Ohio State brutally trolls Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles

After losing to Ohio State for the eighth straight time last season and watching the Buckeyes roll to the national championship, Penn State spent big in the offseason, poaching defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ryan Day’s staff. James Franklin’s bold move didn’t pay off, and Ohio State is taking a bit of a victory lap at the Horseshoe in Week 10. 

With No. 1 Ohio State up 38-14 in the second half on Penn State, the video operator at Ohio Stadium flashed shots of Knowles and then his replacement in Columbus, former NFL head coach and Bill Belichick disciple, Matt Patricia. Ohio State fans knew what to do, showering Knowles with boos in his return and cheering just as loud for his replacement. 

Ohio State immediately upgraded from Jim Knowles

Amid Ohio State’s run to the 2024 national title, Knowles made crucial adjustments, playing three safety defenses that limited Oregon in the Rose Bowl and fully leveraged the skills of Caleb Downs as one of the best tackling defensive backs in the country. Meanwhile, his relationship with Day was reportedly fracturing. 

Knowles was all to happy to leave for a major payday in Happy Valley after Tom Allen, Penn State’s defensive coordinator for 2024, left to join Dabo Swinney at Clemson. The Nittany Lions, though, fell apart after a Week 5 loss to Oregon and followed the double overtime loss up with a 42-37 defeated at the hands of UCLA to dash the program’s College Football Playoff hopes. 

Penn State wasn’t wrong to seek an upgrade over Allen. He was hapless to slow down Oregon in the Big Ten Championship, relying too heavily on man coverage and not varying his looks in the secondary enough to compete for titles. Knowles, who in Oregon’s very next matchup stymied the Ducks, was an ideal replacement, especially considering his ties to Eastern Pennsylvania. It just didn’t work. 

It may not be Knowles' fault, necessarily, but as Penn State searches for James Franklin’s replacement, it’s unlikely that Knowles stays put in Happy Valley. His tenure at Ohio State had seemed to run its course, but his bet on Penn State was a bad one, and now he could be forced into the open market at 60 years old. 

Patricia, on the other hand, has led a historically dominant defense through 10 weeks. One that, had it not been for a CJ Donaldson Jr. fumble in the first half, would have only allowed a touchdown in the Buckeyes' 38-14 win, Ohio State's ninth in a row over Penn State.

The rivalry, if you can even call it that, has been all Buckeyes for years. This Knowles situation just pours a bit more salt in the wound for Nittany Lions fans.