Any Buckeye fan watching the spring game was probably having flashbacks to the end of the 2025 season. The OSU defense, which won the game 35-26, was getting into the backfield often to earn sacks.
Of course, that was one of the biggest things that ended the season early when the Buckeyes went to the Big Ten championship and the Cotton Bowl.
After allowing just six sacks throughout a 12-0 regular season, the Buckeyes’ front five allowed Indiana and Miami to sack quarterback Julian Sayin a total of 10 times (five each game), which led to the Hoosiers and Hurricanes taking OSU down in back-to-back games.
When spring practices began, both Sayin and head coach Ryan Day talked about how the quarterback needs to work on his ability to escape the pocket and make a play using his legs.
“That’s the X-factor. It’s something that he knows. In some of the games, he did this year. I think going into this season, there’s going to be opportunities for him to do that,” Day said. “That can be a big point of the game. There’s two ways to do that. One, when it breaks down, escaping the pocket, keeping your eyes downfield. Or, then escaping and getting a few yards. In the rivalry game, he had a big scramble down the sideline for a first down. That was huge. More of that, the better.”
And there was great opportunity in the spring game — when Sayin wasn’t being rushed from both edges — to show off what Sayin had been working on.
He wanted fans to see his improvement early on. On fourth-and-goal midway through the first quarter, the scarlet Buckeye offense was on the 4-yard line and decided to go for it.
On the play, redshirt freshman Carter Lowe was beaten by Zion Grady on an inside rush move, and Grady easily made it into the backfield, sending Sayin rolling out to the right to look for a receiver, and when one wasn’t open, he cut the corner and headed for the end zone, making it 4 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown.
Since it was the spring game and the Buckeyes were trying to keep their quarterback healthy, transfer linebacker Christian Alliegro stopped short of barreling into Sayin at the 1-yard line, where the two would have met if it had been an actual game.
The defense seemed to think in the moment that it should have been credited with the stop since Alliegro had to hold up, but Sayin claimed after the game that he would have scored that touchdown.
“One hundred percent I’m scoring,” Sayin said when asked what would have happened on that play. “As the quarterback, there’s going to be moments where you have to drop your shoulder and go get the first down or go get the touchdown for the team. That’s part of being a tough leader.”
While that comment picked up laughs from the media in the postgame press conference, Sayin seemed to be completely serious about putting his shoulder down and looking to score the touchdown, which has to be encouraging for Buckeye fans.
If Sayin did get into the end zone in an actual game like he claims he would have, it would be already one more rushing touchdown than he finished the 2025 season with. He totaled minus-44 yards on 42 attempts, which was hurt largely by the last two games of the season.
And it may be necessary for Sayin to do so this year. Left tackle Austin Siereveld and right tackle Phillip Daniels were out for the spring with injuries, so the underperformance on the offensive line could very well have to do with the two outside starters being sidelined.
However, the way the spring game went doesn’t allow for a lot of confidence in the depth of the unit as it currently stands. With Lowe struggling the way he did in the game, there has to be some concern about injuries occurring during the regular season the way they did at the end of last year, and the year before that.
During the 2024 season, the Buckeyes were able to move past the injuries and win a national championship, partly because the line was able to step up and perform, but also partly because Will Howard was completely comfortable leaving the pocket to either pick up yards with his legs or make a throw on the run.
Sayin understands that he is going to need to keep working on that ability in case his line breaks down in big moments this season again.
There were many reasons that the Buckeyes lost to Miami int he Cotton Bowl, Sayin’s lack of willingness to run was just one among them, but it could have been a very big difference maker, and could be this year again.
He doesn’t need to be setting records for rushing yards by a quarterback at Ohio State, or even coming close to anything like that, but if Sayin is able to prove that he can be a threat to tuck and run, it could completely change what defenses have to show to the Buckeye offense.
The ceiling of the Ohio State offense is already high with two of the top six Heisman-Trophy vote getters returning in Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, and Sayin can only raise that ceiling more by adding another aspect to his game that defenses need to worry about.
If the Buckeyes want to win a national championship, it very well could come down to Sayin’s ability to run.
Here’s what the quarterback on the national championship-winning team has done on the ground in the last five years over a full season.
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana — 90 attempts, 276 yards, seven touchdowns
Will Howard, Ohio State — 105 attempts, 226 yards, seven touchdowns
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan — 64 attempts, 202 yards, three touchdowns
Stetson Bennett, Georgia (2022) — 57 attempts, 205 yards, 10 touchdowns
Stetson Bennett, Georgia (2021) — 56 attempts, 259 yards, one touchdown
In order to win a national championship, Sayin doesn’t necessarily have to match those numbers, but it would only help the offense if he can provide a threat.
