At the end of the day, Jeremiah Smith just wanted to make sure his quarterback graded out with the highest possible marks in tomorrow's film session.
That's what Ohio State's star wide receiver joked to the media after his one-handed touchdown snag of a batted ball that otherwise might have resulted in Sayin's first and only interception of an otherwise incredible day throwing the ball.
Jeremiah Smith said GIMME THAT @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/Hel6CNfgWT
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Ryan Day said Sayin should be in the Heisman conversation after he continued his dominance with a 316-yard, four-touchdown performance that saw him complete 87% of his passes vs. Penn State. Sayin threw credit right back on his receivers, saying Smith and Carnell Tate are the two best in the country and Caleb Downs said "God gave me one" on his targeting no-call.
Ryan Day
“I do think if Julian continues to play the way that he’s playing, he deserves to be in the conversation at the very least.”– Ryan Day on Julian Sayin's potential to win the Heisman Trophy
- Day said Ohio State responded well in the second half after an up-and-down first half. He said the Buckeyes came out of the intermission with a great mindset. “We came in at halftime. We were up by three. You would have thought we were down by 21.”
- Day said Sayin’s pocket presence is “very hard to teach.” Day added, “I’d like to tell you that we coach that, but we don’t. He has that feel. That’s something that makes quarterbacks special. He has that trait.”
- On Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate: “If there’s two better wide receivers in the country, I’d like to see them. They deserve to be up for a lot of awards, too.”
- Day said CJ Donaldson’s fumble before halftime cannot happen, but he was pleased with how Donaldson and the Ohio State offense responded after the mistake. “I don’t just want to dwell on that one turnover. I feel like I’m talking about it a lot. We just won 38-14 against Penn State,” Day said with a laugh. “If you said that to me two months ago, I don’t think I’d be talking about one fumble we had.”
Julian Sayin
“Those guys are the two best in the country. They show it every Saturday. I see it at practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when they go make plays against the best defense in the country. It shows up within our week and then shows up on Saturdays.”– Julian Sayin on Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate
- When asked what went through his mind during his 9-yard scramble against Penn State, Sayin said, “First thing, I got to keep two hands on the ball. I had one hand on the ball there. It was dangerous. … I had to go make something happen.”
- Sayin said he appreciates how Nick Saban and other analysts have talked about his recent run of individual performances, but he quickly turned the attention to Ohio State’s team success. “I appreciate the kind words, but this is a team game. The offensive line did a great job today, the receivers did a great job today — none of it happens without us as an offense, as a collective.”
- Sayin called his 87% completion percentage against Penn State “a team stat.” He said, “The receivers do a great job, the running backs do a great job in pass protection, and it’s really the offensive line giving me time to go through my reads. It’s really a team stat.”
Jeremiah Smith
“I didn’t want Julian to throw an interception so he wouldn’t grade out a champion.”– Jeremiah Smith on his one-handed touchdown catch
- Smith said Ohio State will need Julian Sayin to be mobile in the pocket and use his legs to move the chains as the season continues.
- On him and Carnell Tate: “Best in the country. Nobody is better than us two. Even Brandon Inniss as well. Best receiver corps in the country as well. The whole receiver group all got talent. We just go out there each and every week and put it all on the field.”
- Smith called Sayin “the best I’ve been around” when it comes to throwing the deep ball. Sayin completed 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s win.
Caleb Downs
“God gave me one right there. Really just appreciative of the moment. He showed mercy. He showed mercy on me. Yeah, I was thankful.”– Caleb Downs on not being ejected for targeting
- Downs said Ohio State didn’t have the intensity “I felt like we needed” in the first half. However, he said the Buckeyes responded well in the second half and played to their potential. “We came out and did that at a high level in the second half. Came out and scored when we got up there and we got a chance on defense and got it thrown out. We just went out there and executed.”
- Downs campaigned for Julian Sayin to win the Heisman Trophy. “J-Cool for Heisman, that’s what I’m going with. He’s playing at an elite level. You saw the explosive plays we had today. He played at an elite level. … He’s making plays. I mean, I’m just excited for my guy.”
- Downs said Arvell Reese is “playing at an unprecedented level.” He added, “I’m excited for him. He’s just staying focused on the moment, doing what he does.”
