October 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\tIt\u2019d take a lot to convince me there\u2019s a better nose guard in college football. McDonald\u2019s production through six games is unbelievable: 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. You just aren\u2019t supposed to post those numbers in the dead center of the line of scrimmage.\n<\/p>\n
\tTywone Malone Jr.<\/p>\n
\n\tMcDonald\u2019s co-starter took strides in what was likely the best performance of his Ohio State career. With Eddrick Houston out for an unknown time for an unknown reason, the three-technique position is now Malone\u2019s to fully command, and he answered accordingly with four tackles, including this beauty that prevented a touchdown on an Illinois shovel pass. It\u2019s been better late than never for the redshirt senior.\n<\/p>\n
\t![\"Tywone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760453469_795_giphy.gif\" "\\"Tywone")
<\/p>\n
\tArvell Reese<\/p>\n
\n\tIf I were awarding a team MVP for the first half of the season, it would go to Arvell Reese. Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith are Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith, yes. But what Reese is doing in the front six of this defense has elevated it to a whole other echelon. Per Pro Football Focus, he has the best pressure rate of any Buckeye, collecting 16 total pressures in just 58 pass rush snaps. He and Sonny Styles have completely eliminated the threat of mobile quarterbacks, as evidenced by the rushing numbers Demond Williams Jr., Parker Navarro and now Luke Altmyer limped to against the Silver Bullets.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tReese leads the Buckeyes in tackles (38) and is second in sacks (4.5) despite having less than half of the pass rush snaps that defensive ends Curry and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. do. Reese had another monster game against Illinois, with nine tackles and 1.5 sacks. The NFL scouts are drooling, and he could be a top-10 pick come spring at this rate.\n<\/p>\n
\tIndiana<\/p>\n
\n\tCoach Cig has officially smoked the competition. Indiana, not just as this year\u2019s team but as a program, is real. Hoosier quarterback Fernando Mendoza tossed a pick-six to then-No. 3 Oregon and Indiana still controlled the contest in a 30-20 victory in a hostile Autzen Stadium. At this rate, the No. 1 Buckeyes and now-No. 3 Hoosiers are on a collision course for the Big Ten Championship Game in December.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\tTexas<\/p>\n
\n\tIn a nice boost for Ohio State\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9, Texas upset then-No. 6 Oklahoma and climbed back into the AP Poll top 25 at No. 21. The Longhorns ran through their Red River rival 23-6 as quarterback Arch Manning far outdueled former Heisman Trophy frontrunner John Mateer. Manning went 21-of-27 for 166 yards and a touchdown, while Mateer finished 20-of-38 for 202 yards and three interceptions.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\tStock Down<\/p>\n
\tLeaning a Bit Too Much on the Run Game<\/p>\n
\n\tYes, it was a great win overall for Ohio State against Illinois. Playing ball control remains a sage strategy when the Buckeyes\u2019 defense is dominating as it is. But there were 34 called runs against 28 called passes for an OSU squad that\u2019s clearly been better throwing the ball thus far this year. Ohio State averaged a meager 2.9 yards per carry against the Illini. The run game does need to be solved for bigger games ahead, but it feels like quarterback Julian Sayin has earned more on his plate as well.\n<\/p>\n
\tPunt<\/p>\n
\n\tJoe McGuire got his largest sample of punts since Week 1 against Texas and his performance continues to leave much to be desired. He averaged just 37.8 yards per boot against Illinois with a long of 41 yards. There are clearly still consistency issues with mega-legged backup Nick McLarty, but one of the duo needs to solve something to help Ohio State do a better job in the field position battle.\n<\/p>\n
\tMichigan<\/p>\n
\n\tUSC dominated the Wolverines 31-13 despite multiple red zone turnovers, dropping Michigan\u2019s record to 4-2 in 2025 and Sherrone Moore\u2019s record to 11-7 as the program\u2019s head coach, excluding two wins he was suspended for this season. The Wolverines still have a plethora of issues on offense, which does nothing to ease the anxiety of Buckeye fans about The Game after four straight losses to the Maize and Blue.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\tArizona State<\/p>\n
\n\tMy preseason Big 12 championship pick is not looking the part six games into its 2025 campaign. The Sun Devils were eviscerated 42-10 by Utah on Saturday, dropping them to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. Arizona State faces the Big 12\u2019s new favorite, No. 7 Texas Tech, next. A second loss there in league play likely dooms the team\u2019s conference title and College Football Playoff hopes.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\tJames Franklin<\/p>\n
\n\tIt was time for Franklin and Penn State to part ways. A word of caution to the Nittany Lions, however: Many programs would murder to have good 10-win seasons consistently, as you did under Franklin. Be sure this next hire doesn\u2019t lead you down the trail of what Nebraska became after firing Bo Pelini or Auburn became after firing Gus Malzahn, coaches who brought similar levels of \u201cgood\u201d to those programs without winning championships that their fanbases and administrators demanded.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThose teams are yet to return to that \u201cgood\u201d echelon. Penn State will have to avoid those ever-so-hard-to-see pitfalls.\n<\/p>\n