Breaking Down Julian Sayin’s Performance vs. Ohio As Ohio State Quarterback Continues to Shine As Deep Passer

The redshirt freshman had himself another great game in Ohio State's 37-9 win over Ohio Saturday night, one week after he was nearly perfect against Grambling State.

Yeah, there were some bad throws and plays mixed in, but given that it was Sayin's third start, he already appears well on his way to being the next great Buckeye quarterback.

Against the Bobcats, Sayin completed 25 of 32 passes for 347 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Ohio State not only passed the ball more than it ran the ball for the first time this season, but the California native did some things that haven't been done in a couple of years as well.

Julian Sayin's 347 passing yards in the win over Ohio tonight are the most by an Ohio State quarterback since C.J. Stroud threw for 348 yards against Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31, 2022.

Sayin is also the first OSU quarterback to throw three touchdowns in consecutive

— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) September 14, 2025

In all, Sayin completed a pass to eight different receivers, with seven of those players catching at least two passes. He was literally slingin' it all over the field.

“He threw some good balls. Again, he had good timing," Day said of Sayin's performance. "I thought his deep balls were excellent. The first one down the sideline to Jeremiah had a lot of air on it, which allowed him to go make a play. I thought both posts were well thrown. Had good rhythm.”

To take a closer look at Sayin's performance against Ohio, we charted all 32 of his pass attempts in the game. (Note: The passing chart is categorized by how many yards the quarterback threw the ball in the air past the line of scrimmage on each attempt and whether the ball reached its target inside or outside the hashes, though the stats listed include yards gained after the catch on each completion.)

After throwing only four passes 10-19 yards downfield in the first two games of the season, Sayin completed all three of his intermediate throws against the Bobcats for 71 yards, nearly double the yardage he had in that area of the field against Texas and Grambling State combined.

Sayin also completed all three of his deep passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night, making him the most efficient deep-ball passer in the country so far this season. He has completed all seven of his passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield for 352 yards and five touchdowns.

Sayin's 352 yards throwing the deep ball are tied for the sixth-most in the FBS. His 100% completion rate and 50.3 yards per attempt in that area of the field lead the country. The second-most yards per attempt on passes thrown 20-plus yards belong to SMU's Kevin Jennings, who’s averaged 34.1 yards on those throws, more than 16 yards per attempt fewer than Sayin.

The quarterback also took advantage of the short part of the field against Ohio, especially compared to his first two starts of the season. Sayin completed 13 of 18 throws between 0-9 yards for 85 yards and an interception. He threw only 20 passes in that area of the field in the first two weeks of the season.

While Ohio State used play action around the same number of times it did in the first two games of the season, it ran non-play action abundantly more than it did against Texas and Grambling State.

Sayin completed 16 of 21 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on non-play action plays against Ohio after throwing only 20 times without play action in the first two weeks.

If (when?) the running game becomes more consistent, look for Ryan Day, Brian Hartline and company to take advantage of play action to open the passing game even more.

After Sayin was pressured on only five passes against the Longhorns and Tigers, Ohio made things a bit tougher for the quarterback, as the redshirt freshman was pressured on seven throws Saturday night. That said, he completed five of those seven passes for 73 yards, one touchdown and an interception under pressure. Sayin has been pressured on only 17.6% of dropbacks, good for 156th in the country.

The Bobcats also blitzed on exactly half of Sayin's 32 passes, and the quarterback did well in both situations. When Ohio brought extra pressure, Sayin completed 11 of 16 pases for 156 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Below, we take a look at three good throws and three bad reads/decisions by Sayin in the win over Ohio:

Missed Read: Missed an Open CJ Donaldson Near the End Zone

While Sayin tried his best to scramble and create more time for his receivers to get open on fourth-and-goal, he missed Donaldson for an easy touchdown on his right at the beginning of the play, before the quarterback tried to move out of the pocket.

The running back came out of the backfield and appeared as though he would've been able to catch a pass and walk into the end zone for a score.

Missed Read: Missed an Open Brandon Inniss Near the End Zone

This is another one that Sayin would love to have back, especially given the Buckeyes' red-zone struggles Saturday night.

With Inniss in motion, Ohio State got the man coverage it was hoping for. It appears that the quarterback never really looked at the left side of the field, which is where Inniss was. While Sayin did a good job of scrambling and throwing the ball away to live for another down, he missed Inniss for what would have most likely been a touchdown.

Good Throw: 16-yard Touchdown to Max Klare

Sayin not only did a great job moving around the pocket, waiting for a receiver to come open, but he also kept his eyes downfield, leading to Klare's first touchdown as a Buckeye.

Max Klare's first touchdown as a Buckeye couldn't have come at a better time pic.twitter.com/XCmHGXjbS4

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 14, 2025

Good Throw: 47-yard Touchdown to Jeremiah Smith

When you have the best player in college football in one-on-one coverage, throw it up to him and let him make a play. That's exactly what Sayin did and Smith did the rest, catching a long touchdown on a ball that traveled 52-53 yards through the air.

Julian Sayin Jeremiah Smith pic.twitter.com/u2MiJzu65B

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 14, 2025

“Before we got on the field, Coach Day called it," Smith said of the play. "He was like, ‘We’re gonna call this play, and you got to go get it.’ I already knew the ball was coming to me.”

Best Throw: 49-yard Touchdown to Carnell Tate

Likely Sayin's best throw of the season to date, he hit Tate in stride for a 49-yard touchdown on a pass that traveled around 53 yards through the air once again.

Julian Sayin Jeremiah Smith pic.twitter.com/u2MiJzu65B

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 14, 2025

“Great plays by Carnell and Jeremiah," Sayin said of his two long touchdown passes. "I think we work on those throws a lot in practice. Coach Day and Coach (Billy) Fessler are always telling our quarterbacks, ‘Throw it high, give it air so they can adjust.’ They made two great catches. I was excited to see them come down with it.”

Bad Decision: Second Interception of the Game

Sometimes, taking a sack is OK. While taking a sack isn't ideal, it's much better than turning the ball over.

Instead of taking a sack, Sayin tried to throw the ball while getting sacked, leading to an interception.

“I thought he played well. A lot of good plays. But what you have to learn as a quarterback — I say it’s just like golf, like, you can have a great day, but if you hit two in the water, your round is ruined. It’s the same way here," Day said. "A tipped ball in a two-minute drill could cost you a game. We got a chance to put them away up three scores, going to get our fourth score. In that moment, he knows he’s got to take the sack. … Take the sack, take your medicine and live to see another day. Lesson learned.”

That said, Sayin plans to learn from his mistakes, specifically the interception above.

“We talk about third-hand help when you’re getting pressured in the pocket, you know, protect the ball, put it on your body. I was too loose with it," he said. “Had the turnovers, and see how we respond as an offense and how I respond. I think it’s good to battle some adversity out there.”

Three games into his career as a starter, Sayin already ranks among the best in the FBS in key passing statistics:

• First in completion percentage (78.9%)
• Fourth in yards per attempt (11)
• Third in QB Rating (199.8)
• Tied for 14th in touchdown passes (eight)
• His 87-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Smith against Grambling State is also the longest pass of the season

Sayin's passing chart through three games in the 2025 season: