 1 scoring defense in FBS.
Earlier this month, I said Reese was a shoo-in to win the Butkus Award. However, that’s when I was unfamiliar with Jacob Rodriguez’s game. The Texas Tech linebacker has put up a gaudy stat line: 100 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions, six pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown and one offensive touchdown in 11 games. Yes, Rodriguez actually scored offensively this season, running a 2-yard wildcat touchdown last weekend in Texas Tech’s 48-9 win over UCF.
Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez with his FIRST CAREER OFFENSIVE TD for @TexasTechFB
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 15, 2025
And he hit the Heisman as his celebration pic.twitter.com/zzOWSXR1Qr
Reese’s 58 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two pass breakups in 10 games are impressive, but Rodriguez clearly holds the statistical edge. Butkus Award voters may favor Reese’s rapid rise — he’s a third-year player, while Rodriguez is in his fifth season — yet outside of that narrative, it’s hard to see Reese edging out Rodriguez despite his dominant season for the Buckeyes.
If Reese doesn’t win the Butkus, becoming a top-five NFL draft pick and signing a contract worth more than $40 million should ease the pain.
DAILY DUBCAST. The final Eleven Dubcast of the week welcomes back Dan Hope a second time to examine the final Ohio State home game of the regular season against Rutgers, ponder the health of the Buckeye receiving corps and answer an important question about culinary habits.
SONG OF THE DAY. "No More Tears" - Ozzy Osbourne.
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