One thing that’s made Ohio State’s pass protection performance so remarkable is the new faces playing for the Buckeyes at both offensive tackle positions. Austin Siereveld is playing left tackle for the first time after sliding out from guard this offseason, and Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels won the right tackle job and has excelled despite possessing just four starts of experience with the Gophers.
Siereveld and Daniels matched up with 2024 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Colin Simmons on the edge in Week 1, who had nine sacks to lead all Longhorns last year. Siereveld didn’t allow a single pressure despite the daunting test.
“I have all the pride in the world,” Siereveld said of protecting Sayin’s blindside. “It's my job. No one can touch Julian, or Lincoln if he's in there. But if I let up a sack, I have a horrible game. And I'm gonna get ripped. The media and the fans, it's gonna be a bad day if I let up a sack. But you have to have the mindset that no one can touch the quarterback. You can't even let up the pressure.”
From Sayin’s perspective, the offensive line has played amazingly thus far. Their keeping him upright has facilitated a fantastic beginning to his time as Ohio State’s starting quarterback; he’s completed 79.5% of his passes at a gaudy 11.1 yards per pass attempt.
“The offensive line has been phenomenal,” Sayin said. “I mean, zero sacks in two weeks, it's been great. They've done a really good job in the run game and in the pass game, just keeping me protected.”
