Saturday was Julian Sayin's best statistical day as a Buckeye, and there were so many things to like from his performance.
Saturday against the Illinois Fighting Illini was one of Julian Sayin's sharpest days as an Ohio State Buckeye. He finished his day 27-36 for 367 yards and four touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he scrambled seven times for 29 yards.
This week four game is going to be remembered, and rightfully so, as the Jeremiah Smith game. Obviously, Smith was superhuman on Saturday, but I still believe that what Sayin did was very solid.
Unlike last week, when he left some things out there on the field against Kent State, he pretty much got everything that he could out of his performance, and the result was the best game of his career.
While that is true, it was not quite that way midway through the second. Then, on 3rd and long, Sayin channeled his inner Justin Fields or Will Howard and made a massive play with his feet. He eluded two different sacks and then scrambled for a huge gain to move the sticks.
It was at that moment that he caught fire and elevated his game to a really high level.
He was sharp at all levels of the field, he was quick in his decision-making, he was his normal accurate self, and he kept giving Jeremiah Smith chances.
It was important growth to see from the Buckeyes as a whole because in the third quarter, it felt too much like the Texas game when they just let the Longhorns back into the football game.
The Buckeyes killed any momentum that the Illini had in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win. It was also the first time that the Buckeyes simply continued to go to Jeremiah Smith. When they needed a play, they went right to No. 4, and he solved everyone's problems.
Sayin was awesome on Saturday, and for the first time this season, he showed that he can be the reason that the Buckeyes win football games and the National Championship. Unlike last year, when he was largely the reason why they didn't win the title.
Everyone was excited about his legs, and rightfully so. That held him and the Buckeyes back in the past. But what made me the most excited was his arm. He has never taken a game over as he did on Saturday, and the Buckeyes simply needed to see it.
He has to continue the upward trajectory but he reached towards his potential on Saturday and it was really good to see. Big one next week against Iowa.
