Stocks continue rising as Ohio State trounced a top-25 caliber team on the road this weekend.
Yes, 24-6 is a trouncing, especially against a Washington offense that might boast future first-round NFL draft picks at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Ohio State's front six dominated, completely nullifying the rushing threat of one of the country's most mobile quarterbacks, Demond Williams Jr.
It was another poised, efficient outing from Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin as well and freshman running back Bo Jackson took the reins of the rotation, but there are still issues to work through for the Buckeyes on special teams.
Stock Up
Caden and Kayden
As the wonderful, insightful Dan Hope wrote about after the Washington game, Ohio State has two elite anchors of its defensive line with defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and defensive end Caden Curry. The duo combined for 18 tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks against the Huskies. Unheard-of production on the defensive line. Curry landed Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Julian Sayin
Sayin’s pocket presence and decision-making in a deafening Husky Stadium were the latest examples of why he’s well beyond his years in terms of being a veteran presence at quarterback. He finished a deadly accurate 79% despite a few wise throwaways, and just like against Texas in Week 1, he didn’t turn the ball over. Plus he got his legs involved, whether through the aforementioned pocket presence to evade a rush and complete a pass downfield or to scramble in a few key spots.
What a toe drag by Carnell Tate @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/Yer3FfmheW
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) September 27, 2025
Bo Jackson
Ohio State’s coaches have identified who their best running back is. For a second straight game, the freshman Jackson got the most carries, finishing with a career-high 17 attempts for 80 yards, his 4.7 yards per carry again the best among the running back room. CJ Donaldson had nine carries for 39 yards for a touchdown, while James Peoples had three rushes for 10 yards, adding three receptions for 16 more.
Bo Jackson ran for nine additional yards after this on this 12-yard run. How?
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) September 27, 2025
The freshman is special. pic.twitter.com/ef1qwfAXcV
The Defense of Mobile Quarterbacks
What a luxury it is to have Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles at linebacker. No team had held Williams below 64 rushing yards before he played the Buckeyes. He finished with -28 rushing yards against Ohio State. Even removing OSU’s six sacks, he had seven carries for 18 yards, just 2.6 per attempt.
A shoutout to the defensive line for caging the pocket well, but how many linebackers in the country can make this play against one of the fastest and shiftiest quarterbacks in the nation? As long as Reese or Styles is the spy, Ohio State need not fear a dual-threat QB.
Frankly, it was Stock Up for Ohio State’s whole defense vs. the Huskies.
A Methodical Approach
I know everyone misses the Ryan Day offenses of 2021 and 2022 that slung the ball about the yard with C.J. Stroud and had big, flashy offensive performances. You know what those teams didn’t have? The best defense in college football. This team has the weapons and the first-round talent at quarterback those teams did, true. But the focus of Ryan Day isn’t about putting up stats. It’s about winning football games.
The best way to win against a dangerous Washington team in one of the toughest road environments in the country, to Day, was to play a ball-control style of football that prioritizes efficiency over splash on the offensive side and trust his defense to go win the game. Ohio State dominated time of possession in the second half, holding the ball for 20:18 as it pulled away to win comfortably. It had only six drives where it was trying to score the ball, and three went for touchdowns with one a field goal, an excellent four points per possession.
So no, play calling will not be in the Stock Down section this week, as I know some want it to be. The Buckeyes played complementary football and won going away. They did exactly what they set out to do. Perhaps later, the throttle will be opened a bit more.
“They only had three possessions in the second half. We held the ball for over 20 minutes,” Day said on 97.1 the Fan’s Buckeye Roundtable on Monday. “And so when you can do that, when your defense is playing the way it is, you're in control of the game. And I felt like we were in control of the game. And a huge part of that is getting first downs running the football. ... when you're playing a game where you only have six possessions, you have to be very efficient. And that's an important part of it. Now, not every game's gonna get played like that, but we felt like that was the right play, especially the way our defense was playing.”
Oregon
The Ducks were the biggest winners of a densely packed slate of big games, with a nod to Illinois rebounding from its blowout loss to Indiana to knock off then-No. 21 USC at home. Oregon allowed a late-game comeback from then-No. 2 Penn State but prevailed in double overtime 30-24 in a thriller of a White Out after a great performance by quarterback Dante Moore, sealing the game on an interception of Nittany Lion quarterback Drew Allar by safety Dillon Thieneman.
Stock Down
Special Teams
Brandon Inniss fumbled a long punt return that might have put the special teams in Stock Up this week. Then again, Joe McGuire’s lone punt was a 35-yard shank and kickoff coverage nearly allowed a touchdown if not for a saving tackle by kicker Jayden Fielding. He also knocked through his lone field goal attempt, a 34-yarder, as he continues to be the bright spot of struggling special teams units so far this year.
Eddrick Houston
Houston played a season-low 11 snaps as Tywone Malone Jr. once again got the start over him at three-technique defensive tackle. He committed the game’s dumbest penalty after one of those 11, jabbing a Washington offensive lineman in the helmet to gift the Huskies a first down after a Caden Curry sack that would have gotten the Buckeyes off the field. He has a mere four tackles this season, and his run defense has been subpar. Perhaps things will click down the road for the sophomore and five-star prospect, but there’s a lot of work to be done to get there.
The Impact of Road Noise
Ohio State, and especially Sayin, showed excellent composure in the booming atmosphere of Husky Stadium. No turnovers from the offense, only one false start penalty and timeouts weren’t wasted. A strong Buckeye contingent occupied roughly 30% of the crowd and helped dampen the noise, too.
Plenty of scarlet mixed in among the purple. pic.twitter.com/Va6bX92did
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 27, 2025
LSU
Ole Miss toppled the then-No. 4 Tigers 24-19 to knock what was viewed as a top SEC contender down a peg. Star LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier finished just 21-of-34 for 197 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Rebels jumped to No. 4 in the AP Poll as a result.
Big Game James
Related to Oregon’s stock going up, make it 4-21 at Penn State for James Franklin against AP top-10 opponents. Certain people picked the Nittany Lions to win a national championship before this season (I can’t imagine who), but right now, it seems all the issues that have plagued them in recent years are still there.
