Michigan football fans now have one more easy reason to disdain rival Ohio State.
Matt Patricia.
Patricia, Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator, saw his Buckeyes defense shut down Arch Manning and No. 1-ranked Texas in No. 2 Ohio State’s 14-7 win Saturday afternoon in Columbus at Ohio Stadium.
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The defense came up with two interceptions and numerous fourth-down stops, including one near the goal line, to preserve a victory for the defending College Football Playoff champions and surely vault themselves to the No. 1 ranking entering Week 2 against Grambling State.
Ohio State Football defensive coordinator Matt Patricia gestures during an April 7, 2025 news conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Patricia, 50, was already disliked in the state of Michigan, after his tenure as coach of the NFL’s Detroit Lions flamed out in less than 3 years when he was fired, along with general manager Bob Quinn, after a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Houston Texans in 2020.
That year, the Lions blew leads of 17, 11 and 14 points in losses to the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, and were 4-7 when he was sent packing by new owner Sheila Ford Hamp. Patricia had a 13-29-1 record with the Lions from 2018-20, a putrid .314 winning percentage.
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Who can forget Patricia’s Lions debut on Monday Night Football, when the Lions were embarrassed on national television by what turned out to be a bad New York Jets team, 48-17, at a livid Ford Field.
Yet there Patricia was on Saturday in the biggest game of college football’s entire nonconference schedule, pencil in ear despite a laminate play sheet.
Except this time, a thinner, greyer Patricia got the last laugh, wearing his new colors and seems to like his new colors: scarlet and grey.
“He did a great job, our staff did a great job, I thought the plan coming in was excellent, they kept fighting,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said postgame on the field when asked about the defensive performance.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Matt Patricia gives Michigan fans one more reason to hate Ohio State
