\n Welcome to the Skull Session. <\/p>\n
\n\tThe Basketbucks!\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tHave a night Amare<\/p>\n
O-H#GoBucks<\/a> | #FightToTheEnd<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ld7fD29u6w<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHave a good Friday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cTHEY WANT TO BE IN HERE.\u201d Ohio State is locked in.\n<\/p>\n \n\tHow locked in?\n<\/p>\n \n\tRead what Ryan Day said on his radio show<\/a> this week about the Buckeyes\u2019 desire to never leave the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen you have to tell guys to get in the locker room and you have to run guys off the field, that\u2019s when you know you\u2019ve got something going,\u201d Day said. \u201cIf they\u2019re the first ones out the minute practice is over \u2014 they\u2019re running to their car, grabbing a bite to eat, they\u2019re leaving a patch in the parking lot, that\u2019s not good. But these guys, they want to be in here. It\u2019s late, and they\u2019re getting treatment, and we\u2019re watching film, and I\u2019ll go use the restroom and these guys are still in the locker room hanging out. Or I walk out on the field, and they\u2019re sitting on the bench talking about what\u2019s going on. Or I see an older guy grab a younger guy and just sit down.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI 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, \u2018Hey man, this is the grind.\u2019\u00a0\u2026 That\u2019s leaving a legacy behind. If somebody did that to you at a younger age and said, \u2018Hey man, I see something special in you, and I believe you can do this, this and this,\u2019 it goes a long way. It makes you look at things differently. That\u2019s why we try to recruit people who care about relationships, care about the team. It isn\u2019t just about them individually.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat locked in.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cYOU\u2019RE DARN RIGHT IT IS.\u201d 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSome of these freshmen \u2014 well, almost all freshmen \u2014 are going to go through different phases when they get here. \u2026 That\u2019s 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\u2019s probably not the right place for you. Now, we\u2019re going to tell you all the reasons why it\u2019s a great place, why we want you, and how we are going to fit you into the offense, defense, special teams.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBut at the end of the day, you have to own it because someday you\u2019re going to wake up and drive over the Woody and say, \u2018Why did I come to Ohio State again? Is it really worth all this work?\u2019 You\u2019re 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\u2019re going to make it work. There\u2019s no other choice.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think for these freshmen, all that being said, they\u2019re going to go through phases where they kind of plateau, they kind of hit a rut, and that\u2019s 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tDay\u2019s message underscored one of his program\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CHESS, NOT CHECKERS. I featured Max Olson\u2019s stop rate in the Skull Session on Wednesday \u2014 as I always do. However, I missed that the ESPN college football writer<\/a> made Ohio State the main focus of his article this week. I want to circle back there on this fabulous\u00a0Friday to share Olson\u2019s comments on the Buckeyes.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tOhio 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.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\u2026\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tOhio 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.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tUCLA 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.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tThat’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 \u2014 and on a historic pace \u2014 when it comes to playing less defense.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tOhio 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.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tOver 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 \u2014 and if you filter out the end-of-half drives, it’s actually 9.4.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tPatricia’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.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\t\tThe 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.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State has been playing chess all season; the rest of college football has been playing checkers.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0BUTKUS NO MORE? This week, ESPN\u2019s college football staff<\/a> 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tArvell 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.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tEarlier this month, I said Reese was a shoo-in to win the Butkus Award. However, that\u2019s when I was unfamiliar with Jacob Rodriguez\u2019s 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\u2019s 48-9 win over UCF.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tLinebacker Jacob Rodriguez with his FIRST CAREER OFFENSIVE TD for @TexasTechFB<\/a><\/p>\n And he hit the Heisman as his celebration pic.twitter.com\/zzOWSXR1Qr<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tReese\u2019s 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\u2019s rapid rise \u2014 he\u2019s a third-year player, while Rodriguez is in his fifth season \u2014 yet outside of that narrative, it\u2019s hard to see Reese edging out Rodriguez despite his dominant season for the Buckeyes.\n<\/p>\n \n\tVery sad, anyways\u2026<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n\tIf Reese doesn\u2019t win the Butkus, becoming a top-five NFL draft pick and signing a contract worth more than $40 million should ease the pain.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0DAILY DUBCAST.\u00a0The 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.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0SONG OF THE DAY.\u00a0“No More Tears” – Ozzy Osbourne.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0CUT TO THE CHASE.\u00a0Volkswagen debuts restored vintage blue bus that survived a California wildfire and melted hearts<\/a>…\u00a0$54.7 million\u00a0sale of Frida Kahlo self-portrait breaks auction record for female artists<\/a>…\u00a0Meet Marigold, the escaped cow that\u00a0shut down Columbus’ I-270 for hours<\/a>…\u00a0These Manhattan sheep have jobs<\/a>…\u00a0Scientists recover cannon, coins, porcelain cup from 300-year-old Spanish shipwreck<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n