Julian Sayin answered Ryan Day’s challenge with his arm and his legs, throwing for 367 yards and four touchdowns while adding a rushing score in Ohio State’s 42–19 win over Illinois.

Sayin completed 27 of 36 passes without an interception. His touchdown run helped the Buckeyes pull away, while Jeremiah Smith had 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns.

Day had challenged Sayin to extend plays and make something happen when the offense’s plans broke down. Sayin said the coaches had pointed to opportunities from the previous week.

“Last week there were opportunities for me to extend the play and get us conversions on third down in the red zone,” Sayin said. “He’s just coaching hard, and he coaches the quarterbacks hard. We wouldn’t want it any other way.”

That coaching showed up when Sayin took off for a first down. He said he was weighing whether to keep searching for a receiver or pick up the yards himself.

“How can I avoid? How can I extend? Is there a guy up and down field or do I go to pick it up with my legs?” Sayin said.

Julian said he is building confidence in those moments as the season continues.

“I think just building confidence each week in that area,” Sayin said. “It was cool to see some things like that happen today.”

Smith was Sayin’s primary target, finding the end zone four times. Sayin said he and his teammates recognized the coverage before one of Smith’s long scoring plays.

“Me, the slot, Jeremiah, we all kind of knew that it was going to be a touchdown just because of a certain coverage they were playing,” Sayin said.

He also praised Smith’s team-first approach, saying the receiver remains focused on celebrating his teammates even after a big individual performance.

“He keeps finding the end zone, but he’s a very selfless player,” Sayin said. “You see him excited for his teammates and excited for the other players around him when they make a big play.”

After Sayin’s rushing touchdown, Ohio State’s offensive linemen quickly joined him in celebration.

“It was a lot of fun, and it was cool to celebrate with our teammates there,” Sayin said.

Ohio State’s offense found a rhythm, but Sayin said the Buckeyes still have details to clean up, including penalties and a three-and-out in their own territory.

“We did some good things today,” Sayin said. “There’s still stuff to clean up, still stuff we can grow on and improve on, and get ready for next week.”

The Buckeyes have scored a touchdown in the final 15 seconds of the first half in each of their first four games. Sayin called those late-half scores a major momentum boost, especially with Ohio State receiving the ball to open the second half.

“If you’re able to get points, and then you get the ball at halftime, it’s a huge momentum shift for you,” Sayin said.

After the win, Sayin said his focus remains on improving and helping Ohio State play its best football later in the season.

“Just keep trying to grow and improve,” he said. “How can I keep growing and keep getting better, and be playing our best football in November?”