P.J. Fleck finds silver lining in Washington’s six points against Ohio State

Not many would praise a six-point performance for an offense, but Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck had a riveting spin on Ohio State’s 24-6 victory over the Washington Huskies on Saturday.

“They’re holding opponents to five points, so Washington did a good job scoring one more point than what [Ohio State] is averaging,” Fleck said when addressing the media Monday.

PJ Fleck was asked about Ohio State's defense today. He gave credit to Washington for scoring 6 points, which is one more point than opponents are averaging against the Buckeyes this year. pic.twitter.com/mqpzvxDvFP
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) September 29, 2025

Ohio State, currently the FBS leader for scoring defense at 5.5 points allowed per game, once again silenced an opposing offense that had generated buzz throughout the week.

There were many repeat contributors on the defensive side of the ball, but one that has truly broken out this year is defensive end Caden Curry, who had a career day against the Huskies.

“They’re going after the quarterback, and if the run happens to get in the way, they’ll tackle the run,” Fleck said.

For a team that has built its offense around superstar running back Darius Taylor, the Golden Gophers once again have strived to maintain their traditional ground-and-pound approach.

Taylor, however, has not played since Week 2 against Northwestern State because of a leg injury. Their backup running back, AJ Turner, suffered a season-ending injury against California, turning what used to be a strength into a question mark.

A back-and-forth shootout with Rutgers prompted redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey to throw the ball 41 times in their 31-28 win.

It is unclear which Minnesota offense the Buckeyes will see, but with the early chemistry developed on the defensive side for Ohio State, they will have a plan.

“You can see how the front seven understands how the back end works, and you can see how the back end understands how the front seven works,” Fleck said.

That continuity is a driver for why the Buckeyes are currently second in the Big Ten in yards allowed per game with 229.3, roughly eight yards away from first-place Indiana.

The Buckeyes’ defense has not skipped a beat, even after losing their entire starting defensive line to the NFL and other key contributors from the linebacker corps and secondary.

Retaining younger talent always helped after losing instrumental pieces from a national championship run, but in his first year as defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes, Matt Patricia has done an outstanding job of confusing offenses with his defensive schemes.

“Coach Patricia does a good job of always keeping you guessing, almost every single play,” Fleck said. “Every time you’re at the line, it’s a different front and different coverage. It’s very challenging.”

The Buckeyes will face Minnesota at home under the lights Saturday, their first Big Ten night game at Ohio Stadium since Oct. 8, 2022, against Michigan State.