Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes marched into Seattle and defeated the Washington Huskies 24-6. While the game wasn’t pretty at times, Ohio State’s defense was suffocating and the offense made enough plays to win the game.
Here are five things you need to know about Ohio State’s 24-6 win over Washington:
1. Washington’s 22-game home winning streak: snapped
In what was a wild Saturday in college football, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 longest active home winning streaks were snapped. Washington had won 22 consecutive home games prior to Saturday’s
loss.
Ohio State fans made an impressive scarlet mark in Husky stadium, as “O-H-I-O” chants rang out in the fourth quarter.
2. Ohio State’s pass rush dominance
The scarlet and gray pass rush came away with six sacks on Saturday. That number is particularly impressive when you consider just how athletic and mobile Washington’s quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is.
Caden Curry led the way with three sacks, and a staggering five tackles for loss. Kenyatta Jackson off the other edge picked up another sack. The other two Buckeye sacks came from up the middle via Kayden McDonald.
It was a dominant showing from the pass rush, hopefully a sign of things to come.
3. Bo Jackson, RB1
If It wasn’t already clear, it certainly is now. Bo Jackson is the best running back on Ohio State’s roster.
Jackson had another strong performance with 17 carries for 80 yards. He also reeled in a 5-yard catch. It is clear that the coaching staff regards Jackson as Ohio State’s best back, as he took 17 of the 34 total carries in this game.
CJ Donaldson appears to have carved out a role as the goal line and short yardage back, but it’ll be Jackson getting the bulk of carries from here on out.
4. Matt Patricia has filled the shoes
When Jim Knowles left the No. 1 ranked defending national champion defense to go coach Penn State, I doubt there were many who thought Ohio State could find an immediate replacement. Yet, through four games, Ohio State’s defense is allowing 5.5 PPG. That is good for No. 1 in the country.
While naysayers may point to games against Ohio and Grambling as the reason for that stat, it is actually Ohio with the largest offensive output (9 points) against Ohio State this year. Not Texas. Not Washington.
Matt Patricia’s unit has been flat-out sensational, and the goal line defense has been just as good, if not better, than last year.
5. Julian Sayin: mistake-free football
I mentioned last week that if Julian Sayin took care of the football, Ohio State would win. While the gameplan was noticeably conservative, Sayin maintained his efficiency and poise. The environment did not shake him.
Sayin went 22-of-28 with 208 yards and two touchdowns and no turnovers. With the weapons at his disposal, and with the defense playing as well as it is, Sayin did everything he needed to secure a victory.
Sayin also seemed to slowly become a little bit more comfortable using his legs as the game progressed. He had an impressive 12 yard scamper.
In the wise words of Ryan Day, “Just win.” So far, Sayin has done that four times in four opportunities.
