Ohio State's defense set the tone on Saturday, led by senior defensive lineman Caden Curry.

The Ohio State Buckeyes got off to a very slow start again on Saturday against the Washington Huskies, who showed that they would give the top-ranked team in the nation all it could handle.

Ohio State senior leader Caden Curry had other plans.

Curry finished Saturday with 11 tackles, including nine solo stops, five tackles for loss, and three sacks. Simply put, he was everywhere for Ohio State, which was exactly what the Buckeyes needed.

Saturday resembled the 2024 version of Ohio State's defense, known for a "bend, don't break" style. It would give up a bunch of yards between the 20-yard lines, but when teams reached the red zone, the Buckeyes would buckle down and hold opponents to field goals instead of touchdowns.

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With that strategy, Ohio State became known for its outstanding goal-line defense. Many times last season, the Buckeyes had their cleats in the end zone, but stiffened up and kept the opponent out. They did it twice against Washington in Week 5, limiting the Huskies to six points on three trips to the red zone.

Curry anchored those stout stances.

Not only did Curry stuff the stat sheet, but he did it at critical times in the game. For example, with the game still scoreless, Washington pushed the ball to the Buckeyes' 3-yard line; it felt like the Huskies would put a touchdown on the board on first-and-goal.

Instead, on first down, Curry made a one-yard tackle for loss and followed it up with another two-yard loss tackle on second down. Back-to-back huge plays pushed Washington back, and the result was a field goal instead of a touchdown.

Curry leads a position group that needs to continue improving. In just five weeks since the season began, the defensive line has made drastic improvements, going from a negative position on the team to one that it can win because of.

He is doing his part to take the torch that Jack Sawyer left behind. "Captain Jack" was the heartbeat of Ohio State.

Curry holds that role for this year's Buckeye defense, and he, like Sawyer, will do whatever it takes to get the Buckeyes back to the mountain top.