Julian Sayin produced 10 of Ohio State's 17 explosive plays
Ohio State was in control wire to wire. What the rout was actually built on.
This one was over early. Ohio State routs Ball State, 56-3 at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State led from start to finish and never let Ball State within striking distance. Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards on 25 attempts with three touchdowns and lost 9 yards on three carries, though one of them reached the end zone.
The big plays only went one way
Ohio State produced 17 plays of 15+ yards to Ball State's 2, chiefly Julian Sayin (involved in 10), Jeremiah Smith (involved in 5) and Devin Mccuin (involved in 4). Ohio State scored on 67% of its drives to Ball State's 8%: Julian Sayin (24 pts), Jeremiah Smith (12 pts) and Bo Jackson (6 pts). Stacked together, it was never close.
How the two sides actually played on the night.
The standouts
Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards on 25 attempts with three touchdowns and lost 9 yards on three carries, though one of them reached the end zone, with that score from inside the 20, three third-down conversions and a hand in 10 plays of 15 yards or more. Jeremiah Smith ran one times for 5 yards and caught eight passes for 151 yards, two of them for touchdowns, including two third-down conversions and a hand in five plays of 15 yards or more. Bo Jackson ran nine times for 83 yards and one score and caught one pass for 13 yards. For Ball State, Keldric Luster threw for 89 yards on 33 attempts and ran nine times for 10 yards — two third-down conversions. TJ Horton caught four passes for 6 yards. Elijah Jackson ran two times for 20 yards and caught one pass for 5 yards. Tarvos Alford was the disruptive one for Ohio State: 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 3.5 tackles.
What Ball State has to fix
The problems had names: Keldric Luster (1 interception).
The disruptive ones
Two names to keep: Tarvos Alford (0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 3.5 tackles) for Ohio State and Cedric Franklin II (1 INT, 1 tackle) for Ball State.
How it unfolded
Ohio State struck first through Julian Sayin, led 28-3 at the half and Ohio State got the final points on a late touchdown by T.St. Clair.
How it graded
The closing line had Ohio State -50.5. Ohio State covered. The total was 55.5; the teams combined for 59, an over. Julian Sayin accounted for 24 of Ohio State's points.
Where it leaves them
Historically similar games since 2019 — close margin, both offenses held far below norm — and how often that offense outperformed this level the following week.
Ohio State cleared the bar with room to spare; Ball State goes back to the drawing board.
Discussion
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