Degree of difficulty…no question this twisting catch by Carnell Tate in the second quarter in Saturday’s blowout win over Grambling. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
The Buckeyes started fast with three touchdowns in the first 11 minutes, Julian Sayin was almost perfect, and there were plenty of numbers to keep track of as the anticipated blowout reached 70-0.
Columbus, OH – How do you entertain yourself and stay awake on a late Saturday afternoon while viewing the blowout the world was counting on?
You count.
Consecutive completions, passing touchdowns, quarterbacks who played, tight end catches and touchdowns, reviews early in the second half (like it mattered at that point), unfamiliar numbers you must consult the roster for, etc., etc. Kinda like you do when you’re tracking your fantasy team on Sundays.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Minster Bank proudly sponsors the best area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.com.
The final count that matters most: No. 1 Ohio State 70, Grambling State 0.
And the other good numbers the 2-0 Buckeyes accumulated against an overmatched team in terms of size and talent?
Take your pick.
Let’s start with redshirt freshman Julian Sayin because his nearly perfect play created a buzz. Yes, it came against the FCS Tigers who aren’t good enough to be ranked in their subdivision’s top 25 and not quite good enough to crack the HBCU top 10. Nonetheless, there were 11 Tigers on the field.
Sayin made his second start and reps are important this early in the season no matter the opponent. He knew where each of the 11 Tigers were on every play as he completed the first 16 passes he threw, pushing the ball down field far more than against Texas. That’s an Ohio State record for consecutive completions to start a game.
On their first possession…a touchdown pass from Julian Sayin to tight end Will Kacmarek that signaled an avalanche of scoring.
When Sayin hit 16-for-16, he had 290 yards and four touchdowns. He finished 18 of 19 for 306 yards. The touchdowns were 47 yards to tight end Will Kacmarek – a dart down the seam that would have looked good against any opponent – 87 yards to Jeremiah Smith – the second-longest pass play in the OSU annals – 13 yards to Carnell Tate – another great catch for OSU’s No. 2 receiver – and 9 yards to Smith.
“Julian really had some accurate throws, the ball came out on time,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “We were pushing the envelope a little bit to see how he would respond and throw those because this is all for the first time for him. There’s really no time to learn on the job.”
Sayin’s only incompletion didn’t hit the turf. It was intercepted at the Grambling 1-yard line on a short throw intended for Tate. Not that it mattered to the result, but it will be a learning moment in the quarterback room this week.
EB Real Estate, Darke County’s sales leader, proudly sponsors the best area sports on Press Pros Magazine.
“It was bad decision on my part,” Sayin said. “We’ve just got to watch the tape and move on and learn from it because we can’t have those mistakes.”
Sayin’s No. 1 target is Smith – if he’s open throw it – but he has a wealth of options. In the first half, he completed passes to seven different receivers. Smith caught five for 119 yards and Tate caught six for 69. Even against Texas, Sayin saw the field well and made a quick decision of where to throw. He doesn’t lock in on only Smith and Tate.
First quarter blitz…Jeremiah Smith looks back to see who’s there on this touchdown catch from quarterback Julian Sayin.
“There’s definitely some pre-snap element to it, and that’s from the preparedness that the coaches have for us,” Sayin said. “But you also have to let the defense kind of dictate where it goes based on their drops. It’s a little bit of pre-snap identification and post-snap confirmation.”
The passing touchdown number reached five. Lincoln Kienholz started the second half and played most of it. He threw a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jelani Thurman on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The tight end room is ready to throw a party for offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. The depth showed as their number was called time and time again for eight catches. The Buckeyes have been mostly a one tight end team in recent years, especially in terms of production. But two and three tight ends are increasingly on the field together.
Starter Max Klare transferred from Purdue and the expectation was he would stack up the catches. But so far there might be too many good tight ends for him to get into the conversation for the John Mackey Award for the nation’s best.
Logan Services, in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus, proudly sponsors the best area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.
Klare caught one pass for seven yards. Kacmarek caught two for 55 yards, including the game’s tone-setting touchdown with 12:39 left in the first quarter. Thurman caught four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Bennett Christian caught a one-yard pass.
“It can be a weapon for us,” Day said of the group. “Moving forward we have a lot more flexibility, not only in the run game, but also in the passing game, spreading out, play action in multiple groupings, which we haven’t done as much in the past.
Defensive highlight…Caleb Downs’ second quarter interception draws the recognition of teammates.
“They’re all athletic, and they all can do multiple things. As we start to build what this team looks like on offense, the tight ends are going to be a big part of it.”
As the margin grew, even true freshman quarterback Tavien St. Clair from Bellefontaine played his first college snaps. He mostly handed off. One of his passes was dropped and the other was broken up by a hard hit.
Too many backup defensive players to count got valuable reps. But No. 20, true freshman linebacker Riley Pettyjohn, made the highlights. He recovered a fumble forced by starting tackle Kayden McDonald and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second half for a 42-0 lead.
Later in the third quarter, Pettyjohn made a textbook tackle at the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble. Fellow true freshman Epi Sitanilei, an end, recovered the fumble. And the Buckeyes drove to a 56-0 lead on a 12-yard touchdown run by true freshman Isaiah West.
The Arbogast family of dealerships proudly sponsors coverage of Ohio State football on Press Pros Magazine.com.
As the game was winding down and the stadium was emptying, the count toward 100 yards for a true freshman running back named Bo Jackson intensified.
Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be drum majors. O-H…O-Ouch…on Alumni Band day.
Jackson, living up to his famous name, broke off a 51-yard run to reach 99 yards. Then he scored what was thought to be his second touchdown to push him over 100 yards. A penalty called it back. No problem. He took the next carry 10 yards to the three to finish with 109. Sam Williams-Dixon got the next two carries and scored the final touchdown.
And the expected vanquishing of Grambling State was complete.
As head coach Mickey Joseph said this week, the World Famed Tiger Marching Band came to compete. Many early exiting fans waited to leave until after the band’s electric halftime performance.
And they were better than good. If you were in the Horseshoe, the GSU band was another thing you could count on.
Wilson Health proudly sponsors your favorite area sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.