Sayin leads No. 1 Ohio State past Washington 24-6

No. 1 Ohio State beat Washington 24-6 on Saturday at Husky Stadium in Seattle, prevailing behind an efficient passing performance from true sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin and a defense that stiffened in the red zone to stifle the Huskies in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Sayin completed 22 of 28 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, connecting on an 18-yard third-and-11 strike to Jeremiah Smith that gave Ohio State a 7-3 lead with 1:08 left in the first half. Smith was a primary target all afternoon, though accounts differed on his final totals; some box scores credited him with seven catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, while others listed eight catches for 81 yards. CJ Donaldson added a one-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and hauled in a fourth-quarter score to seal the win, while Bo Jackson paced the ground game with 17 carries for 80 yards.

Washington managed just two field goals from Grady Gross and finished 1 of 11 on third-down conversions, unable to sustain drives despite gaining yardage between the 20s. Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. completed 18 of 22 passes for 173 yards but was sacked six times, according to multiple reports, and...