Ohio State may have found a linebacker who needs a bigger slice of the defense, and Ryan Day sounds ready to give it to him.
Riley Pettijohn turned in the most active outing of his young Buckeye career against Texas, logging 37 snaps and tying for the team lead with 1.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack. He did it in a mix of roles, working some snaps in the box and others in a hybrid outside linebacker-edge look. The numbers were solid, but the tape made the louder argument: Pettijohn looked like a player whose athletic traits can hold up in a game like that.
That matters for a defense still sorting out life after Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, both top-10 picks in last year’s NFL Draft. Coming into the season, replacing that production at linebacker was one of the biggest questions hanging over Ohio State’s defense. After the Texas game, Pettijohn looks like the best answer on hand.
He wasn’t the only linebacker on the field, but he was the one who consistently flashed. Payton Pierce, by contrast, didn’t leave the kind of imprint many expected from him entering the year. Pettijohn’s 37 snaps showed a player who still has room to sharpen his overall game, yet already brings the kind of natural athleticism, instinct and physicality the Buckeyes were missing.
The comparison that comes to mind is Arvell Reese before his breakout in 2025: not fully polished, but clearly capable of making plays and carrying a bigger load. Pettijohn’s work against Texas suggested the same kind of trajectory.
Day echoed that view when he spoke with the media Tuesday afternoon. He said, "Riley will continue to play more," while also praising what he brings: "he is a unique player that has the uncanny ability to slip blocks and make plays, and the more he plays, the better he is going to be."
For Ohio State, that kind of growth could not come at a better time. The Texas loss made it obvious the defense needs more juice, and Pettijohn has the kind of energy and athleticism that can help supply it as conference play arrives next week.
And he wasn’t the only young Buckeye who stood out. Freshman Jay Timmons continued to reinforce why he is Ohio State’s starting nickel, while Khary Wilder made his presence felt in limited work, pressuring Arch Manning on almost all of his snaps.
In Other News...
Ohio State Has A Ryan Day Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Ohio States recent habit of watching comfortable fourth-quarter leads shrink has turned into more than a bad stretch. The Buckeyes have had the kind of defensive fatigue and late-game confusion that can undo otherwise solid afternoons, and the issue has shown up in consecutive games enough to raise real questions about how the team closes.
Ryan Days program has been especially vulnerable when opponents keep pushing the pace and the defense is forced to hold up under pressure. The loss to Texas only sharpened the concern, since the Longhorns have brought a steadier offensive identity over multiple seasons while Ohio State has struggled to adjust and protect leads when games turn critical. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Just Put Ohio State's Punt Decisions On Notice
Ohio States special teams already had a spotlight on them after the loss to Texas, and Ryan Day only sharpened it when he revisited the punt decision from Texas 39-yard line. The Buckeyes chose to kick on 4th-and-4, and the result was a 26-yard net that left plenty of room for second-guessing. Day still defended the call, while also pointing to punter Joe McGuires talent and framing the issue as more about execution than philosophy.
Robby Discher was brought in this offseason as special teams coordinator with the expectation that this phase would get cleaner, and Days comments suggested the Buckeyes are watching closely to see whether that happens. If the operation stays inconsistent, the comfort level on similar fourth-down decisions may start to change, especially in the kinds of high-leverage spots that can swing a top-end game. The message was clear enough: the punts are not automatic if the returns keep coming up short. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Texas Loss Exposed A Passing Problem Fans Feared
Jeremiah Smith gave Ohio State the kind of explosive outing that usually settles an offense down, and Bo Jacksons running helped make the ground game look better than many expected against Texas. But the broader passing picture was harder to ignore, because the Buckeyes leaned heavily on Smith while Julian Sayin kept the ball from spreading much beyond him, leaving the offense a little too easy to track for a defense that was already a difficult matchup.
What makes that imbalance matter is what it says about the rest of the receiving room. Ohio State needs more than one reliable target if it wants the passing game to hold up in the games that matter most, especially with the secondary also showing cracks on the other side of the ball. The Texas loss did not just expose one off day, it reinforced a concern fans had already been carrying into the season. [Read more 🡒]