Ohio State got the result it needed in Bloomington, but the bigger story left the field with Julian Sayin.
The Buckeyes pulled out a 19-15 win over Indiana on Saturday, surviving a game that was brutal in more ways than one. Indiana’s 22-game win streak ended in painful fashion, and Ohio State left with victory mixed with real concern about its starting quarterback.
The turning point for Indiana came late, when the Hoosiers faced a fourth-and-4 at the Ohio State 27. Down five, they chose aggression over settling for the first down.
Josh Hoover dropped back and found a wide-open Nick Marsh down the sideline, hitting him in stride. The play looked like the kind that could flip the game - until Marsh’s left foot landed out of bounds.
He seemed to know it right away, and the reaction said everything.
For Ohio State, the immediate emotion was relief. But that quickly gave way to uncertainty after Sayin went down earlier in the fourth quarter with an apparent right arm injury.
After absorbing a violent hit from Indiana’s Mario Landino, Sayin was seen heading to the locker room with his right arm hanging at his side. A few minutes later, he returned with his arm in a sling.
With Sayin out, true freshman Luke Fahey took over, and the Buckeyes’ offense froze. Ohio State failed to pick up a first down after Fahey entered the game, and the unit never found any rhythm.
The win still mattered plenty. Ohio State avoided a second loss, got revenge on Indiana for last season’s Big Ten Championship, and lived to fight another week. But the mood around the program shifted fast once the quarterback situation became the headline.
After the game, Ryan Day said Sayin would be out "several weeks," though he did not get into specifics about the injury.
That sets up a stretch that suddenly looks a lot more complicated. Ohio State now has USC next, then a home game against Oregon. Both teams have had their issues in 2026, but going through that run with a true freshman at quarterback is not a scenario anyone in Columbus wanted.
If Sayin’s absence stretches further, the Buckeyes still have Northwestern ahead - and that team is now 5-1 after beating Michigan State - along with a road trip to Nebraska, which gave Indiana trouble last week. Michigan is still on the schedule too.
So yes, Ohio State escaped with the win. But it did so while waiting on an injury update that could shape the rest of its season.
In Other News...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Quarterback Problem It Cant Ignore
Ohio State got the win it wanted against Indiana, but it came with a major concern as starting quarterback Julian Sayin went down with a right shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. Head coach Ryan Day said Sayin is expected to miss several weeks, leaving the Buckeyes to navigate a stretch without the player who had been steering the offense.
Luke Fahey, a true freshman, finished the game after Sayin exited, and Ohio State still managed to hold on for a 19-15 victory that snapped Indianas 22-game winning streak. The result will sit well in the standings, but the next question is far more pressing for the Buckeyes: how they adjust at quarterback while waiting for Sayin to heal. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Huge Win May Have Come With A Serious Cost
Ohio States 19-15 win at Indiana was the kind of victory that can reshape a season, snapping the Hoosiers 22-game winning streak and ending a 19-game run at home. Julian Sayin provided the biggest offensive play of the day with a 38-yard touchdown pass that helped the Buckeyes get enough separation in a tight, tense game where every possession seemed to matter.
The concern afterward was less about the result and more about what it may have cost. Sayin appeared to injure his right arm during the game, leaving Ohio State to wonder how serious it is after a performance that had already become central to the outcome, while Indiana also had a chance to flip the script when Nick Marshs potential go-ahead touchdown was wiped out because he stepped out of bounds. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Faces A Julian Sayin Problem After Indiana
Ohio States win over Indiana came with a jolt after Ryan Day said quarterback Julian Sayin is likely to be out for several weeks because of injury. The timing matters, because Sayin had become a central part of what the Buckeyes wanted to do on offense, and now the staff has to recalibrate quickly with the schedule moving on.
Freshman Luke Fahey was the first man up when Sayin exited, and he looked composed enough in the moment to give Ohio State something to work with. Day also pointed to Jeremiah Smiths ability as a catcher, a reminder that the Buckeyes still have playmakers around the quarterback, but the bigger question now is how smoothly they can adapt with Sayin sidelined. [Read more 🡒]