Ohio State left Indiana with a win on Saturday afternoon, but it took just about everything the Buckeyes had to get out of there 19-15. The game turned into a tight, high-drama finish, the kind that can swing on a single snap, a single call, or a single mistake. For a matchup between two top-five teams, it delivered exactly that.
And if there was one clear takeaway from the day, it’s that Ohio State survived while still revealing plenty about where this team stands. The defense did enough.
Jeremiah Smith delivered the kind of moment only he seems capable of creating. And the quarterback situation changed in a way that leaves the Buckeyes with real work to do.
The defense was a major reason Ohio State escaped. Even while giving up some big plays through the air, the Buckeyes held up well against Indiana’s run game and kept the Hoosiers to just 73 yards rushing.
That mattered, especially with the offense putting them in tough spots after two turnovers and good field position for Indiana. The unit had to absorb that pressure and still find a way to keep the game within reach, and it did.
The quarterback side of the story was much rougher. Julian Sayin had a difficult afternoon, finishing 15-of-29 with two interceptions and missing several open receivers.
Indiana clearly wanted to speed him up and force mistakes, and that approach worked. Sayin is at his best when he’s clean in the pocket, but this game showed how quickly things can unravel when the pressure gets there.
Head coach Ryan Day said Sayin will be out for “multiple weeks” with an injury, which only adds to the challenge ahead. It also raises the stakes on what comes next for Ohio State’s offense.
That next phase may have to begin without Sayin, and the Buckeyes did not look settled when they turned to Luke Fahey. Fahey has moved ahead of Tavien St.
Clair on the depth chart, and his first play was promising as he used his legs and drew a personal foul. After that, though, the drop-off was obvious.
He’s a true freshman, and the situation was far from ideal, but Ohio State is now facing a real test in how it handles the passing game moving forward. With an off week coming before the trip to L.A. to face USC in a couple of weeks, the staff has time to sort through the options.
Jeremiah Smith, meanwhile, made sure his imprint was felt. Indiana did a strong job trying to take him away, doubling him almost every snap and limiting him to four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.
But the touchdown was the kind of play that changes games. Sayin threw the ball into double coverage, and Smith simply went up over both defenders to make the catch.
Even when an opponent seems to have him under control, Smith still finds a way to bend the game back in Ohio State’s favor.
Still, the fourth quarter is hanging over this team. The Buckeyes won, and that matters.
But the final period again looked shaky, with Indiana making plays and Ohio State’s offense sputtering as the clock ran down. Nick Marsh missing his foot down in the end zone on fourth down helped Ohio State escape, and there was also a questionable roughing the passer call that became part of the finish.
Even so, the larger issue remains the same: the Buckeyes keep finding themselves in late-game trouble, and the answers haven’t come easily yet.
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