With Ohio State and Penn State set for a battle at noon on Saturday, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day will face off against Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles for the first time since Knowles’ departure in January.
During Day’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, Day said he and Knowles have had little communication since he left for Penn State, adding that he still valued the time the defensive coordinator had at Ohio State and most importantly the championship they shared.
“When any relationship breaks off, sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, but there really hasn’t been much communication,” Day said. “He did a great job when he was here. He helped us win a national championship and kind of left it at that and then it was ‘Hey we’ve got to go make a replacement and move on from there.’
“That’s kind of how it is and it was abrupt but we certainly respect the work that he did when he was here.”
Knowles left for the Nittany Lions less than a week after Ohio State had clinched its first national title in 10 years, forcing Day and the Buckeyes to make a swift transition to a new defensive coordinator with limited options.
Day said he was fortunate to find defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in the weeks after the championship, a move that ultimately has become a “home run” according to the head coach.
“Between when Jim left and when we hired Matt where I think a lot of people were like ‘he’s going to hire one here pretty soon,’ but it left us in a tough spot because the hiring cycle was already sort of done and so it was so late,” Day said. “The fact that Matt was available, it ended up being a home run. And so just being thorough and making sure we’re doing what’s right by the players.”
Since Knowles’ departure it’s been two vastly different stories for the Ohio State and Penn State defenses. The Buckeyes are off to a perfect 7-0 season and have allowed just 41 points total, or 5.9 points per game — the nation’s best mark by 4.5 points.
The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, are off to a disappointing 3-4 start to the season after entering the season with championship aspirations. Penn State allowed 42 points in its loss to UCLA alone, while the Nittany Lions boast just the 29th scoring defense nationally allowing 19.4 points per game — nearly two touchdowns more than Ohio State.
But even with Patricia’s success, Day feels the improvements on defense have been a group effort.
Day highlighted Ohio State’s defensive coaching outside himself and Patricia, adding that the Buckeyes have what he believes to be the best defensive coaching staff in America.
He said Ohio State’s defensive position coaches — cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and defensive line coach Larry Johnson — don’t get enough credit for their impact on the Buckeyes over the last two seasons.
“Jim did a great job last year, Matt’s doing a great job this year. What’s the common denominator?” Day asked. “Those coaches and the players.”
