Stephen Leonard
Ohio State Writer
The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes practiced the traditional dad approach on Saturday with their beatdown of the Grambling State Tigers 70-0. They sternly unbuckled their work pants, took off the belt, and began showing the Tigers who was the boss from the time the clock started to the final whistle. Everyone, including Grambling State head coach Mickey Joseph, knew this was a paycheck game for the Tigers, but how do you make a game like this beneficial for the Buckeyes?
It doesn’t hurt when a young gunslinger spreads the ball around to 10 different receivers (including four different TEs) and connects on 16/16 passes to start the game.
Quarterback Julian Sayin didn’t let a ball touch the ground, completing 18 of 19 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns. The lone blemish, an interception Sayin would love to have back. In Sayin’s second start, he broke the school record for consecutive completions with 16, and he is now third on the list for completion percentage in a game, at 94.74%.
Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate hauled in the most receptions (5), with Smith going for 119 yards. Smith snagged the second longest receiving TD in Ohio State history (87yards) and another touchdown. The Buckeyes learned it’s time to open up the playbook through the air, and more importantly, the connection from 10 to 4 is primed for a long season.
Defensively, Ohio State held FCS opponent Grambling State to 166 total yards while forcing three turnovers. The Tigers had one chance at a score but fell short with a missed field goal attempt. LB Payton Pierce led the team with 6 tackles.
Freshman LB Riley Pettijohn got a chance to shine, and boy, did he ever. He had a form tackle in the A Gap made for highlight reels. Pettijohn got low and took the Tiger’s running back for a ride on his shoulder pads like a child on the mechanical pony ride at your local grocery. Did I mention he returned a fumble caused by defensive tackle Kayden McDonald to the house? Another backup that shined was Zion Grady, who had a sack on 3rd down to end and a Grambling possession.
Offensively, third-string freshman running back Bo Jackson led the way in the rushing department, going off for 108 yards on nine carries, with a touchdown. While the difference in talent against an FCS opponent was obvious, the Buckeyes’ backups showed everyone the future is bright for Ohio State football. You could say these elite backups may have earned some playing time.
Head coach Ryan Day was all business on the sidelines Saturday, even earning a remark from the Big Ten Network for his stoic nature, never even cracking a smile in the 70-0 win. After the game, his seriousness continued in the post press conference.
“Well, the issues are always there, and it’s not about the result. If we’re looking at the scoreboard, we’re looking at the wrong thing. This is about if we have a discipline issue. Or if we have a lack of execution. Or we have an assignment issue. Or a ball security issue. Or a lack of execution that could, in a matchup game, come down to one play. If we’re going to look at the scoreboard after a game like this, then we’re setting ourselves up for failure. That’s really bad. I don’t think that’s the way our guys are. I think they know. When you’re not in a matchup game, you’re going to get graded very critically, because when you are in matchup games, one play could cost you.”
Although not quite a matchup game, next week, the Ohio Bobcats come to the shoe as a step up in talent level. Ohio, out of the MAC, just knocked off a Power-4 and Big 12 member, West Virginia. In Week 1 the Bobcats took Rutgers to the final whistle. Maybe Brutus being viciously attacked by the Bobcat back in 2010 can provide some extra motivation.
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Stephen Leonard
Ohio State Writer
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