Ryan Day shares straightforward message to Julian Sayin ahead of rivalry game

First-year starting quarterback Julian Sayin finds himself firmly in the Heisman discussion ahead of Ohio State’s regular season finale against Michigan.

It’s probably a situation that not even Sayin could’ve predicted, as the Buckeyes have breezed through an unbeaten season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

But everything is amplified during Michigan week. Certainly, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is aware of that, as the Wolverines have gotten the best of him over the past four meetings. Day’s message to Sayin ahead of the game is clear.

"To continue to do what he's done and lead the team to a victory. That's it at the end of the day," Day told reports on Tuesday. "What does that look like? It depends on how the game plays out. But he's got to do his job, make great decisions and ultimately be the guy that leads his team to victory. That's the No. 1 goal. The rest of it is gravy."

Sayin has been dominant all season for the Buckeyes. Day and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline eased the Alabama transfer into the season, slowly putting more on his plate with each victory. He’s thrown 27 touchdown passes to just four interceptions.

Recently, Sayin has impressed without Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate available due to injury. Ohio State is able to lean on their running back committee headlined by true freshman Bo Jackson and a stout defense each week, making life easy on their 20-year-old quarterback.

There’s been some optimism that either Smith or Tate – perhaps both – could return for Saturday’s rivalry matchup. Certainly, that will help Sayin ease into the craziest atmosphere that he will see all season.

"He's shown composure this year, but again, now he's got to be at his best,” Day said.

Michigan enters this game as the No. 18 ranked team in the country with a lot to play for. They’ve played spoiler to the Buckeyes over the last four seasons. But last year, Ohio State still won the National Championship. This season, the Wolverines need a statement win to crash the 12-team College Football Playoff.

With a victory on Saturday, Ohio State will complete a clean sweep of their perfect regular season. More importantly, they will have gotten the monkey off their back that has been the Wolverines during the Day era. A victory would position the Buckeyes to run the table in the national title defense. Immediately, they would be set up for a date in the Big Ten Championship with Indiana, where Sayin could duel with Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza for the Heisman.

But none of that matters without a victory against Michigan, and that’s what Day will be repeating to his young quarterback all week long.