While they may have college football's best offensive player in receiver Jeremiah Smith , defense was the catalyst for top-ranked and defending national champion Ohio State's 24-6 win over Washington in the Buckeyes' Big Ten opener.

Ohio State's defense, led by new defensive coordinator and longtime NFL coach Matt Patricia, contained Washington dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr . The Buckeyes sacked him six times that included three by defensive end Caden Curry . Ohio State's success against Williams set the tone for the Buckeyes' first road win of the 2025 season.

"It started with our defense," Day told CBS Sports afterward. "I thought we played really well, especially with the coverage. You could see that our guys made Williams -- who's a heck of a player -- doubl

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