Ohio State will be without Julian Sayin for a while after the Buckeyes’ trip to Indiana ended with a worrying injury to their starting quarterback.
Ryan Day said after Ohio State’s 19-15 win in Bloomington that Sayin will “probably be out for several weeks” after what appeared to be a right shoulder injury. Sayin left the game with a little more than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter after taking a hit from an Indiana defender while trying to throw. He went down, stayed on the turf briefly, then headed to the locker room.
He later reappeared on the sideline with his right arm in a sling, but he did not return.
At the time Sayin exited, Ohio State was up 19-7 on the fifth-ranked Hoosiers. True freshman Luke Fahey stepped in at quarterback as the Buckeyes tried to finish off a win that ended Indiana’s 22-game winning streak.
The finish was tighter than Ohio State would have liked. Indiana pulled within 19-15, and the Hoosiers looked like they had grabbed the lead in the final minute before wide receiver Nick Marsh stepped out of bounds before finishing the catch, leaving the Buckeyes with the ball and a minute remaining. Ohio State’s defense held from there and protected the four-point margin.
Sayin’s day was busy before the injury. He finished 15 of 29 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. One scoring throw came on fourth down to Bo Jackson just before halftime, and another was a 38-yard strike to Jeremiah Smith in the fourth quarter.
Fahey was limited after taking over. He missed on both of his pass attempts, though he did help extend a drive with a scramble as Ohio State worked to protect its lead.
Day said after the game he was still collecting information on Sayin, but the early indication was clear enough: the Buckeyes are preparing to be without him for multiple weeks. Ohio State is off next week before facing USC on Oct. 31, and the program now has to sort out its quarterback situation for the stretch ahead.
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Indiana May Have Changed Ohio State's Entire Season
Ohio State's win over Indiana did more than hand the Buckeyes a hard-fought 19-15 victory and snap the Hoosiers' 22-game winning streak. It also came with a potential season-altering hit when starting quarterback Julian Sayin went down with a right arm injury in the fourth quarter, forcing Ohio State to keep the rest of the afternoon moving without the player who had been steering the offense.
Coach Ryan Day said Sayin is expected to be out for several weeks, leaving the Buckeyes to lean on backup Luke Fahey in a situation that immediately tested the depth chart. Fahey took over, but the offense had trouble advancing while he was on the field, which turned a statement win into a much bigger concern about how Ohio State will handle the next stretch. [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 🡒]