Former Buckeyes DB called out Jim Knowles for "questionable" national title game plan

Last season was a memorable one for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they cruised to a national championship after a strong playoff run. Still, not everything in that final game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish was all honky dory.

While appearing on the "Bleav in Buckeye Football" podcast show, former Ohio State defensive back Denzel Burke was quick to admit that there were some challenging moments in that game. Burke specifically called out his defensive coordinator, now Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, for his play-calling in the game.

"I won't lie: there were moments. Some of the play calls that were being called on the defensive side were pretty questionable. We were just hoping that our DC wasn’t going to put himself in a bind and put us in bad positions.”

Former Ohio State DB Denzel Burke said some the defensive play calling was “pretty questionable” in OSU’s national title win over Notre Dame.

Current Penn State DC Jim Knowles was OSU’s coordinator.

“We were just hoping that our DC wasn’t going to put himself in a bind and put…
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) November 6, 2025

Ohio State got off to a lightning-quick 31-7 lead on Notre Dame in the third quarter with the game in full control, but the defense did somewhat struggle to close out that game. They allowed two touchdowns with two two-point conversions in the last four drives that included a missed field goal by the Fighting Irish.

The Buckeyes still pulled out a 34-23 win over Notre Dame to win the national title, but it was not in the dominating way they thought it was going to be. After allowing just 78 yards in the first half, Ohio State surrendered 248 yards in the second half to hang on to the victory.

It seems that it worked out pretty well for Ohio State, as Knowles left for the Penn State defensive coordinator job and the Buckeyes replaced him with Matt Patricia. Since taking over, Patricia has had the defense as the number one team in the nation in total defense and points allowed per game.

Things haven't been as good for Knowles as the Nittany Lions are off to a 3-5 start, with their head coach, James Franklin, getting fired. To make things worse for him, Ohio State just scored 38 points on Knowles as the Buckeyes took down the Nittany Lions 38-14.

Burke has done well for himself since leaving school, as he was a fifth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2025 NFL Draft. He's racked up 14 tackles, five pass deflections, and one interception in eight games this year.

Ohio State fans can choose to remember last year as a memorable one, winning it all, but never forget how much better off they are with Patricia versus Knowles.