Ohio State redshirt freshman Julian Sayin (10) calls before the snap during the game against Wisconsin Saturday. The No. 1 Buckeyes defeated the Badgers 34-0. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Quarterback Julian Sayin didn’t just play on Barry Alvarez Field.
He owned it.
By the time he walked off the field, the Wisconsin student section had gone home, the famed “Jump Around” had fallen flat, and the Camp Randall crowd had rained down boos after yet another Badger beat down.
Ohio State extended its win streak to 11 games dating back to last season, stuffing the Badgers 34-0 for back-to-back road wins and Sayin’s most dominating performance.
The red-shirt freshman commanded the offense with poise that belies his experience and connected with near-perfect precision. He threw for 393 yards–more than double his 166 yards against Illinois last week— completing 36 of 42 passes.
“I’m impressed with his preparation,” head coach Ryan Day said. “And when you see it translate to on the field, that’s winning football.”
Entering Saturday’s game, there was talk about Julian Sayin’s Heisman potential. After he dismantled Wisconsin, those whispers had become roars.
“[He’s] the Heisman winner,” Carnell Tate said. “Ain’t no questions, if, ands or doubts. Each and every week, he goes out there to prove to us why he’s a Heisman winner.”
If Ohio State was the semi truck that plowed through Wisconsin’s defense, then Sayin had his foot on the accelerator, and he never once tapped the brakes.
By the end of the first quarter, the Buckeyes led 14-0 and Wisconsin had yet to earn a first down.
Sayin spread the ball to nine different receivers, finding Tate twice in the endzone, once on a pass that cut through 38 yards of sky. Jeremiah Smith added 71 yards on eight receptions.
The Buckeyes averaged more than seven yards per play and scored on four of five red zone trips.
Tate finished with 111 yards, more than double Wisconsin’s entire passing total.
Running back Isaiah West led Ohio State’s run game with 49 yards on 12 carries. Bo Jackson contributed 26 yards on 10 carries, though Sayin’s performance overshadowed the run game.
While the offense rolled on, the defense made sure the Badgers never had traction.
Wisconsin was held to 69 yards at the half and 76 for the game. It was simply smothered by an Ohio State defense that forced three turnovers.
The shutout was the Buckeyes’ first in Big Ten play since crushing Purdue 45-0 on Nov. 9, 2024, when the defense was still under the command of Jim Knowles. Under Matt Patricia, it was just as dominating and disciplined.
“Every week we’re going for a shutout,” Caden Curry said. “Obviously, we want to be the best defense in college football. So we definitely don’t want to let them get anything.”
Ohio State’s last loss came nearly a year ago–to Michigan. It was after that defeat that they refocused and became the team that won the 2024 National Championship.
That familiar late-November meeting looms again, but this time with a quarterback and offense who aim to be ready for the challenge.
“I think our offense is all about just keep improving week by week,” Sayin said. “We’re not where we want to be yet.”
