\n If Caleb Downs decided the Heisman Trophy winner, he would cut it in half and give one part to Julian Sayin and the other part to Jeremiah Smith. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI feel like they could just give it to Ohio State and really just name two people as Heisman,\u201d Caleb Downs said. \u201cThat would be great.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile Sayin and Smith would likely agree, the humble Buckeyes picked each other to win the stiff-arm trophy this season.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cJeremiah Smith. I mean, the guy is special.\u00a0He\u2019s a great player,\u201d Sayin said.\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t know his stats today, but he had a great day, was making some great catches, had the one touchdown catch. He\u2019s a special player.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s Julian Sayin\u2019s trophy right there. The Heisman goes to Julian Sayin,\u201d Smith said.\u00a0\u201cBest player in the country. Best player in the country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\tDowns, Sayin and Smith were three of eight Ohio State players to meet with the media after the game. The remaining Buckeyes included offensive tackle Ian Moore, tight end Max Klare, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, linebacker Sonny Styles and cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. We’ve collected all of their best comments and quotes below.\n<\/p>\n
\tQB Julian Sayin<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cJeremiah Smith. I mean, the guy is special. He\u2019s a great player. I don\u2019t know his stats today, but he had a great day, was making some great catches, had the one touchdown catch. He\u2019s a special player.\u201d \u2013\u00a0Julian Sayin when asked to name his Heisman Trophy pick\n<\/p>\n
\t\tOn Ohio State\u2019s performance against Purdue: \u201cThere were some things we want to clean up, things we got to get better \u2014 you know, in the red zone, we can\u2019t turn the ball over \u2014 things to learn from. But overall, I thought we did some good things as well. I think just keep growing every week and getting better each week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tWhen asked about his interceptions, Sayin said he was \u201creckless with the football.\u201d Sayin said he will learn from the experience.<\/p>\n
\t\tOn Carnell Tate missing the Purdue game: \u201cCarnell is obviously a great player, makes a lot of impact. It was awesome to see some of the young guys step up and make some great catches. Bryson Rodgers, Mylan Graham, Brandon Inniss, obviously, playing a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tWhile the Heisman Trophy conversation will continue to surround Sayin and Smith for the rest of the season, Sayin said the Buckeyes will remain focused on team success, not individual awards.<\/p>\n
\tWR Jeremiah Smith<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s Julian Sayin\u2019s trophy right there. The Heisman goes to Julian Sayin. \u2026 Best player in the country. Best player in the country.\u201d\u2013 Jeremiah Smith\u00a0when asked to name his Heisman Trophy pick\n<\/p>\n
\t\tOn his performance against Purdue: \u201cIt feels good. Just another day in the office. \u2026 But it\u2019s all about us staying consistent. That\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tSmith praised Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers for being ready to play when Ohio State learned it would be without Carnell Tate against Purdue. \u201cIt shows that we got guys all around us that can play. Carnell went down, which is sad for us, but we got Mylan Graham, we got Bryson Rodgers, and all the guys that we\u2019re doing it, making plays today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tOn his chemistry with Julian Sayin: \u201cA lot of hard work that went into that. From this offseason, the spring, fall camp as well \u2014 y\u2019all are just seeing a byproduct of everything. There\u2019s a lot of hard work that went into that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tSmith said it would mean a lot to him and a lot to Ohio State for both he and Sayin to be in New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.<\/p>\n
\tCB Jermaine Mathews Jr.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI really think nobody in the country can really hang with us, in my opinion. I think if we just go out there every Saturday and play our game, we won\u2019t have too much to worry about.\u201d\u2013 Jermaine Mathews Jr. on Ohio State\u2019s consistency\n<\/p>\n
\t\tOn his interception: \u201cI said thanks to Caleb Downs. He deflected it. I tried to grab it. I tried to score it, though. I tried to get in that end zone. But yeah, great play, good turning point of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tMathews said Ohio State has a great mindset in approaching every game. \u201cJust every day getting better. Every day, don\u2019t take no opponent fr granted. Anything can happen on any given Saturday, so just come here with the right mindset, ready to dominate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tOn whether he has a knack for the ball and making plays: \u201cI think it\u2019s just something I do \u2014 try to make plays, make as much plays as possible, and just try to get the ball back for the offense.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\tTE Max Klare<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt was really cool. I mean, to come back to Purdue \u2014 I have a lot of love for Purdue, everything they\u2019ve done for me, from academic level to the field level. There\u2019s so many great people here, and I wouldn\u2019t trade my time here for anything.\u201d \u2013 Max Klare on his return to Purdue\n<\/p>\n
\t\tKlare with more on his return to Purdue: \u201cI\u2019m really grateful for Purdue and grateful to be back here. \u2026 It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun out there, especially just, you know, looking across the field and seeing my brother. Cool experience, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tOn Julian Sayin: \u201cHe just continues to grow his game, continues to believe in himself, even with all the outside noise. He\u2019s impressive, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tKlare said he was disappointed when Bo Jackson\u2019s 75-yard touchdown run was called back. However, he was encouraged to see the Buckeyes finally break off a long run. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have any running back break his explosive. It gives our team energy. You know, we love that, especially to start off the game like that. Obviously, it\u2019s a tough call, but a play like that gives us a lot of energy going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tOT Ian Moore<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI\u2019m just blessed to be out there. I\u2019m grateful for this opportunity. I\u2019m actually \u2014 it\u2019s even better to be kind of (in my) hometown. I grew up 20 minutes away from here.\u201d \u2013 Ian Moore on making his first start for Ohio State\n<\/p>\n
\t\tMoore said he had four of his friends, his mom, his sisters and his dad at Ross-Ade Stadium to watch him make his first career start. Moore said he learned he would start for the Buckeyes on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\t\tMoore said he wasn\u2019t thinking about nerves before, during or after the first play of his first start. He was just trying to catch his breath. \u201cI was just trying to catch my breath. I was in the end zone. I was in the end zone with Bo (Jackson), so running down 70 yards, running back,\u201d Moore said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\t\tOn Ohio State\u2019s offensive line: \u201cI think we\u2019ve got the best offensive line in the country. I think we\u2019ve got the best offensive line depth in the country. I mean, we\u2019ve got five dudes that have played, you\u2019ve got Ethan (Onianwa), who played at Rice. I think we\u2019ve got the best depth and the best offensive line in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tLB Sonny Styles<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cHe\u2019s awesome. He\u2019s a ball player. He just makes plays in a bunch of different ways. Interceptions, blitzes, PBUs, whatever it may be. Outside corner, inside corner, he\u2019s trying to do a little bit of everything, so he does a great job.\u201d \u2013 Sonny Styles on Jermaine Mathews Jr.\n<\/p>\n
\t\tStyles said Ohio State\u2019s second-team defense will learn from their experience at the end of the game. He said nobody on the defense wants to allow a touchdown, but allowing one teaches the players valuable lessons.<\/p>\n
\t\tStyles said Ohio State\u2019s depth being game-ready will prove crucial as the Buckeyes enter the home stretch.<\/p>\n
\t\tStyles said Ohio State\u2019s defense has a \u201cbend don\u2019t break\u201d mindset whenever it allows an explosive play.<\/p>\n
\tS Caleb Downs<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI feel like they could just give it to Ohio State and really just name two people as Heisman. That would be great.\u201d\u2013 Caleb\u00a0Downs on whether Julian Sayin or Jeremiah Smith should win the Heisman\n<\/p>\n
\t\tDowns picked Sayin as his Heisman winner, but he said both Sayin and Smith are \u201cplaying at a high level right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tEddrick Houston joined the gathered reporters and asked Downs who his favorite player on the team is. Downs said, \u201cEddrick Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tDowns said Ohio State emphasized getting off the field on third down during their practices this week. \u201cLast week we didn\u2019t really do that at a high level. We gave up a couple of plays on third down that we shouldn\u2019t have gave up, so just being really intentional this week about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tDT Kayden McDonald<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cMy best football is yet to come. Just keep working.\u201d \u2013 Kayden McDonald on his performance through nine games\n<\/p>\n
\t\tMcDonald praised Ohio State\u2019s offensive line for its performance on Saturday being down Joshua Padilla and Phillip Daniels. \u201cThe whole offensive line is the best in the country. Each guy and every guy, they come to work every day. On Saturdays, it shows all five guys working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tMcDonald had similar praise for Ohio State\u2019s running backs. \u201cSomething the coaches always say, iron sharpens iron. All those guys, Bo Jackson, Isaiah West, CJ Donaldson, James Peoples, they play really hard and practice really hard. It shows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tOn Ryan Day saying Ohio State\u2019s 2025 team has a business-like approach: \u201cBecause it\u2019s not about (our opponent). It\u2019s about us. Each week, each practice, each game, we got to get better because we got goals in mind. (We want to) play scary, never be comfortable, never stay complacent and always be ready to play and have an edge.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If Caleb Downs decided the Heisman Trophy winner, he would cut it in half and give one part…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-280246","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}