If you told college football fans at the start of the season that in November, the Heisman Trophy race would be between Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, some would have looked at you like you had three heads. That is the truth, though, it seems to be a two-person race at this point between the freshman Sayin and the transfer Mendoza.
Last week, Mendoza supposedly had his 'Heisman moment' on the game-winning drive to beat Penn State, a team Ohio State had beaten handily. Mendoza's final drive was impressive, but Sayin hasn't necessarily needed drives like that in order to win games against teams Ohio State should be beating.
Ohio State is set to take on UCLA in Week 12, and looking at the numbers, Sayin has the ability to get that 'Heisman moment' against the Bruins.
Julian Sayin can show yet again he should be the Heisman favorite vs. UCLA
Ohio State is set to take on UCLA, a team that has shown some promise at times this season. However, they have not faced a team quite like Ohio State, especially one with the type of firepower that the Buckeyes have on the offensive side of the ball.
Buckeyes quarterback has a serious chance to show the Heisman voters that he deserves to be not just the frontrunner of this race, but to win it all at the end of the season against UCLA. The Bruins are ranked No. 132 in defensive success with only 46.8% success against opponents and lower against the pass with only a 45.8% success rate, ranking them No. 104 in the country.
Sayin could also have some highlight big plays as the Bruins have an 8.9% explosive pass rate, showing that they are susceptible to giving up a lot over the top. Sayin has shown with the receivers he has, especially one by the name Jeremiah Smith, that he can get the ball to them downfield.
Sayin has impressed this season, especially when no one was giving him the time of day in the media before the season started. The redshirt freshman already has 2,491 passing yards this season with an 80.9% completion rate and 24 touchdowns. He has also taken good care of the ball with only four interceptions this season.
UCLA is the perfect team for Sayin to secure this Heisman Trophy against. Mendoza struggled throughout the game against Penn State, but was able to pull it together for the final drive. A complete game from Sayin could prove that he is truly the best quarterback this season.