Even after what was inarguably his worst performance as a starter, there is absolutely no situation in which I would have wanted Ohio State to find itself without Julian Sayin for an extended period of time, especially heading into the most difficult stretch of the season. However, after Saturday’s 19-15 win over Indiana, it appears that Ryan Day and his offensive staff are going to have to figure out how to keep the Buckeyes’ national championship aspirations alive without their Heisman Trophy-finalist
quarterback, at least for a little while.
And even though true freshman Luke Fahey has clearly earned the coaching staff’s trust as Sayin’s primary backup, I can’t help but believe that Ohio State’s best chance to continue competing with the likes of USC, Oregon, and Michigan is to give sophomore Tavien St. Clair the opportunity to take over the offense.
Now, I recognize that this probably sounds like the musings of an irrational fan caught up in the worry of the moment, but I think there is merit to it. Obviously, the coaches have watched considerably more of both quarterbacks than I have, and there is clearly a reason that Day and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler have decided that Fahey deserves to be the first guy off the bench, and I’m certainly not suggesting that they made that decision arbitrarily.
In August, Day said Fahey was “putting a lot of pressure on Tavien,” praising the freshman’s work ethic and ability to operate the offense. A month later, he explained that Fahey had earned the opportunity through his work in practice. That’s meaningful, and I don’t think it should be dismissed simply because St. Clair arrived in Columbus with considerably more recruiting hype.
However, I also think there is a fundamental difference between the quarterback you trust to finish a game and the quarterback you trust to win the next five.
If Sayin goes down in the middle of a close game, as he did on Saturday in Bloomington, you want someone who can immediately step into the huddle, understand the offense, make the right decisions, and avoid catastrophic mistakes. But when you have time to prepare a new starter, you have the opportunity to build an offense around what that quarterback does best, rather than simply asking him to execute the existing playbook. And when you have a bye week naturally built into that preparation process, I think you have to seriously consider which guy gives your offense the highest ceiling. And St. Clair has some pretty intriguing things that he does exceptionally well.
At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, the former five-star prospect has five inches and nearly 30 pounds on Fahey (at least according to their official listings), along with the kind of arm strength that allows him to make throws all over the field. We saw glimpses of that potential during April’s spring game, when St. Clair completed 9 of 21 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, including a gorgeous 40-yard scoring strike to Chris Henry Jr.
He also connected with Henry on a beautifully placed 34-yard throw down the sideline, demonstrating the kind of downfield passing ability that could be particularly valuable with Jeremiah Smith lining up at receiver. In the spring game, St. Clair was 3-for-5 on deep balls for 112 yards and a touchdown, but struggled with intermediate throws, going just 2-for-8 on passes traveling between 10 and 20 yards downfield.
Obviously, the 42.9% completion percentage is less than ideal; St. Clair missed plenty of throws, struggled with consistency, and made a couple of decisions that could have resulted in interceptions. He clearly still had work to do when it came to running the offense efficiently. Afterward, Day acknowledged both the talent and the growing pains, saying St. Clair needed to continue learning how to run the offense at a high level.
And while he completed 5 of 6 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown against Ball State, we haven’t seen nearly enough of St. Clair in meaningful game situations this season to know how much progress he’s made since April. Clearly, it hasn’t been enough to cement the QB2 spot, and that uncertainty is the strongest argument against simply handing him the starting job.
Of course, Ohio State fans don’t need to be reminded that a talented third-string quarterback who hasn’t quite put everything together can still accomplish some pretty remarkable things when given the opportunity. I’m certainly not suggesting that St. Clair is about to pull a Cardale Jones and lead the Buckeyes to a national championship, but if there’s one program that should understand the potential value of giving an unproven quarterback a chance to showcase his abilities, it’s this one.
It’s not just recruiting pedigree or the memory of Cardale that has me intrigued by St. Clair’s potential. His physical advantages are real, too. On Saturday, we saw Fahey attempt a third-and-long dump-off to Legend Bey, only for the ball to hit the back of his own offensive lineman’s head. That’s certainly not a play that should define a freshman unexpectedly thrown into a top-five showdown, but it does illustrate how a quarterback’s size can affect his ability to see and deliver the ball through traffic.
More importantly, St. Clair’s combination of size, arm talent, and mobility potentially gives Ohio State more ways to attack a defense than simply trying to replicate what Sayin has been doing since taking over the starting job.
So, over the off week, I’d like to see Day, Arthur Smith, and Fessler make a serious effort to determine what St. Clair can comfortably execute against a legitimate Big Ten-caliber defense. Simplify the reads, incorporate quick throws, take advantage of his ability to stretch the field, and for the love of Woody Hayes, figure out how to establish a consistent running game.
The Buckeyes don’t need St. Clair to become Julian Sayin overnight. They need him to get the ball to Jeremiah Smith, avoid putting the offense in impossible situations, and make enough plays to complement a defense that is finally beginning to look capable of carrying the team when necessary.
There is risk in trusting a relatively inexperienced quarterback with that responsibility, especially one who hasn’t even been the primary backup, but with the schedule Ohio State has remaining, I think there is an even greater risk in limiting the offense’s potential simply because another quarterback has been better suited to the backup role.
And if St. Clair isn’t able to demonstrate during the next two weeks that he’s ready for the responsibility, or if he gets his opportunity against USC and struggles, Fahey isn’t going anywhere. The Buckeyes would still have a quarterback the coaching staff clearly trusts to step in and run the offense. But with the luxury of an extra week to prepare, I think it would be a mistake not to at least explore whether St. Clair’s considerable physical gifts can translate into something serviceable, if not special, on Saturdays.
If Sayin is going to miss significant time, as Day seemed to suggest in his postgame comments, the Buckeyes need more than someone who can simply keep the offense afloat. They need someone who gives them a chance to keep winning big games. And despite all the uncertainty, I believe St. Clair has the tools to be that guy.
