Overview
- On a fourth-and-short against Rutgers, Ryan Day briefly replaced starter Julian Sayin with backup Lincoln Kienholz, whose incomplete pass was offset by a roughing-the-passer penalty that kept the drive alive.
- Sayin returned two plays later and threw a touchdown, reinforcing reporting that the move was not injury-related.
- Kienholz is viewed as a short-yardage, run-capable option, and Ohio State showed a pass from that package, adding a look that could influence future defensive scouting.
- Opinion pieces argued the decision, coupled with Sayin’s statistically weaker outing, may undercut his Heisman momentum and renew calls for a defining performance against Michigan.
- EssentiallySports reported a Caesars Sportsbook update placing Sayin third in Heisman odds behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.