After losing seven key defensive players to the NFL Draft after the 2025 season, including three who went in the top 11, Ohio State was always going to have some rebuilding to do on that side of the ball. A third of the way into the season, though, the question is no longer whether the Buckeyes are replacing talent. It’s whether the defense’s issues are just early-season growing pains or something more stubborn.
Matt Patricia’s Silver Bullets are headed into their first real conference test next weekend, a top-15 road matchup with No. 14 Iowa. That trip arrives at a good time for some clarity, because the Buckeyes are moving into a brutal stretch of conference play and the defensive foundation has already shown some cracks.
The first signs came against Texas. The Buckeyes looked sharp until they didn’t, then gave away a 20-point lead in a collapse that was driven in large part by what happened in the fourth quarter.
Arch Manning found room on scrambles, missed tackles piled up, assignments broke down and coverage slipped just enough for the Longhorns to complete the comeback. The biggest red flag may have been the two fourth-down conversions Ohio State allowed, including a fourth-and-9 that would have been almost unfathomable last season.
There were issues in the 59-3 win over Kent State too, even if that score makes criticism feel a little absurd. The defense had chances to turn deflected passes into interceptions and couldn’t finish the plays. In a closer game, those turnovers can swing everything.
Last weekend against Illinois, the same concerns showed up again. Ohio State had trouble against the run and couldn’t consistently get off the field on third down or even fourth down.
Aidan Laughery ran for 113 yards on 11 carries, including a long of 37 yards, and Illinois finished with 199 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground while averaging six yards per carry. That was the most rushing yards the Buckeyes have allowed in a game this season, and it’s a number that has to get cleaned up before Iowa.
The Buckeyes also need to tighten up the little things. Sloppy penalties have handed opponents free yards, and the defense has to become more reliable in money situations.
Still, there’s a reason to avoid overreacting. This is a young unit with plenty of new faces and varying levels of college experience. Ohio State fans are used to the defense looking polished right away, but that isn’t always how this works.
Even after the Texas loss, there’s still confidence in Patricia’s ability to build a competitive defense. With so many players rotating through, the staff is clearly still figuring out the best combination. The Hawkeyes will offer the first real answer, especially when it comes to containing Kamari Moulton, Iowa’s top rusher, against a Buckeye run defense that has already shown vulnerability.
If Ohio State struggles again, then the concerns become harder to ignore in a season that will keep speeding up. But if the defense looks better against Iowa, there’s still room to let Patricia keep sorting it out.
No one should expect this group to match last year’s veteran defense. That standard may be unrealistic anyway, because last season’s unit felt generational in many ways. The bar now is improvement and consistency: stop Iowa on third down, shut them down on fourth down if it gets that far, catch the interceptions that are there to be made and start closing the running lanes.
That’s the test ahead, and until it arrives, the Buckeyes’ defensive story remains unfinished.
In Other News...
Ohio State Defense Faces A Road Test Iowa Can Expose
Ohio State heads into a ranked road matchup at Iowa with the kind of test that can sharpen a defense or expose a flaw. The Buckeyes will have to deal with a difficult environment and an Iowa offense that leans on quarterback Hank Brown, a productive backfield and a defense led by linebacker Cam Buffington and safety Zach Lutmer, while the bigger worry for Ohio State is whether it can hold up against the run and stay sound in coverage against tight ends.
The Hawkeyes have enough moving parts to make this more than a routine Big Ten trip, especially at home where the crowd can turn every series into a grind. Ohio States defensive front will be under pressure to set the tone early, because if Iowa can keep the Buckeyes guessing and force them to chase the game, this matchup could become a lot more uncomfortable than the rankings suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Defense Isnt In Trouble But One Concern Isnt Going Away
Ohio States defense has spent enough time under the microscope already this fall, and a former Buckeye who has been watching the unit closely sees a group with real room to grow rather than a unit in panic mode. He pointed to the kind of issues that can show up early in a season, including miscommunications and the absence of veteran star power, while still saying defensive coordinator Matt Patricia remains effective in his job. He also gave credit to Illinois quarterback Katin Houser for making the defense work for it.
The bigger takeaway, though, is that the concerns do not appear to be structural in his view. He expects the Buckeyes defense to keep improving and believes it will be good by the end of the season, even if the ceiling may not be quite elite. For a program used to treating every defensive hiccup as a minor crisis, that is a useful reminder that some early-season problems can be real without being fatal. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Sounds Different As Ohio State Heads Into Kinnick
Ryan Day spent part of the week laying out where Ohio State stands as it heads to Kinnick Stadium, and the conversation touched just about every corner of the roster. He gave updates on player availability, pointed to Julian Sayins continued growth, and said the running backs have made progress as the Buckeyes keep sorting out roles for Jeremiah Smith, Khary Wilder and Kyle Parker. It was the kind of check-in that comes with a road game like this, where the details matter and the margin for error tends to shrink.
Kinnick has a way of making even experienced teams feel uneasy, and Day acknowledged the challenge while framing Ohio States current state as a product of steady development since the season began. He also left open a few questions about how the lineup will look once the Buckeyes get through the week, including one involving Legend Bey and how much he can get done in practice before a decision has to be made. [Read more 🡒]