Ohio State junior wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) catches a ball in the end zone during the game against Penn State Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The No.1 Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions 38-14. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
It’s a law of physics that what goes up must come down.
It also seems to be the law of Ohio State football that when quarterback Julian Sayin puts the ball in the air, it will land in the hands of Jeremiah Smith or Carnell Tate.
No. 1 Ohio State beat Penn State 38-14 Saturday in Ohio Stadium, and Sayin made the spectacular seem routine. Every deep ball through the air felt like it would inevitably land in the outstretched hands of a receiver clad in scarlet and gray.
“We don’t want to be reckless,” Sayin said. “We want to be aggressive. And if we get one-on-one with our receivers, we think we have a good chance of them making a play.”
It was like deja vu, the same scene unfolding over again.
Second quarter, 3:41 on the clock. Sayin snaps the ball, looks up, and he lets the ball fly.
One second, two seconds, three seconds, four. Anticipation ran through the stands like electricity.
The ball traveled 45 yards into Tate’s hands. The Horseshoe erupted into a deafening roar.
With 14:24 left in the third quarter, the duo struck again—this time for 57 yards.
With 7:12 to go in the quarter, Sayin found wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for another 57 yards and two scores.
“When we get the right coverage, like Coach Day says, we take our shot, we got to hit him,” Smith said. “We don’t get too many of those—today we got a lot of them, so we got to take advantage.”
Sayin’s performance included 316 yards, four touchdowns and an 87% completion rate (20 for 23).
The game marked the first time in the quarterback’s career that he threw three passes over 45 yards. Against Grambling State and Ohio University, he threw two passes that topped 45 yards.
“I thought some of Julian’s deep balls were just excellent in this game,” head coach Ryan Day said. “[I] saw how they were playing us in the first half, felt like we had a chance to get behind them. So we called those plays, and Julian and the receivers did a great job, Jeremiah [and] Carnell.”
What goes up must come down, and when Sayin sends the ball skywards, it usually comes down right where Ohio State wants it.
