Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell has had a tough run in Madison, and his former team didn’t make it any easier on him Saturday. The Badgers, who currently sit at the bottom of the Big Ten, had a few nice
individual moments, but they struggled to translate them into any sort of rhythm, and ultimately, they were rendered powerless against the No. 1 team in the country.
Buckeye quarterback Julian Sayin deserves a lot of the credit for the Buckeyes’ success, leading the team with consistency, poise, and a maturity that suggests far more experience than he has as a starter. Against the Badgers, he threw for a career-high 394 yards and four touchdowns.
At this point, it’s frankly insulting that he’s not being discussed more prominently among Heisman contenders. While Jeremiah Smith is rightfully referred to as “the best player in college football” (because he is!), someone has to throw the ball to him, and Sayin has proved himself worthy.
He looked note-perfect from the opening drive on Saturday, but it was his final touchdown pass on the day that perhaps stood out the most, a gorgeous 13-yard throw to slot receiver Brandon Inniss in the back right corner of the endzone.
How it happened
On 2nd and 10 from the Wisconsin 13-yard line, Sayin was under some pressure from Wisconsin, and it looked like he was perhaps going to run it out. Instead, as he so often does, he read the field perfectly, throwing a late pass to Inniss in the back of the endzone.
The ball placement was so perfect, watching it unfold almost felt like it was happening in slow motion.
Inniss, who sees most of his playing time on special teams, has had some struggles this season, including a few costly special teams booboos on punt returns. Not so on this play, however, making a great catch for his first touchdown of the season.
Watch the two connect to put an exclamation point on the Buckeyes’ day here:
