There were some questions about how Ohio State would handle their first road game of the season. After a slow start, the Buckeyes took control of the game towards the end of the first half, cruising to a 24-6
victory over the Huskies. To cap off the win, we have identified some of the most important players and coaches from Saturday’s game.
Offensive star of the game: Julian Sayin
For his first road start, Julian Sayin was excellent in a hostile environment. Things started off a little slow as it looked like Brian Hartline and Ryan Day were keeping the offense simple to help the first-year starter get his feet wet. Who knows how they would have switched up the offensive game plan had C.J. Donaldson been able to convert on fourth down in the first quarter.
You could see Sayin started to gain more confidence as the first half went on. The throw to Jeremiah Smith at the end of the half to get the Buckeyes on the scoreboard was beautiful. It also didn’t hurt the Huskies left the best receiver in college football wide open. Bold strategy, Clark.
As Ohio State took control of the game in the second half, Sayin displayed great decision making, not trying to force any throws that could have allowed Washington to get back into the game. For a quarterback making his first road start, you couldn’t have asked for much more from Sayin. The experience in Seattle will help later in the season when Sayin and the Buckeyes have to travel to Ann Arbor to try and snap the four-game losing streak to Michigan.
Defensive stars of the game: Caden Curry & Kayden McDonald
The two defensive linemen were a force on Saturday afternoon. Curry and McDonald combined for 18 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and five sacks. The pressure by the duo made life miserable for Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. After three explosive starts prior to this game, Williams was neutralized early on. In a way it was reminiscent to how the Buckeyes harassed Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the Rose Bowl in January.
When Curry is able to make at least one tackle in the backfield, Ohio State is unbeatable. The Buckeyes are now 13-0 in games when Curry records at least one TFL. Curry and McDonald set single-game career-highs in pretty much every defensive category with their output on Saturday. Following a bit of a slow start to the season as Ohio State was breaking in a bunch of new starters on the defensive line, Curry and McDonald have established themselves as one of the most feared defensive linemen duos in the country.
Freshman star of the game: Bo Jackson
It’s likely Jackson will take this honor every week for the rest of the season, but it is truly deserved. While C.J. Donaldson and James Peoples did show some more in this game, it is obvious that Jackson is special.
Along with his speed, what has been most impressive about Jackson has been his strength. There were a number of times when Jackson turned what should have been two-yard gains into seven or eight yards. It seems like Jackson is always falling forward. It is reminiscent to Carlos Hyde and other recent outstanding running backs who were always finding ways to gain positive yardage.
Following fans clamoring for more Bo, it was obvious Hartline and Day used the bye week to integrate Jackson into the offense more. While Jackson won’t have quite the impact that a Maurice Clarett or J.K. Dobbins did as a freshman, the Buckeyes don’t need him to be like them. Where Jackson be impactful is making opponents respect the running game when he is in the backfield, which is something that Donaldson and Peoples don’t provide nearly as much.
Coaching star of the game: Matt Patricia
Honestly, Patricia has been the coach of the year so far. Ohio State has yet to allow 10 points in a game. The feat is impressive considering in their first game they took on Arch Manning and Texas, and yesterday they matched up with an explosive Washington offense.
What Patricia is doing has been amazing considering the number of new starters the Buckeyes are breaking in on defense. It obviously helps to have Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles returning, but there were concerns heading into the season on how effective the group would be. This year’s defense might be even better than last year’s group.
Even though it was tough to see Jim Knowles go, right now Buckeye Nation has to be thankful Knowles wanted to return to Pennsylvania, as Patricia has been better than advertised.
