Sayin’s Career Passing Effort Leads No. 1 Buckeyes to 34-0 Win
10/18/2025 6:30:00 PM | Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 1 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0) and quarterback Julian Sayin excelled in the pass game Saturday to beat Wisconsin (2-5, 0-4) on the road, 34-0, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Julian Sayin completed his first 10 passing attempts on his way to a 393-yard day through the air. He finished with four touchdown passes on the day with 36 completions on 42 attempts, all career highs. Nine Buckeyes caught at least one pass with Carnell Tate leading the way with six catches and two scores for 111 yards. Jeremiah Smith added nine catches for 97 yards.
First Quarter
No. 1 Ohio State 17, Wisconsin 0
Ohio State won the pregame coin toss and deferred to the second half. Wisconsin started the game on offense at their 25 after a fair catch. Hunter Simmons opened at quarterback for the Badgers but did not produce a first down. Wisconsin punted, a 55-yard effort by Sean West, to the OSU11. Julian Sayin started at quarterback for the Buckeyes and hit receiver Jeremiah Smith for 6 and then Carnell Tate for 15 more to the OSU32. Sayin connected with Smith again for 5 before a 10-yard grab by tight end Max Klare to the OSU47. Klare added a 5-yard catch before running back Bo Jackson caught one over the middle for 16 yards to the Wisconsin 32. The catch was the sixth-consecutive completion for Sayin. The Buckeyes lost a yard on a rush before a false start penalty moved the ball to the UW38. Brandon Inniss added a 5-yard catch and left the game with injury. On the next play, Sayin connected with Tate deep in the endzone for a 33-yard touchdown over the middle for a 7-0 lead. The drive covered 89 plays on nine plays while using four minutes, 34 seconds. Sayin completed all eight of his pass attempts during the drive. After a touchback, Simmons hit his tight end Jackson McGohan for 15 yards to the UW40. Two plays later Ohio State’s Sonny Styles intercepted a tipped ball at the UW48 and returned it 5 yards to the Wisconsin 43. Jackson started the Ohio State drive with a 6-yard grab on a screen before Smith moved the ball to the UW23 after a 14-yard grab. The drive stalled at the UW20 after a Sayin rush for no gain on third down. Wisconsin called timeout and after the stoppage, Jayden Fielding entered and delivered a 38-yard field goal for a 10-0 Ohio State lead with 4:40 left in the quarter. Back at their 25 after a touchback, Wisconsin gained 6 yards on three rushes before punting it back to the Buckeyes. After a 52-yard boot and a 13-yard Inniss return, Ohio State took over at its 30. CJ Donaldson Jr. opened with a 13-yard rush before Tate caught a Sayin offering down the right side for 27 yards to the UW30. Donaldson then added a 14-yard catch before a Jackson 3-yard rush to the UW13. Two plays later Tate scored for the second time on a 10-yard catch in the front left corner of the endzone for a 17-0 lead. The quarter ended after a Wisconsin return of 16 yards to the UW26.
Second Quarter
No. 1 Ohio State 17, Wisconsin 0
Wisconsin drove to the OSU45 before punting it away. The Buckeyes started from their 3 after a 42-yard kick. Sayin guided the Buckeyes out to the 22 before Ohio State punted it away, a Joe McGuire 42-yard effort to the UW36. The Badgers were not able to move the ball and punted. The Buckeyes took over at their 20 after a touchback following a 62-yard kick. Smith caught three-consecutive passes for gains of 10, 9 and 8 yards to the OSU47 to start Ohio State’s next possession. Mylan Graham then caught a 10-yard pass down the right sideline before a false start penalty on the Buckeyes. Quincy Porter then added an 8-yard catch to the UW40. Isaiah West then rushed for 14 yards over the right side to the UW26. Klare added a short gain before the two-minute timeout. Another Klare grab of 5 yards moved the ball to the UW15 after the break. After an incompletion, Fielding missed a 38-yard field goal attempt to give the ball back to the Badgers at their 20. The half ended after Wisconsin punted it away and Ohio State ran out the clock.
Third Quarter
No. 1 Ohio State 27, Wisconsin 0
The Buckeyes started with the ball at their 25 to open the second half after a touchback. Sayin moved Ohio State quickly to the UW49 after a Jackson catch for 16 yards. Sayin, on fourth-and-4, at the UW48, connected with Tate for 19 yards at the UW24. Tate added another catch for 7 to the Wisconsin 17. The Buckeyes stalled at the UW18 before Fielding entered and connected on a 37-yard field goal for a 20-0 lead for the Buckeyes. Wisconsin did not earn a first down on its next possession. Ohio State got the ball at its 17 following a 60-yard punt and 7-yard Inniss return. Ohio State fell just shy on a third-and-15 after a completion to Smith for 14 yards to the OSU26. The Buckeyes went for it on fourth down and earned the first after a Sayin sneak up the middle for a 2-yard gain. After an incompletion, Jackson caught a route to the left side for 16 yards to the OSU44. He then rushed up the middle for 7 to the UW49. Two plays later, Sayin found Porter down the left sideline for 22 yards to the UW27. Sayin called his own number and rushed for 7 up the middle before West added a 15-yard run up the middle to the UW4. Two plays later, Sayin hit Will Kacmarek for a 2-yard touchdown completion to make it 27-0. The half ended after a sack moved the Badgers to their 27.
Fourth Quarter
No. 1 Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 0
Wisconsin opened the quarter in punt formation but ran a fake to the right side for a gain of 20 yards and a first down at the UW36. The Badgers were sacked at their 40 on third down and punted it away. Ohio State took over at their 23 after an Inniss return of 18 yards. Sayin hit Smith for 26 yards on the first play of the drive out to the OSU49. The Buckeyes used the ground game to eat some clock before Inniss caught a 13-yard Sayin pass in the back right corner of the endzone for a 34-0 lead with 5:31 to go. Ohio State preserved the shutout by stopping the Badgers deep in Ohio State territory on fourth down before running out the clock for the win.
