Standing together after a gritty 19-15 comeback win at Indiana, Ohio State did not have its marching band with it in Bloomington, so the Buckeyes sang Carmen Ohio a cappella. The scene fit the mood perfectly: unified, upbeat and, even with the victory in hand, very aware of what came out of the game with them.
The biggest concern is Julian Sayin. The Ohio State quarterback left after a sack by Indiana defensive end Mario Landino with just over eight minutes remaining, and the play ended with Sayin’s right arm folding awkwardly and the ball coming loose.
The Buckeyes recovered the fumble, but they lost their quarterback. Sayin was later seen in a sling on his right arm, and Ryan Day said the shoulder injury would keep him out “several weeks.”
That sent freshman Luke Fahey into the game, and Day said the moment never swallowed him up.
“I don’t think the moment was too big for him,” Day said.
Fahey had only previously played in blowout wins over Ball State and Kent State, where he threw for 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. But his teammates said he handled the pressure like someone who had been preparing for this kind of opportunity all along.
“I think he did everything the right way,” wide receiver Jeremiah Smith said. “He handled the pressure the very well.”
Offensive lineman Luke Montgomery offered a similar read on the freshman, pointing to the work Fahey puts in behind the scenes.
“He’s going to be a heck of a player, ” Montgomery said.
Ohio State’s injury issues didn’t stop with Sayin. Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. finished the game, but he was helped off by defensive tackle Eddrick Houston, and Jackson’s face was twisted in pain. He also limped away while putting little weight on his right ankle.
The Buckeyes were already shorthanded before kickoff, with offensive lineman Austin Siereveld, running back Ja’Kobi Jackson and wide receiver Brock Boyd all unavailable for Saturday’s game. Day said the response inside the locker room showed the kind of bond the team needs when the roster starts getting thin.
“When someone goes down, guys have to step up,” Day said after Ohio State’s win on Saturday.
“Now more than ever you have to have a team that plays for each other,” Day said, “I think you saw that today.”
That brotherhood will have time to breathe. Ohio State has a bye week before heading to Los Angeles to play USC on Oct. 31, something Day called timely as the Buckeyes try to reset and sort through the injuries.
“The bye week kind of gives us a chance to regroup on that and put our heads together,” he said.
In Other News...
Indiana Was At The Center Of A Costly Officiating Controversy
The latest officiating debate in college football has put Indiana back in the middle of the conversation, this time because of a roughing the passer call in its game against Ohio State that kept a drive alive longer than it otherwise would have. Even though the Buckeyes still won, the penalty added to a familiar frustration for fans who watch these games closely, where one decision can ripple through the rest of the night and change the feel of everything that follows.
It comes on the heels of another end-of-game controversy in the Notre Dame-BYU matchup, where a clock error helped bring the game to an end with one second still available for another play. The Big 12 has already acknowledged that mistake and said it will review its end-of-game officiating process, which only adds to the broader scrutiny now facing the officials and the system that is supposed to get these moments right. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Huge Win May Have Come With A Serious Cost
Ohio States 19-15 win over Indiana carried all the weight youd expect from a top-tier road result, snapping the Hoosiers 22-game winning streak and handing them their first home loss in 19 games. Julian Sayin supplied the defining play with a 38-yard touchdown strike, and the Buckeyes did just enough in a tight, physical game where every possession felt magnified.
The concern afterward centered on Sayin, who appeared to injure his right arm during the game, leaving an already significant victory with a lingering question for Ohio States offense. Indiana also had a chance to flip the afternoon when Nick Marsh appeared to score a go-ahead touchdown, only for the play to be wiped away because he stepped out of bounds, a sequence that only added to the drama of a game decided by thin margins. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Learned How Fragile This Offense Might Be
Ohio States defense did enough to keep Indiana in check in a 19-15 win, smothering the Hoosiers on the ground and making Josh Hoover earn nearly every throw he completed. Indiana managed only 73 rushing yards, and while Hoover still finished with 296 passing yards and a touchdown, he was under constant pressure as the Buckeyes front helped carry a game that never felt comfortable.
The bigger concern, though, landed on the other side of the ball when Julian Sayin went down and is expected to miss several weeks. For an offense that already looked like it could use more breathing room, that kind of injury puts an even sharper spotlight on every snap moving forward, even with Jeremiah Smith adding another milestone by tying a Big Ten career touchdown record in the win. [Read more 🡒]