Ohio State Buckeyes’ head coach Ryan Day gave high praise to his star quarterback, Julian Sayin, following the team’s week five victory against the Washington Huskies on the road.
The Ohio State Buckeyes were able to maintain the program’s undefeated record on Saturday against the Washington Huskies, thanks to another incredible performance from redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin.
In his first-ever road start of his career, Sayin would continue to display his elite accuracy and poise in a hostile environment, completing 22 of his 28 pass attempts for 208 yards and two touchdowns. His command of the offense played a huge role in the offense’s success in the second half, which ultimately led to the team pulling away with the victory.
When asked about his star quarterback’s play in the week five matchup, head coach Ryan Day told CBS in an interview that Sayin has a “bright future ahead of him.”
“Well, his first start at Ohio State was against Texas at home, who at the time was number one. And his first road start was against a team that’s won 22-straight games at home,” Day told CBS Sports’ Jenny Dell. “He's got composure. He's got poise. He gives really good information during the play. If there were times tonight where I thought I saw something, I went back and watched the film, and he was right. He trusts his reads. He's got a bright future ahead of him."
After three consecutive dominant performances to kick off the season, Sayin and the Buckeyes were tasked with taking down a red-hot Huskies team in the program’s first Big Ten Conference game of the year on Saturday. And despite the rough offensive showing for a majority of the first half, Sayin was able to give Ohio State life right before the halftime when he connected with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for the Buckeyes' first touchdown late in the second quarter.
The momentum generated by the offense was quickly carried over into the second half, as Sayin led the offense on a 14-play drive that was capped off by a rushing touchdown from running back CJ Donaldson.Following the high praise from his head coach, Sayin told CBS that he was able to find success in a loud environment due to his ability to take it one play at a time.
“We practiced it all week, and it was a big emphasis for us,” Sayin said when asked about how he kept his poise. “Just like [Coach Day] said, ‘poise in the noise’ and taking it one play at a time, one drive at a time and not riding the momentum of the highs and the lows.”
With four games under his belt, the young star has now thrown for 987 yards and ten touchdowns, while also touting a 78.8 completion percentage this year. In order for the Buckeyes to continue the dominant run in 2025, it’s clear that Sayin and Ohio State’s stable of talented playmakers must remain consistent in their efforts.