Ohio State left Bloomington with a win, but the mood around it was anything but clean.
The Buckeyes beat Indiana in a game that got loose, ugly and tense in all the right places, snapping the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak and erasing last December at the same time. It took a fourth-down touchdown, a key defensive stand and a last-ditch replay look to make it hold up.
Ohio State got on the board first with a field goal, then handed Indiana a gift when Julian Sayin threw an interception on the next drive. The Hoosiers cashed that in quickly for a touchdown and grabbed the early edge. The Buckeyes settled enough before halftime to take a 10-7 lead when Sayin connected with Bo Jackson for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal.
The offense found one more big moment early in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-1, Sayin lofted a 38-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Smith, who was double covered but came down with it anyway to put Ohio State ahead 19-7. That catch was Smith’s 39th career touchdown reception, tying Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten record.
Indiana wasn’t done. The Hoosiers answered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to pull within 19-15, and once Sayin was hurt, Luke Fahey couldn’t get the Buckeyes moving. Indiana got the ball right back and nearly stole the whole thing.
The Hoosiers thought they had the winning touchdown on fourth down with a minute left, but Nick Marsh’s left foot landed out of bounds, and Ohio State escaped with the victory.
The biggest takeaway might be on the defensive side, where the Buckeyes looked far more like themselves. Indiana entered averaging 221 rushing yards per game and finished with just 73. Ohio State’s defensive line controlled the run game, the Buckeyes forced two fumbles, and Jay Timmons stood out in his return.
Sayin’s day was rocky even before the injury. He finished with two touchdown passes and two interceptions, but the missed throws and shaky rhythm never let him settle in against Indiana’s pass rush. Mario Landino brought him down in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Day said afterward that he’ll “probably be out several weeks.”
That leaves Fahey in line to take over, at least for now. He went 0-for-2 in relief.
Indiana also hurt itself in a game that was there to be taken. Nico Radicic missed field goals from 32 and 55 yards, and in a four-point game, that loomed large.
The bye comes at a useful moment for Ohio State. It gives Fahey and Tavien St.
Clair a chance to work with the first team while Sayin gets more time to recover. After that, the Buckeyes head into a stretch that includes USC, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan.
At 6-1, Ohio State still sits in strong shape, with room for one or maybe even two more losses and still likely stay in the playoff picture. But the next two major tests will demand a lot, especially USC on the road and Oregon at home with a freshman quarterback.
Around the country, Miami needed double overtime to survive, Ole Miss beat Missouri by 30, and Kentucky, Utah and UCLA all kept rolling.
It was one of the wildest weekends in recent memory, and Ohio State climbed to No. 3 in the AP Poll because of it.
In Other News...
Ohio State Now Faces A Huge Offensive Reset After Indiana
Ohio State walked out of Indiana with a 19-15 road win that snapped the Hoosiers 22-game unbeaten streak at home, but the bigger takeaway for the Buckeyes came after the final whistle. Julian Sayin left the game with an injury and is expected to miss several weeks, leaving Ohio State to rework its offense at a point in the season when continuity matters most.
Luke Fahey is now set to make his first start in Sayins place, and that changes the look of everything around him. The Buckeyes can lean on a defense and special teams that still grade well in the national and Big Ten statistical rankings, but the offense now has to absorb a major reset while the staff waits for more clarity on Sayins recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Faces A Backfield Question Fans Wont Ignore
Ohio States backfield took a hit this week when JaKobi Jackson had surgery for a Lisfranc injury in his foot, putting him on the sideline for at least the next several games. The Buckeyes had been counting on depth in the running game, and now the focus shifts to how they handle the early stretch without one of the pieces they were planning to lean on.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said the timeline for Jacksons return is still uncertain, even as Ohio State hopes to have him back for the rivalry game against Michigan and the postseason. That leaves the Buckeyes waiting on a key injury update at a time when every week of availability matters, especially with the season moving toward its biggest games. [Read more 🡒]
Buckeyes Fans Had Two Former Stars To Watch All Over Sunday
Sunday offered Ohio State fans a familiar kind of rooting interest, with several former Buckeyes spread across the NFL slate after the programs win over Indiana in the 2026 college football season. The leagues Week 6 schedule had its usual mix of results, including the Texans international trip to London and a last-second field goal in that game, along with wins for a long list of teams from the Broncos to the Browns.
For Buckeyes followers, though, the intrigue went beyond the scoreboard and into the individual performances of a couple of ex-stars who continue to matter at the pro level. One was in Houston, where a familiar Ohio State connection had a new wrinkle in the Texans win, while another was out in Seattle, where the result did not go his teams way but his play still stood out enough to keep Columbus paying attention. [Read more 🡒]