Julian Sayin breaks 41-year drought, rewarding Ryan Day and Ohio State for taking patient approach in Texas win
The Ohio State Buckeyes won their 26th-straight season opener and seventh-straight top-10 matchup, but the most notable historical accomplishment belonged to second-year freshman Julian Sayin. Simply winning his debut start for the Buckeyes was a key accomplishment. But he’s now in the history books as someone incredibly rare across the nation. First-time starters were 0-16 […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes won their 26th-straight season opener and seventh-straight top-10 matchup, but the most notable historical accomplishment belonged to second-year freshman Julian Sayin. Simply winning his debut start for the Buckeyes was a key accomplishment. But he’s now in the history books as someone incredibly rare across the nation.
First-time starters were 0-16 facing the No. 1 team in the nation since 2010. It’s been 41 years since a quarterback’s first start resulted in a win against the No. 1 team. Funny enough, it was Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh who set that benchmark against the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes in 1984.
Sayin’s stats weren’t impressive, completing 13-of-20 attempts for 126 yards and one touchdown. But he lost several more opportunities to drops, including multiple from Max Klare and Jeremiah Smith. Thankfully, Carnell Tate caught the most important jump ball of his career on this 40-yard score.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day admitted he kept the passing game conservative for Sayin in order to control the game. That may have been a mistake, but Ohio State will take the win. In the meantime, Sayin is surely happy to set a record and get his Buckeyes tenure off to the perfect start.
