Julian Sayin Beats Will Howard’s National Title Mark to Set New Ohio State Record

Ohio State is throttling Grambling in Columbus, surging to a 35-0 lead late in the second quarter behind a ruthlessly efficient offense and a stifling defense. The Buckeyes have stacked up 393 total yards to the Tigers’ 113, with 306 through the air and 87 on the ground, while converting 17 first downs on just 32 plays for an eye-popping 12.3 yards per snap. Possession after possession, Julian Sayin leaned on tempo, spacing, and balance to seize control, while the defense forced an interception and smothered drives before they could cross midfield. 

Julian Sayin’s command has been unmistakable from the opening series, mixing quick-game timing with deep-ball precision to keep the chains and scoreboard moving. By late in the second quarter, stats credited him with an ultra-efficient passing line that included four touchdown throws and only a single incompletion, emblematic of an offense operating on schedule and on the attack. The ball placement has been decisive, the reads calm, and the distribution smart, stretching Grambling’s coverage horizontally before striking vertically. Sayin’s efficiency and poise are arriving ahead of schedule, and in just his second start, he is already breaking records.

As RJ Young posted, “Ohio State QB Julian Sayin has completed a program record 15-straight passes for 289 yards and four TDs.” The note captured a real-time flashpoint in a performance that has vaulted past recent benchmarks for sustained accuracy. For context, the current standard in the biggest game was set in January, when Will Howard established the College Football Playoff national championship mark for consecutive completions, supplanting the title-game streak previously authored by Alabama’s Mac Jones in 2021. Young’s dispatch framed how Sayin’s heater fits into the modern elite company.

Sayin’s rapport with his receivers has been the engine of the rout. The headliner sequence came on a clean pocket, full-field read, and a perfectly weighted deep ball that turned into an 87-yard catch-and-run to Jeremiah Smith. Later, a red-zone timing throw to Carnell Tate from short range showcased touch and trust, while a 47-yard catch-and-run to tight end Will Kacmarek on the opening drive ignited the onslaught. The pattern has been clear on play-by-play: quick rhythm to stress leverage, then vertical haymakers once safeties creep, producing multiple scores through the air before halftime and a steady diet of chunk gains that Grambling’s secondary could not deter.

String the threads together, and Ohio State looks every inch a contender once again, clinical on offense, opportunistic on defense, and ruthless in execution. The passing game is authoritative, puncturing coverages with layered route design and quarterback decisiveness that travels beyond today’s opponent. With Sayin at the center of it, the Buckeyes appear to be in assured hands, combining the precision needed to win in November with the explosiveness required to separate in January. If this game is any indication, this is a convincing early statement that the offense’s ceiling remains elite and the standard in Columbus is unchanged.

Defensive masterclass vs Texas

“The story of the game was the defense,” said Ryan Day, capturing a season opener defined by ferocity at the line of scrimmage and poise in critical moments as Ohio State set the tone for a title defense with a 14-7 win over Texas. With Matt Patricia ushering in the post-Jim Knowles era and eight new starters on the field, the blueprint emphasized simplicity, clarity, and relentless execution over schematic noise. From the outset, the unit aimed to turn every yard into a fight and every fourth down into a swing play, and the performance matched the intent.

Those swing plays stacked up: four Texas drives ended on fourth down, including two goal-line stands inside the 10, the kind of high-leverage denials that shape both the scoreboard and the psyche of a heavyweight opponent. With the margin still 14-7 in the closing minutes, a clinching tackle by safety Caleb Downs punctuated the last stand, emblematic of a group that rattled Arch Manning and refused to blink as the Longhorns pressed late. Julian Sayin, fresh off his first start, lauded Matt Patricia’s defense afterward for its speed, physicality, and constant disguises, proof that the same stressors seen in practice had transferred fully to game day.

Patricia’s impact was as much philosophical as tactical, blending a 19-year NFL pedigree and multiple Super Bowl wins with a $2.5 million mandate to refine—not replace—the championship foundation already in Columbus. The base remained a 4-2-5, but with seamless shifts into 3-4 elements, position flexibility took center stage: defensive backs operated as hybrids (with Downs echoing Patrick Chung’s “big nickel” versatility), while edge players like Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. toggled between down-end and stand-up roles. Through conceptual teaching and role fluidity, the defense morphed without mass substitutions, communicated cleanly, and delivered a statement-opening win that showcased both discipline and unpredictability.