When Ryan Day decided to bring Matt Patricia onto the Ohio State staff as defensive coordinator ahead of the 2025 season, he knew he was getting a highly experienced NFL coach with a history of success and a man capable of building relationships and trust in the locker room.After Ohio State's Saturday’s 70-0 win over Grambling State, it is clear that Patricia’s influence on the Buckeyes’ defense is already being felt.During a Tuesday press conference, Day joked about Patricia’s unconventional choice to watch games from the sideline rather than the press box like most defensive coordinators."That was his decision," Day said. "I left it up to him. Just get off the field on third down."Before joining Day's staff, Patricia served more than a decade as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots of the NFL, and the Patriots won two Super Bowls during his time as defensive coordinator.Patricia also put up a phenomenal debut at Columbus with Ohio State's 14-7 win over previous No. 1 Texas in Week 1, as his defense was dominant in forcing numerous turnovers on downs and keeping the high-powered Longhorn offense in check.Day had nothing but praise for his new defensive coordinator.“I know the type of person he is," Day said on "The Herd" podcast. "He’s a great man. He’s a great husband, great father, and he really, early on, built relationships and trust within the building in a short period of time with the staff."And the players deserve a ton of the credit but that being said, you know Matt put it all together, and it’s only a start we had a long way to go, but certainly you know for the first game of the year, with an in-experienced group going on the field, it was a good start.”Ryan Day reflects on the significance of Ohio State vs. Ohio clashAfter opening the 2025 season with victories over Texas and Gambling State, Ohio State is set to take on Ohio at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday.Ryan Day spoke on the importance of the game for both schools and the state."I think it's good for the state," Day said. "I think it's great for their school. I think it's great for our school.When you're from the state of Ohio, having a memory of playing in the horseshoe during your college career is significant and we know these guys are going to be playing with their hair on fire."The Bobcats enter the game coming off a 17-10 win over West Virginia. They are 1-1 on the season, having opened with a 34-31 loss to Rutgers on Aug. 28.