COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Ryan Day made it clear in the offseason that when it comes to his national championship program, the Buckeyes aren’t “defending anything” after coming out on top in the first 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff.
“They can’t take the trophy away,” he said last month at the Big Ten’s media day event, “but we’re looking to add to it and win a championship with this team.”
To that effect, Day and the third-ranked Buckeyes believed their high-profile opener against No. 1 Texas would be about establishing the identity of this year’s team.
Both the defense and new quarterback Julian Sayin took a big first step toward accomplishing that.
In his first collegiate start, Sayin gave Ohio State a two-score advantage early in the fourth quarter with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate. Add in the defense containing the much-hyped Arch Manning for most of the game and making two pivotal stops in the red zone, and it resulted in the Buckeyes holding on to beat the Longhorns 14-7.