Carnell Tate (17) celebrates after catching a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Julian Sayin during Ohio State’s 42-6 win against Minnesota on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Julian Sayin had 237 yards and two touchdowns on a Minnesota defense that came into the game allowing 232.5 yards per game.
Carnell Tate had a career-high 163 yards on seven catches, torching every Golden Gopher defender that lined up across from him.
And that was all before the band came onto the field for its half-time performance.
The Buckeyes scored 21 first-half points and cruised to a 42-3 win against Minnesota Saturday night at Ohio Stadium in a game that was basically over by halftime.
“You’ve got to credit the players for showing up regardless of the opponent week in and week out,” head coach Ryan Day said, “You’ve got to be great all the time.”
Ohio State’s defense once again did what it has done all year, suffocating its opponent by simply not allowing it to reach the end zone. But it was the passing attack that stole the show against the Gophers.
Quarterback Julian Sayin played the best game of his brief career, completing 23 of 27 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns. The redshirt freshman operated behind an offensive line that didn’t allow a sack, as he calmly scanned the field and found receivers who were often wide open.
“I think you’re seeing his confidence improve every week,” Day said. “We wanted to put more on his plate this week.”
No one was more open than Tate.
The junior wideout finished with nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown, outgaining Minnesota’s entire offense by 21 yards. While he’s been efficient all season, coming into the game with 252 yards and three touchdowns, Saturday was a breakout performance.
“He does a lot of the dirty work,” Day said. “He does a lot of the blocking, and now you’re seeing him show up.”
Tate made his mark downfield, hauling in two receptions of 45-plus yards, including a 48-yard back-shoulder grab with 3:41 to go in the first quarter from Sayin that set up a C.J. Donaldson 1-yard touchdown run.
Sayin, who was limited to short throws last week against Washington – with his longest pass being just 19 yards- had five throws for 20-plus yards Saturday.
“We had a great game plan from the coaches,” Sayin said, “They put us in a position to take those shots downfield.”
While Tate stretched the field, sophomore Jeremiah Smith worked underneath as Sayin’s safety valve, catching seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.
The duo made their mark early, accounting for Sayin’s first seven completions, which went for 159 yards.
“We’re always pushing each other to get open,” Tate said, “If JJ doesn’t do his job, I can’t get open, and if I don’t do my job, JJ can’t get open.
While the offense put up nearly 500 yards of total offense, Day emphasized that there is room for improvement.
“We’re going to watch the film and see some things we’re frustrated with,” Day said, “[We’ve] got to keep getting better…that’s just the way it goes.”
