Taking the field in Madison as a nearly four touchdown favorite, No. 1 Ohio State did what it was supposed to do and blasted Wisconsin, 34-0, to improve to 7-0.
The Buckeyes defense allowed Wisconsin inside the OSU 45 yard line just once across nine possessions - coming on a meaningless final drive when the Badgers reached the OSU 25 before being turned over on downs - and pitched its second shutout so far this season.
The Ohio State running game continued its unimpressive streak but Julian Sayin and his cadre of pass catchers took up all the rushing attack's slack and then some in an outstanding performance.
Ryan Day's squad now enters an improvement week which could certainly be useful for the ground game, right guard woes, and the typical yakety sax special teams before welcoming Penn State to Ohio Stadium on November 1.
Back to Wisconsin, here are Five Things from a savage whooping handed out in Camp Randall.
CROWN JUL-IAN
Julian Sayin continued his impressive growth trajectory with a masterful performance, carving up the Badgers to the tune of 36-of-42 for 393 yards and four touchdowns.
Sayin didn't throw back-to-back incompletions and hit 10 different receivers. Fifteen of his completions went to his all-world wideout tandem of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Check out the ball placement on this 10-yard strike to Tate.
Two touchdown catches in one quarter for Carnell Tate. pic.twitter.com/VwNmGplWNd
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) October 18, 2025
But Sayin never locked in on just his main guys, allowing his fluidity in the pocket, quick reads and excellent vision to hit his running backs nine times for 88 yards, his main tight end, Max Klare, five times for 29 yards and his slot guys four times for 36 yards.
Virtually every snap was an exercise in not forcing the football and taking what the defense was giving - the stuff you expect from a top-tier veteran, not necessarily a kid making his 7th collegiate start.
His 86% accuracy on the day pushed his season completion rate to an even 80%, good for No. 1 nationally. He's not just completing passes, he's putting them right on the money allowing his elite guys to go up and make plays, leading guys to ensure yards after catch, and consistently keeping the ball out of harm's way.
Sayin's also No. 7 in yards per attempt (9.6) and No. 2 in passer rating, and his TD/INT ratio now sits at 19-to-3.
Not only is he gaining confidence as he stacks successful games, but the same is happening with the offensive staff which is leading to more on Sayin's plate, allowing his growth to accelerate as the season wears on.
It's worth noting he's only faced two top-50 pass defenses but you have to like what you're seeing from this kid. A trip to NYC as a Heisman finalist doesn't seem out of the question at this point nor would it be shocking to see him continue to develop and reach his peak performance in late November and beyond. Before we move on, look at this dot to Brandon Inniss.
ANOTHER dot by Julian Sayin. This one goes to Brandon Inniss for the TD. pic.twitter.com/bGvKa0i6C3
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) October 18, 2025
FIRST DOWN FUN
Speaking of the staff's growing confidence in its signal-caller, that likely played a part in Ohio State finally not only excelling on first down but doing a majority of its first down damage through the air.
Yesterday marked the first time this season the OSU offense actually threw the ball more than it ran the ball on first down and the results were favorable.
| OPPONENT | TOTAL PLAYS/YARDS/YPP | RUSHING RESULTS | PASSING RESULTS | RUN/PASS PLAY SPLIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS | 21 PLAYS, 63 YDS = 3.0 YPP | 16 ATT, 39 YDS = 2.4 YPP | 4-OF-5, 24 YDS = 4.8 YPP | 76% RUN, 24% PASS |
| WASHINGTON | 27 PLAYS, 129 YDS = 4.8 YPP | 15 ATT, 61 YDS = 4.1 YPP | 8-OF-11, 61 YDS = 5.5 YPP (1 SACK, -7 YDS) | 55% RUSH, 45% PASS |
| MINNESOTA | 20 PLAYS, 65 YDS = 3.3 YPP | 11 ATT, 28 YDS = 2.5 YPP | 6-OF-9, 37 YDS = 4.1 YPP | 55% RUSH, 45% PASS |
| ILLINOIS | 26 PLAYS, 78 YDS = 3.0 YPP | 15 ATT, 26 YDS = 1.7 YPP | 7-OF-11, 52 YDS = 4.7 YPP | 58% RUSH, 42% PASS |
| WISCONSIN | 33 PLAYS, 215 YDS = 6.5 YPP | 16 ATT, 57 YDS = 3.6 YPP | 15-OF-17, 158 YDS = 9.3 YPP | 48% RUSH, 52% PASS |
Focusing only on first down plays, the Buckeyes tallied their most total yards and highest yards per play, and also their most pass attempts, pass yards and pass yards per play.
Sayin was masterful on first down completing 15-of-17 throws for 158 yards, good for 9.3 yards per play, as Ohio State threw the ball 52% of the time on first down.
Certainly, Wisconsin crowding the box and Brian Hartline calling a lot of RPOs factored into the high volume of first down throws but the growing confidence in Sayin's ability to command the offense, make the right read to either run or pass and then who to target with the football had to play a part as well.
WHAT, ME WORRY?
I've been lamenting the lack of a solid (forget dominant) running game all season and yesterday did little to make me feel any better. Listening to at least one contrarian opinion from a person I deeply respect, the #take was that Wisconsin was essentially selling out to stop the run and that was a big reason why OSU couldn't get anything going and also why Sayin was having such success in the P part of RPO.
While that's 100% relevant to yesterday's outcomes both throwing and running, we're still through five games against power four opponents and the Buckeyes haven't really done squat on the ground.
Yesterday, production wise, was more of the same as Ohio State worked hard to crank out 98 yards on 3.5 per carry. Just three of 28 tries went for at least 10 yards with a long of 15.
| OPPONENT | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | RUSHING YARDS | YARDS PER CARRY | OPPONENT YPC ALLOWED (RANK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS | 34 | 77 | 2.3 | 2.6 (7) |
| WASHINGTON | 34 | 149 | 4.4 | 3.4 (29) |
| MINNESOTA | 30 | 103 | 4.4 | 3.2 (20) |
| ILLINOIS | 37 | 106 | 2.9 | 4.0 (65) |
| WISCONSIN | 28 | 98 | 3.5 | 3.5 (38) |
| TOTAL | 163 | 533 | 3.3 | - |
Maybe the saving grace here is that the Buckeyes have actually faced some decent run defenses with three of the five power four opponents-to-date ranking in the top-30 in yards per carry allowed entering yesterday's games.
Still, I can't shake the current lack of confidence I have that this team can line up and get three or four tough yards when needed. Austin Siereveld and Carson Hinzman - one guy's eye test only - seem to be doing their job far more often than not, I love the toughness of Luke Montgomery and Phillip Daniels even if I feel like they're less consistent than the two linchpins and then there's right guard Tegra Tshabola. His continued struggles seem inarguable to the point Josh Padilla is eating into his playing time. Frankly, I hope the bye week gives the staff time to feel good about making a change and giving Padilla a try in the starting lineup.
That said, the backs still need to be able to make guys miss and break tackles. I feel like Bo Jackson can do those things the best (plus he's a really useful receiver - 5-for-57 yesterday). After yesterday, I now feel like Isaiah West is this team's second-best ball carrier. Yesterday he hit the hole with speed and vision and made some guys miss on the way to 55 yards on 6.1 per try. CJ Donaldson is the team's third-best ball carrier (and a nice receiver too). He's got some power when he's not running standing straight up but he seems to do that a lot, negating that strength. At this point, I'm not sure James Peoples really deserves many meaningful snaps.
Here's to hoping yesterday's success in the RPO game helps the rushing attack as opposing defensive coordinators back out of the box just a bit, and that the bye week can be of use as the run game searches for improved production and consistency.
1 AND 1A
We're only through game seven and I'm not even sure what else to say about Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate at this point.
Yesterday the duo combined for 15 catches, 208 yards and two touchdowns with Tate hauling in six balls for 111 yards and two scores while Smith tied a career-high with nine receptions, good for 97 yards.
Tate's highlights included a 19-yard grab on 4th-and-4 to extend a field goal drive to make it 20-0 midway through the third quarter, a 27-yard catch a few plays before his 10-yard scoring strike and a 33-yard touchdown catch on 3rd-and-11 that saw him split two defenders, high-point the football and lose his helmet while making a sensational snag.
CARNELL TATEpic.twitter.com/2tdBW0w33O
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 18, 2025
Tate's season-to-date includes 34 receptions for 587 yards (83.9 ypg) and six touchdowns.
Smith's day was more ho-hum but his impact is felt beyond his production. His presence continues to open up room for others and Wisconsin was so concerned with not letting Smith take the lid off that he was able to connect with Sayin all day on underneath stuff. That actually proved an important substitute for a run game that was at times abandoned based on Wisconsin's looks.
Smith now has 49 receptions through seven games for 602 yards (86.0 ypg) and seven touchdowns (plus another score on the ground).
The Smith/Tate combo has 13 of the team's 20 receiving touchdowns and has accounted for 61% of the team's receiving yards.
SHUTOUT!
Yeah, Wisconsin's offense is hot garbage but you can't slander a shutout.
Ohio State held the Badgers to just nine first downs and 144 total yards with 50 of those coming on the game's last possession as the Buckeyes emptied the bench.
The Badgers converted 2-of-11 third down tries, averaged 3.5 yards per carry, completed seven passes for 49 yards and the Buckeyes picked off a pass.
Ohio State allowed just one play over 20 yards and that one required Badgers tight end Lance Mason to miraculously catch the ball with his knees.
The stars of the Silver Bullets showed up as Caleb Downs recorded a team-high six stops, Arvell Reese posted four tackles including a pair of TFLs, Caden Curry had a sack and hurry, and Sonny Styles picked up a TFL and an interception.
Sonny Styles is college footballs Fred Warner pic.twitter.com/I41q3osCo6
— Downs 2 Business (@downs2business) October 18, 2025
Matt Patricia's defense has now allowed less than 10 points in six of seven contests, ranks No. 2 in total defense (216 ypg) and leads the nation giving up just 5.9 points per game.
