Stop us if you've heard this before, but Jim Knowles keeps on learning that the grass isn't always greener following his move from Ohio State football to Penn State. The Nittany Lions were supposed to push for a national championship this year, but the opposite is happening.
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Penn State has lost four games in a row, James Franklin has been fired and now it's totally up in the air if Knowles is going to remain with the program following this season. Oh, and as it turns out, his players at Penn State could not be more confused about his defensive schemes at times. Wait, what? Yeah, that's exactly what has been going on:
That's why Ohio State players on defense have said they are playing faster and have more freedom to be creative compared to last year. https://t.co/bZqgNYChBr
— JBook. (@JBook_37) October 22, 2025
Ohio State going from Jim Knowles to Matt Patricia has been a huge upgrade
When it was first reported that Knowles was leaving for Penn State, countless people in Columbus were ready to hit the panic button. Then when Ryan Day hired Matt Patricia as his new defensive coordinator, people were worried it would prove to be a huge mistake.
Day was taking a sizable risk on hiring the former NFL head coach, but through seven games, that decision from Day has proven to be gold. The Buckeyes are 7-0 and the defense is only giving up 5.9 points per game, which is No. 1 in the country.
What is allowing the Buckeyes to dominate on that side of the ball? It looks like Patricia is keeping things simple and he's giving his playmakers a bit more room to be creative and have freedom to execute on the fly. That's not what's going on in Happy Valley.
The Nittany Lions are getting battered each week, with people still fuming over the stunning loss on the road to UCLA. What has made things worse have been the losses to Northwestern and Iowa that have followed - don't forget about the OT loss to Oregon too.
Knowles was supposed to be the main move that was going to get Penn State over the hump and lift Franklin to where he needed to get to. Again, that hasn't happened and while things have been a total mess for the Nittany Lions, Ohio State is flourishing and enjoying life without Knowles running the defense. It's clear who won that breakup.