Julian Sayin had his biggest rushing day as a Buckeye…29 yards and a touchdown. A reader asks: “Is he a sitting duck when Jeremiah Smith isn’t open?” (Press Pros Feature Photos)
What did we see over this past weekend? Well, a number of readers from here and there who took the time to watch for themselves…and read Jeff Gilbert. They ask: “Are we seeing the same Buckeyes as last year?”
If you were to poll college football fans from across the country pertaining to their local team’s result on Saturday, 42-19 (the Buckeyes’ margin of victory over Illinois) would be far more than the glass half full.
For Iowa (especially), for Michigan (God forbid), for Minnesota (who saw that coming?), Florida (such much for Ole Miss mania), and…well name your mania…42-19 looks good, feels good, and what the hey, it is good. Sign me up for next week.
But was it good enough in Columbus, Dayton, Zanesville, Ironton, Youngstown, and Bucyrus?
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Here’s a sampling of what we found in the Sunday mailbag:
“Aside from the fireworks, the entrance, the red smoke, and four touchdowns from Jeremiah Smith (a given), is this Buckeye team any different from the letdown of a year ago. You’ll remember they beat Illinois by about the same score. And by the way, Gilbert’s was the best game story, anywhere.” … signed Scott, from Groveport.
Our answer: Well Mike, here’s what the old-timers would say when you compare what you saw to the reality of what it was other places. A win’s a win, is a win, is a win. And if you don’t believe me send your question to Ann Arbor and see how they’re feeling about unfulfilled expectations.
“Where would we have been without the four touchdowns to Jeremiah Smith? Run game?” … signed, Sleepless in Ironton (seriously, it was)
Our answer: Good question. If you’re into math and your question is about the balance on offense (run game and other receiving options) the Buckeyes could have gotten beat 19-14. And yes, the run game was just OK.
Where would the Buckeyes have been without Jeremiah Smith on Saturday? Well, one way to look at it…19-13, Illinois!
And yes, there wasn’t much to see from the other receiving options like Brandon Inniss and the aforementioned Chris Henry, who apparently is light years away from where Jeremiah Smith was as a freshman talent. But as a decoy he looks just fine.
“Speaking of Brandon Inniss, can you explain why he wears the number ‘O’, compared to what Sonny Styles did a year ago wearing that number?” … Al Gano
Our answer: Excellent question, and I asked the same to Jeff Gilbert. ‘Gibby’s’ answer …”I hear he’s very inspirational in the locker room. Great teammate.” So great that they only targeted him once all day against Illinois, apparently. The real answer…we don’t know.
“Given how they played against Illinois, and how Iowa finished against Michigan, which team would you rather be this Saturday when the Buckeyes go to Iowa?” … Tom Killilea
Koverman,Staley, Dickerson proudly supports your favorite high school sports on Press Pros Magazine.
Our answer: Ohio State hasn’t lost in Iowa since 2017, a 55-24 blowout that included one of the buses failing to start on the trip to the airport after the game. And to answer your question, football games are not won by one play alone. I’m not that impressed, having watched Michigan against Western Michigan and Iowa, and the Hawkeyes had more karma going for them on the final play than most teams in the same situation have for the entire year. That said, Iowa’s defense will be as good as they see all year. Let’s hope the Ohio State offense that we’ve been promised doesn’t fail to start, too.
“Did it occur to you that when they had Illinois beat in the second half it would have been good to have gotten the second-string quarterback some game experience, whoever that is? And why don’t teams like Ohio State play their backups more when they have a big lead?” … Dave in Urbana
Our answer: Texas
“They wrote a whole story in the Columbus paper about Julian Sayin running for 30 yards Saturday. Is that an indication that he’s a sitting duck when Jeremiah Smith isn’t open? Enjoy your site.” … Bart from Delaware
Our answer: Officially, Sayin ran for 29 yards and that one touchdown in the second half…and -44 yards for his entire freshman season. Up the way in Ann Arbor, their quarterback ran for 36 yards against Iowa…and ran for 400 yards as a freshman. Take your pick, or love the one you’re with.
Wilson Health Orthopedics sponsors the best in area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.