Julian Sayin reveals what he hopes people learned about him in win over Arch Manning, Texas

In addition to being a Top-5 showdown, Ohio State vs. Texas also saw two former highly rated quarterback recruits go head-to-head. Arch Manning and Julian Sayin squared off at The Horseshoe on Saturday – and the Buckeyes came out on top.

Ohio State came away with the 14-7 victory in a grind-it-out game, fueled by a strong defense that slowed down Manning and the Texas offense. Sayin also looked the part in his first career start, completing 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.

Heading into the matchup, much of the attention was on Manning, the former top recruit who’s looking to follow in his grandfather and uncles’ legacies. But Sayin was also a touted prospect, and he said he hoped people learned the way he approaches each day, as well as the players who are around him.

“I was just hoping people learn I was operating the offense,” Sayin told FOX’s Tom Rinaldi. “We had some great players around me. Receivers played well, running backs played well, offensive line played well. I mean, obviously, the defense.”

The Ohio State defense looked the part under new coordinator Matt Patricia. Texas had 336 total yards, but was only able to score one touchdown when Manning found Parker Livingstone late in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes bent, but didn’t break and got the game-sealing sack on fourth down to complete the win.

Sayin praised the defense’s effort en route to the win considering the amount of talent on Texas’ offense. He made sure to credit Patricia, the staff and the players for the game plan they put in place.

“I just can’t say enough about Coach Patricia and the guys,” Sayin said. “Holding seven points to Texas, it was a great time. Really proud of the defense.”

As Julian Sayin got ready to arrive on the college scene as a five-star recruit, he planned to play for Nick Saban at Alabama. But after the legendary coach retired, Sayin entered the transfer portal as an early enrollee and committed to Ohio State. He sat behind Will Howard on last year’s national championship team and beat out Lincoln Kienholz for the starting job this year.

Saturday marked his first collegiate start – and it came on the big stage in front of a sold-out Ohio Stadium crowd. Sayin reflected on what Saturday’s game was like and how it felt being in the middle of it all.

“It was an awesome atmosphere,” Sayin said. “Big thanks to our fans out here. Defense played well, offensive line played well. Just an awesome experience.”