Jack achieves personal history in OSU career

‍

COVER PHOTO: OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer (No. 33) teams up with defensive tackle Eddrick Houston (No. 96) for a tackle on Purdue running back Reggie Love III in their 45-0 win. Sawyer tallied five tackles in the game and had a fumble return for a touchdown. Picture by Sam Fahmi/Columbus Wired.

‍

Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer saw an opportunity during his team’s 45-0 win against Purdue (1-8, 0-6 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon that he couldn’t pass up: score a touchdown.

It was late in the third quarter and the second-ranked Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1) held a comfortable 31-0 lead. It didn’t matter that running back TreVeyon Henderson had scored seven seconds earlier, Sawyer wanted one for himself.

So when fellow senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau punched the ball from Boilermakers running back Reggie Love III and the ball went bouncing towards the goal line, Sawyer felt there was only one thing he could do: scoop it up and jaunt into the end zone for an 11-yard score.

“When I’m coming around the edge and I see J.T. punch it out … I was trying to scoop-and-score no matter what,” Sawyer said after the game.

The senior defensive end out of Pickerington (Ohio) North did something against the Boilermakers that he had not done since his high school playing days and when the opportunity presented itself, he knew what he had to do.

“I said it downstairs (in the locker room), there was no chance in hell I was diving on that ball,” Sawyer said with a big smile.

“It was a special play. J.T. made a big-time play punching it out and once I saw the ball, I was going to get it and try to score.”

When asked the last time he could remember scoring a touchdown, Sawyer was a little fuzzy but said it was his junior year at Pick North but was probably when he was on the offensive side of the ball as a quarterback.

However, he definitely remembered his last defensive touchdown, which was a pick-six for the Panthers as a fresh-faced, 15-year-old freshman.

“I haven’t scored a touchdown in a long time, so it felt good,” he said, admitting that the college touchdown would probably be more memorable than the one in high school.

It’s not a complete anomaly for a defensive guy to get some glory when it comes to crossing a goal line with the ball in his arms. According to the NCAA’s official website, 95 of the 134 FBS teams have scored a defensive TD this year.

But what is a little difficult to do is to corral a fumble and take it to the house. According to the NCAA, only 42 of the 95 teams have done so. And of those 42 teams, only eight have more than one fumble returned for a touchdown.

So in that regard, Ohio State is in a selective group because Sawyer joins safety Lathan Ransom in the rarified air of 2024 double (or even triple) scoop-and-scores.

“Man, I had a great little viewpoint of that,” Ransom said of Sawyer’s touchdown. “That was a great play by J.T. … so for Jack to get into the end zone, that gets the crowd and the team going, it’s extremely exciting.”

Ransom fired up his team and the Buckeye faithful who packed the Horseshoe in their season-opener against Akron when the opportunity bounced his way, which also came in a third quarter. Zips quarterback Tahj Bullock kept the ball on a draw and was met by defensive tackle Hero Kanu after gaining two yards but Kanu couldn’t make the tackle. However, defensive end Caden Curry popped Bullock from behind and the ball went sprawling directly towards Ransom and he promptly reeled it in and sped untouched for a 27-yard TD.

"Defensive touchdowns (are) something we make a big deal about around here,” Ransom said.

Ransom also did his part in the turnover department against the Boilermakers by picking off QB Hudson Card a few minutes before Sawyer’s scoop-and-score in the third quarter. He’s the only player to have both a fumble and interception on the season.

‍OSU head coach Ryan Day acknowledged his starting defensive ends’ stellar play afterwards.

“I thought J.T. and Jack were very disruptive and certainly the forced fumble and scoop-and-score was the epitome of that in this game.”

Sawyer finished with five tackles and half-a-sack.

Tuimoloau had four tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss including half-a-sack, one pass break-up and the forced fumble.

Ransom also had four tackles as well as the interception.

Ohio State’s next game is on the road against Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) and will be played at historic Wrigley Field. The game is slated for a noon kickoff and will air on the Big Ten Network.