Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin responds to Ryan Day challenge
· Yahoo Sports
Ryan Day has been very vocal about where he has challenged his team this season and specifically who he has challenged. Coming out of Ohio State's win over Illinois in the Big Ten opener, Day pointed directly at the player he picked this week ... and the response.
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Julian Sayin is clearly known for his ability to throw the ball -- as most quarterbacks are. Heading into conference play, however, Day pointed to a different skillset of Sayin's that he wanted to see. His legs.
Sayin rarely used his legs last year and so far this season he had just nine carries... until Saturday. Sayin not only used his legs to run for yardage, he also used his legs to keep the play alive.
"I would say this, we've talked to him about it," Day said after the 42-19 win. "One of our jobs as coaches is to challenge. Challenge coaches, coaches challenge players, players sometimes will challenge the coaches -- I like it when that happens ... We challenged Julian this past week and I thought he responded."
Sayin had seven carries for 29 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's win, and it's how and when he scrambled that was exactly what Day was looking for.
Sayin had two critical third down conversions during the Buckeyes' 19-play drive in the second quarter -- and then his rushing touchdown to cap off a critical drive before the half to go up 28-10.
"The scramble to get the first down was big. Then to keep the play alive on the touchdown was big as well," Day said. "And you could see the reaction from the sideline and the offense and that's the x-factor. He has that. He has the quickness to do that, and he competed well today."
On the day, Sayin threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to his one touchdown on the ground. It was his best performance of the season, and could be one of the best of his career up to this point. Why? He did it all, and brought the x-factor that Day referred to.
Sayin's legs was one of the biggest question marks around his game heading into this year. So much so, that one defensive coordinator in the Big Ten told ESPN anonymously, that the game plan was to get Sayin to run.
“The way they use him, he’s been pretty unwilling to run," the coordinator said. "He’s a good athlete, but you want to try to get him out where he doesn’t want to be.”
Sayin doesn't need to be a legit running quarterback -- that's not what Ryan Day is trying to get from his quarterback. But when the field is open and the defense allows it, Sayin has to use his legs like he did on Saturday.
His performance against the Illini could be the key to unlocking Sayin's full potential.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin responds to Ryan Day challenge