Four big takeaways from Ohio State's media availability as Buckeyes prepare for No. 17 Illinois

As the season rolls into mid-October, the 5-0 Ohio State Buckeyes remain as dialed in as ever, preparing for a fierce battle Saturday in Champaign.

Matt Patricia Continues to Impress

If dialing up the best scoring defense wasn’t enough, the praise surrounding Matt Patricia in his first year as defensive coordinator at Ohio State certainly has been.

Sophomore linebacker Payton Pierce, who had his best performance of the year against Minnesota with seven total tackles, has developed into a reliable rotational piece in the front seven.

He credited Patricia for the effort the coordinator has made with his players in such a short amount of time.

“It was a lot different than the previous defensive coordinator,” Pierce said. “I talked to Patricia more probably his first two days here than I did with our old defensive coordinator my whole time being here.”

Later on after Wednesday’s availability, Patricia was spotted talking with linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs.

I didn't walk over to interrupt, but this was @OhioStateFB DC Matt Patricia in casual convo with @sonnystyles_ and @caleb_downs2 in WHAC well after practice was done last night. The power of the pencil is palpable pic.twitter.com/CvrGaPb8i7
— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) October 9, 2025

Buckeyes Stay Dialed In Ahead of Illinois

The way the Buckeyes have been performing has much to do with the mindset they’ve shown throughout the 2025 season. The talent has always been there, but they’ve remained locked in ahead of a battle on the road at No. 17 Illinois.

“When you look at what they’ve done, who they’ve beaten, what Bret (Bielema) has done since he’s been at Illinois, this is a very, very good team,” head coach Ryan Day said.

The Fighting Illini have bounced back since their 63-10 blowout loss to Indiana three weeks ago, defeating a fiery USC team 34-32 and then winning 43-27 at Purdue.

“To me, this is like a top-10 matchup,” Day said. “I know that they had that game against Indiana, but throw that game out because it was just one of those days.”

When focusing on what makes Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer so difficult to defend, many talked about his dual-threat ability as both a passer and a runner.

“He’s not only a threat with his arm, but he’s pretty fast,” Pierce said. “We’re doing the best we can to put ourselves in the best situations for the game.”

Max Klare Cleared for Takeoff

For the top-rated tight end in the transfer portal this past offseason, Max Klare had yet to truly display a dominant performance on the box score.

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith said Klare has developed into a big target in the passing game.

“Max has definitely taken that step on and off the field,” Smith said. “I’m very proud of him and the things he’s doing in this offense this year.”

Klare’s 11 receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown lead all Buckeye tight ends, pairing with his dominant blocking on the line.

“Just being able to learn from guys like Will (Kacmarek) and Bennett (Christian), it’s been a great help to me, and I just want to keep continuing to build on that for sure,” Klare said.

The Purdue transfer also explained what he’s done better blocking-wise despite already making his mark in the run game.

“I think just hand placement, running off the ball, velocity into it,” Klare said.

Abundance of Weapons

Wide receiver standout Jeremiah Smith broke down the play-action fake that sent teammate Carnell Tate to the end zone on a 44-yard pass against Minnesota on Saturday.

“When that happened, I saw all of them run at me, I just started laughing in their face, and I just threw my hand up ’cause I knew it was a touchdown,” Smith said.

.@AndyAnders55 asked Jeremiah Smith about the play where five Minnesota defenders bit on the play-action fake to the star wide receiver, freeing up Carnell Tate to make a great move in single coverage for a 44-yard touchdown:

"When that happened, I seen all them run at me, I… pic.twitter.com/yvpmLYgjIm
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) October 9, 2025

Smith ranks first in the Big Ten in receptions (36) and touchdowns (6), surrounded by an array of explosive weapons.

Tate, on the other hand, completely dismantled the Golden Gophers’ defense, setting career highs in receptions and yards.

Ohio State currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in yards per game with 451.4, combining an efficient passing attack with a three-headed monster at running back.

Day said he has been impressed with freshman running back Bo Jackson, noting that the Buckeyes are just scratching the surface of his potential.

“We’re all excited about Bo. His teammates see it. We see it,” Day said.

The Buckeyes will travel to Champaign on Saturday to play No. 17 Illinois for the 27th installment of the Battle for the Illibuck.