Ohio State entered the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve as the biggest favorite in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. However, the Miami Hurricanes ended up making the Buckeyes look like underdogs and non-contenders, taking a 14-0 lead to halftime and ultimately winning, 24-14.
Miami’s defense was a disruptor and difference maker once again. A massive pick-six in the first half helped the Hurricanes build a two-touchdown deficit. It was 17-7 in the third quarter, and despite Ohio State making things close, they were unable to tie or grab a lead.
Heisman contender Julian Sayin threw for 287 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-35 completions in the loss. However, he made costly mistakes, including being sacked five times and throwing two interceptions.
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After the disappointing result, Sayin participated in his team’s postgame press conference with teammate Caleb Downs and head coach Ryan Day.
While Sayin took responsibility for his mistakes in the game, he also received an honest assessment from Coach Day about his future ceiling.
“Julian, this is somebody who hasn’t played a lot of football. This is his first year of playing, and he competes. He works at it,” Day said.
“What he does in terms of his preparation, what we put on his plate, getting us in and out of plays, protection checks. This guy here’s got a very, very bright future ahead of him,” he said.
Coach Day didn’t hesitate to mention that inexperience plays a role in Sayin’s performance thus far, referencing that others who have success at a high level tend to “have a lot of games under their belt.”
“I think Julian has a chance to be as good as he wants to be. Now he’s gotta learn from this and that’s a big part of playing quarterback,” Day told reporters.
According to the Ohio State coach, Sayin would learn from this devastating loss and come back “even stronger” for next season.
That’s a scary thought for Ohio State opponents, as many believed this current team would dominate opponents in the College Football Playoff en route to back-to-back championships.
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