Much like Ohio State's offense as a whole, Julian Sayin struggled against Miami in the Cotton Bowl.
The redshirt freshman quarterback’s inexperience showed at times in Ohio State’s final game of the season. While he also showed glimpses of the passing ability that made him the FBS's most accurate passer this season, Ohio State's offensive struggles – especially in the first half – were too much for Sayin and his teammates to overcome in the end as they fell to Miami in the CFP quarterfinals, 24-14.
Sayin completed only four of his first 10 passes through the game's first 25 minutes, in part due to Ohio State's offensive line struggles and Miami's front seven – particularly its defensive line – continuously collapsing the pocket and applying pressure. He then completed seven of 10 passes in the final 1:30 of the first half on a drive that started at OSU’s 6-yard line and ended with a missed field goal.
Sayin was on fire to start the second half, completing each of his first 10 passes before missing on four of his final five attempts to end the game.
In all, he completed 22 of 35 passes for 287 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. After throwing only four interceptions in the first 11 games of the season, Sayin threw four interceptions in Ohio State's final three games of the year, including at least one in each of the three contests to conclude the season. Sayin's 62.9% completion rate against the Hurricanes was his lowest of the season, while his 35 pass attempts were his second-most of the year.
To take a closer look at Sayin's performance against Miami, we charted all 35 of his pass attempts in the Buckeyes’ season-ending loss. (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 Sayin was sacked only six times during the regular season, he was sacked five times for the second consecutive game on Wednesday night, as Miami matched Indiana's dominant performance up front from the Big Ten Championship Game in the Cotton Bowl.
The Hurricanes blitzed on 21 of Sayin's 40 dropbacks, by far the most of the season for any Buckeyes' opponent. When they did blitz, the redshirt freshman completed nine of 16 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
When Sayin was under pressure, which happened on 15 dropbacks, he completed five of 10 passes for 30 yards and an interception. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the FBS under pressure during the regular season, but could not sustain that performance in the postseason. Against the Hoosiers and Hurricanes, Sayin completed only seven of 16 passes for 88 yards and an interception when under pressure.
| PRESSURE | 2025 |
|---|---|
| kept clean | 248/303 (81.8%), 2,883 YARDS (9.5 PER ATTEMPT), 25 TD, 5 INT |
| under pressure | 53/88 (60.2%), 727 YARDS, (8.3 PER ATTEMPT), 7 TD, 3 INT |
| not blitzed | 193/249 (77.5%), 2,423 YARDS (9.7 PER ATTEMPT), 14 TD, 5 INT |
| blitzed | 108/142 (76.1%), 1,187 YARDS (8.4 PER ATTEMPT), 18 TD, 3 INT |
Sayin completed 78.2% of play-action passes this season, the fourth-best percentage in the FBS among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 100 passes in that concept. He had been the most accurate play-action passer throughout much of the season before the Cotton Bowl, but went just 15 of 24 for 160 yards with an interception on play action passes vs. Miami.
Ohio State used play action on 42.9% of Sayin's dropbacks this season, the 12th-most among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 100 play-action passes.
| PLAY ACTION | NON-PLAY ACTION | |
|---|---|---|
| vs. miami (Cotton Bowl) | 7/11 (63.6%) 127 YARDS (11.5 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD, 1 INT | 15/24 (62.5%), 160 YARDS (6.7 PER ATTEMPT), 1 INT |
| vs. indiana (b1g championship game) | 9/13 (69.2%), 132 YARDS (10.2 PER ATTEMPT) | 12/16 (75%), 126 YARDS (7.9 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD, 1 INT |
| at michigan | 7/8 (87.5%), 128 YARDS (16.0 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD | 12/18 (66.7%), 105 YARDS (5.8 PER ATTEMPT), 2 TD, 1 INT |
| vs. rutgers | 4/4 (100%), 79 YARDS (19.8 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD | 9/15 (60%), 78 YARDS (5.2 PER ATTEMPT) 1 TD |
| vs. ucla | 7/11 (63.6%), 50 YARDS (4.5 PER ATTEMPT) | 16/20 (80%), 134 YARDS (6.7 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD |
| at purdue | 14/16 (87.5%), 165 YARDS (10.3 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD | 13/17 (76.5%), 138 YARDS (8.1 PER ATTEMPT), 1 INT |
| vs. penn state | 9/11 (81.8%), 139 YARDS (12.6 PER ATTEMPT), 4 TD | 11/12 (91.7%), 177 YARDS (14.8 PER ATTEMPT) |
| At wisconsin | 18/21 (85.7%), 181 YARDS (8.6 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD | 18/21 (85.7%), 213 YARDS (10.1 PER ATTEMPT), 3 TD |
| at Illinois | 5/9 (55.6%), 50 YARDS (5.6 PER ATTEMPT) | 14/18 (77.8%), 116 YARDS (6.4 PER ATTEMPT), 2 TD |
| vs. minnesota | 11/15 (73.3%), 186 YARDS (12.4 PER ATTEMPT), 2 TD | 12/12 (100%), 140 YARDS (11.7 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD |
| at washington | 10/12 (83.3%), 95 YARDS (7.9 PER ATTEMPT) | 12/16 (75%), 113 YARDS (7.1 PER ATTEMPT), 2 TD |
| vs. ohio | 9/11 (81.8%), 150 YARDS (13.6 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD, 1 INT | 16/21 (76.2%), 197 YARDS (9.4 PER ATTEMPT), 2 TD, 1 INT |
| vs. Grambling State | 11/11 (100%), 164 YARDS (14.9 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD | 7/8 (87.5%), 142 YARDS (17.8 PER ATTEMPT), 3 TD, 1 INT |
| VS. TEXAS | 4/8 (50%), 58 YARDS (7.3 PER ATTEMPT), 1 TD | 9/12 (75%), 68 YARDS (5.7 PER ATTEMPT) |
| 2025 SEASON | 133/170 (78.2%), 1,796 YARDS (10.6 PER ATTEMPT), 14 TD, 2 INT | 168/221 (76%), 1,814 YARDS (8.2 PER ATTEMPT), 18 TD, 6 INT |
After throwing only 35 passes 20-plus yards downfield in the first 13 games of the season, Sayin attempted a season-high seven deep throws against Miami, completing three of those passes for 104 yards and an interception. His last pass attempt of the season was also his first interception of the season when throwing the ball 20-plus yards downfield.
Sayin completed 61.9% of those passes this season, the best percentage in the country. Sayin's 26.2 yards per attempt on those throws leads the FBS by a wide margin.
| DEPTH (YARDS) | 2025 |
|---|---|
| 20+ | 26/42 (61.9%), 1,099 YARDS (26.2 PER ATTEMPT), 11 TD, 1 INT |
| 10-19 | 46/75 (61.3%), 765 YARDS (10.2 PER ATTEMPT), 7 TD, 1 INT |
| 0-9 | 163/203 (80.3%), 1,385 YARDS (6.8 PER ATTEMPT), 11 TD, 4 INT |
| BEHIND LOS | 66/71 (95.3%), 361 YARDS (5.1 PER ATTEMPT), 3 TD, 2 INT |
Below, we take a look at Sayin’s best throw of the Cotton Bowl, a bad throw, a missed read and the most consequential throw that cost Ohio State.
Most Consequential Throw: The Pick-Six
Due to it being a very quick bubble screen to the outside, this wasn't necessarily Sayin's fault, but it was still the most critical play of the game. Keionte Scott read it perfectly, Jeremiah Smith missed the block, and it was off to the races.
PICK SIX@KeionteS picks off Ohio State for a 70-YD touchdown to take a 14-0 lead
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) January 1, 2026
ESPN x @CanesFootball x @CFBPlayoff
pic.twitter.com/uJ9DeEHuB1
Missed Read: Wide Open Would-Be Touchdown to Max Klare
Sayin missed his wide-open tight end in the middle of the field on what would have been a touchdown to tie the game, 7-7. One play later, Sayin threw a pick-six.
— Random Ohio State Play Every Day (@OSUPlayEveryDay) January 1, 2026
This was the Sayin sack before the pick 6. Klare was so wide open up the seam. Not sure what Sayin is looking at right now. pic.twitter.com/Hhg9XrSj7s
— Ross Fulton (@RossRFulton) January 1, 2026
Good Throw: 22-yard Completion to Jeremiah Smith
Sayin’s best throw of the night came on a 22-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith, where he fired a back-shoulder throw into a tight window, giving Smith just enough space to make the catch in bounds.
Bad Throw: Inaccurate Pass to Carnell Tate
On 2nd-and-20, Sayin throws it to the inside for Tate rather than on his outside shoulder, leading to a dropped pass and a big hit. He completed a -2-yard pass on the next play, forcing Ohio State to punt on 4th-and-22.
little five minute explanation... Not Carnell Tate's fault. https://t.co/UffDBVaUvg pic.twitter.com/Lp5HluDA7N
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) January 1, 2026
Sayin, a Heisman finalist, finishes his first year as a starter as one of the best quarterbacks in the FBS, as the redshirt freshman was the country's most accurate passer this season, falling just short of breaking the single-season completion percentage record of 77.4% set by Oregon’s Bo Nix in 2023.
National Ranks
- First in completion percentage (77%)
- Tied-seventh in yards per attempt (9.2)
- Second in passer rating (177.5)
- Third in QBR (88.4)
Sayin's passing chart for Ohio State’s 2025 season:
