Julian Sayin still not satisfied after leading Buckeyes past Michigan

For the first time since the 2019 season, the Ohio State Buckeyes finally took down the Michigan Wolverines 27-9 behind a stellar performance from quarterback Julian Sayin.

Sayin made a mistake early, throwing an interception that set up a Michigan field goal, but bounced back by finishing the day 19/26 for 233 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a terrific performance by a player experiencing college football’s top rivalry for the first time, but despite his success, he still wasn’t satisfied with his performance and is ready to continue improving.

“I think there is still stuff to clean up, you know? Had the turnover in the beginning and put our defense in a bad spot. But they battled and played really well,” Sayin said. “The offensive line did a great job all day. I think it was just awesome to see our guys play with elite focus through the entire game.”

The best thing Sayin did all day was overcoming his early mistake. He adjusted from it in a way that Ohio State quarterbacks have struggled to do over the years.

“We wanted this one bad. We know how important this is to Buckeye state, so it was important for us and we were excited to get this done,” Sayin said. “We always talk about being even-keeled in our quarterback room and battling adversity. We knew adversity was going to come and the second play of the game, it ended up coming. Just keep battling and keep fighting and keep swinging.”

Despite never being the guy in a game of this magnitude before, Sayin knew the expectations and the value of just how important it was for him to win.

“When I first got here, I was taught the tradition of this and how much it means to Buckeye Nation and how much it means to the state of Ohio,” Sayin said. “We definitely want to take it one week at a time, but we knew this was coming. It was awesome to have our fans there. We ended up clearing out the stadium, having all red out there, so it was awesome.”

It was Sayin’s play that really changed the course of the game and helped break the curse. When the Buckeyes were trailing early, he took a lead with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith.

He then led a long drive, capping it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Inniss to extend the lead before halftime.

He also threw a 50-yard bomb to Carnell Tate for a touchdown, effectively sealing the win for Ohio State.

Now Sayin and the Buckeyes will prepare for the No. 2 team in the country, the Indiana Hoosiers, in the Big 10 title game.

Sayin’s Heisman campaign should be in full swing after another elite performance on one of the biggest stages college football has to offer, and the Buckeyes are flying high as they try to bring home a second straight national title.