Ryan Day liked the finish. He just didn’t love the decision that led to it.
Ohio State’s coach spent this week making sure Julian Sayin heard the difference after the quarterback fired a ball into triple coverage and watched Jeremiah Smith turn it into a highlight. Sayin admitted after the game that the throw probably should not have happened, and Day backed that up while still tipping his cap to the receiver’s playmaking.
The numbers around Ohio State’s passing game help explain why the play drew so much attention. Through five games, Sayin has thrown for 1,530 yards and 13 touchdowns with one interception.
Smith has been the big engine on the other end, piling up 44 catches for 823 yards and nine touchdowns. Their connection has carried a lot of the Buckeyes’ offense, but Day made it clear he wants Sayin to keep seeing the open man when defenses tilt toward Smith.
Day said Sayin had another receiver open for a potential touchdown, but went to Smith instead. The ball got there anyway, and Smith hauled it in for a long gain. Day called it both a “ridiculous throw” and a “ridiculous catch,” but he also stressed that the result doesn’t change the read.
“If it’s one on one, he’s open. If he’s double covered, he’s sort of open. If he’s triple covered, he’s covered,” Day said, joking about the attention Smith draws from defenses.
Then Day sharpened the point. "Eventually that’s gonna get us beat, so we have to be smart about that."
For Day, the lesson goes beyond one splashy play. He said the Buckeyes need Sayin locked into the process, not banking on Smith to clean up risky decisions.
“For Jules, it’s always about just like all the guys, it’s always about the process,” Day said.
Sayin’s own reaction after the game matched that caution. “It was a great catch and, you know, we probably shouldn’t have gone there,” Sayin said after the game. “But he ended up making it right and made a great play.”
Day also pointed to last December as the reminder he wanted. In Ohio State's losses to Indiana and Miami, Julian threw three interceptions and only two touchdown passes. Entering the Big Ten Championship Game, he had thrown just five interceptions all season.
Ohio State returns to work on the passing game Saturday against Maryland, with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
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From Ohio States perspective, Hartlines next chapter is still part of the larger coaching tree story, but the Buckeyes have their own issues to sort out as the schedule rolls on. The offense has had trouble getting the rushing game where it needs to be, and while Hartline is now trying to settle in as a head coach, his rough first step back served as another reminder that the margins get small fast once conference and nonconference tests start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
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Maryland Brings Coaching Drama And A Defense Ohio State Can Exploit
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There is still enough on the defensive front to make Maryland worth studying, especially along the line, where a few key pieces can flash and disrupt a game if the rest of the unit holds together. The problem, as Michael Howes pointed out, is that the tackling has not been dependable enough, and those misses have repeatedly undercut the defense. For Ohio State, that creates a familiar sort of opportunity, one that starts with pressure up front and can quickly turn into a longer afternoon for a defense already carrying too much uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]