🏈 Ohio State vs. Grambling State Recap: Julian Sayin Breaks Records, Buckeyes Detonate in 70-0 Blowout

Carmen Ohio Could’ve Played by Halftime. This Game Was a Wrap by the First Commercial Break.

There are tune-up games, and then there are bloodbaths dressed as football contests. What went down in Columbus on Saturday afternoon fell hard into the second category.

Ohio State’s 70-0 curb-stomping of Grambling State wasn’t just domination — it was football gentrification. The No. 1 team in the country did exactly what it was supposed to do against an FCS visitor, but did it with such ruthless precision that you’d think Ryan Day had a personal vendetta against the city of Grambling.

Freshman phenom Julian Sayin came out slinging, completing his first 16 passes (yes, in a row) and finishing the day 18-of-19 for 306 yards and 4 touchdowns — all in the first half. On the other side? A Grambling State offense that may as well have been in witness protection.

‍

‍

🔁 How It Unfolded: An Avalanche in Real Time

Let’s break this chaos down chronologically — not because it was close, but because it’s the only way to even remotely process what happened.

• Opening drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, capped with a 47-yard dart from Sayin to tight end Will Kacmarek. 7-0, Buckeyes.
• Next drive? One play. 87 yards. Jeremiah Smith cooked the entire Grambling secondary and casually waltzed into the end zone. 14-0.
• Then it was Carnell Tate with an OBJ-lite acrobatic snag in the end zone from 13 yards out. 21-0.
• Sayin to Smith again — a red zone hookup for touchdown No. 4. 28-0.
• And just to cap the half: a surgical 8-play, 62-yard drive ending with C.J. Donaldson bulldozing in from 2 yards out. 35-0 at halftime.

Ohio State scored on five of its six first-half possessions. The only stop Grambling managed? A goal-line interception that honestly felt more like a pity turnover from the football gods than an actual defensive stand.

Then came the second half… and with it, the freshman showcase.

‍

‍

🧠 Key Players: Buckeye Babies Take Over

If you’re an Ohio State fan, you’re going to be annoying at Thanksgiving dinner for the next three years bragging about this freshman class. And rightfully so.

• Julian Sayin: You already know. His 16 straight completions to start the game broke an Ohio State record and might’ve broken Grambling’s spirit too.
• Jeremiah Smith: Looked every bit like a future WR1 in the NFL. 5 catches, 119 yards, 2 TDs. The 87-yard bomb was the kind of play that gets replayed in draft rooms.
• Bo Jackson (no relation to that Bo… but maybe soon?): 9 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD. Dude averaged 12 yards per carry. On his first touch, he scored.
• Isaiah West: 2 carries, 24 yards, 1 TD. That’s called efficient real estate.
• Riley Pettijohn: Got the defense on the board with a 23-yard scoop-and-score on the first play of the second half. Just another freshman doing the absolute most.

Also, shoutout to Lincoln Kienholz for slinging his first career TD pass in the fourth quarter — a 4-yard dart to Jelani Thurman that made it 63-0.

This game was basically a 3-hour TikTok hype video for Ohio State’s underclassmen.

‍

‍

🚨 The Turning Point? The Coin Toss.

This wasn’t a game where momentum shifted. It was a game where one team had a Ferrari and the other brought a unicycle. The turning point was the existence of the matchup. As soon as the opening kickoff went up in front of 100,624 fans at The Shoe, the result was academic.

But if you have to pick a moment, it’s that second drive — the one-play, 87-yard bomb to Jeremiah Smith. It wasn’t just explosive; it was disrespectful in the most beautiful way. That was the drive where everyone watching realized: “Oh. This is going to get ugly.”

‍

‍

📊 Stats That Actually Matter

• 651 total yards for Ohio State. Grambling? 110. That’s not a typo.
• 9 touchdowns by 9 different Buckeyes.
• 0 points allowed. OSU’s defense pitched a shutout and scored one of their own.
• Sayin: 18-of-19 passing (94.7%), with 4 TDs and over 300 yards… in a half. Madden stats.
• Freshmen accounted for 5 touchdowns, including the first defensive TD of the year.
• First meeting ever between Ohio State and Grambling. It might be the last for a while.

‍

‍

🧠 Bigger Picture: What This Means

Let’s be honest: this wasn’t about Grambling. They showed up, played hard, and got a nice memory. Head coach Mickey Joseph called it “a great experience” and was proud of his team. He should be — it’s not easy to walk into the Coliseum and get trucked with dignity.

For Ohio State, this was about execution and growth. After a shaky opener against Texas where the offense didn’t quite click, Sayin and the Buckeyes looked sharper, faster, and meaner. This was supposed to be a cupcake game — but OSU treated it like Thanksgiving dinner.

Ryan Day said the 48 hours leading up to the game were “business-like,” and it showed. There was no sloppiness. No mercy. Just execution at a professional level.

And perhaps most importantly: the depth showed out. You expect drop-off when the backups come in. Instead? They extended the lead.

‍

🎤 Final Thought: The Calm Before the Carnage?

Ohio State isn’t going to get credit nationally for this one — they weren’t supposed to lose, or even be close. But how they won tells you everything. This wasn’t a tune-up; it was a warning shot. To Michigan. To the SEC. To anyone with playoff dreams.

Julian Sayin is him. The freshman class is already them. And if you squinted hard enough on Saturday, you could already see the confetti.

Let’s just hope the next opponent brings a little more fight. Because right now, the Buckeyes look like they’re playing on rookie difficulty — and putting up legendary numbers.

‍