Ohio State walked out of Indiana with a 19-15 win, a top-five road victory and a whole lot more to sort through than it had walking in.
The Buckeyes beat the 6-1 Hoosiers in a matchup of the last two national champions, and in the process answered for the 2025 Big Ten Championship loss. It was the biggest home game in Indiana history, and Ohio State left with the result it wanted.
The defense carried much of the load, while Ryan Day showed plenty of trust in his offense by going for it and converting on a pair of fourth downs. He chose aggression over caution, and it paid off.
"When I think back on some of the years we've had here where we didn't find ourselves in games like this, you don't always know as much about your team as I think we do right now," Day said postgame. "They're challenged.
They feel much more comfortable right now playing in the fourth quarter than I think they did to start the season. Half the guys on the team weren't here last year.
So I think every week we're getting more cemented as a team and the brotherhood's getting stronger."
Then came the part Ohio State can’t celebrate away.
Julian Sayin is out for the foreseeable future, turning the Buckeyes’ biggest win of the season into a much more complicated moment. Luke Fahey, a freshman, will now be at quarterback after the bye week as Ohio State heads into the stretch run.
The injury news didn’t stop with Sayin. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. was helped off the field by Eddrick Houston after limping off postgame, even though he had returned after leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter. Jay Timmons also appeared to be banged up after finishing with seven tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble in his first game back from injury.
Day didn’t try to dress up the situation. He pointed to the realities of a team that has already had to keep adjusting, naming two-time captain Austin Siereveld, who has missed the last two games, and Ja'Kobi Jackson, the seventh-year running back who was out after getting hurt against Maryland.
"We've had some guys go down, so guys got to step up. The quarterback position obviously is different.
But we'll regroup. We've got a bye week to figure that out," Day said.
"We've got a good team. This is all bigger than one person.
Certainly, we don't want to see (Sayin) get hurt. ... But at the same time, we'll come together and figure this out.
We've got a good team. When Luke's in there, we just may need to do things just a little bit differently.
But the bye week gives us a chance to regroup on that and kind of put our heads together."
The schedule doesn’t get any softer from here. Ohio State’s final five regular-season games include USC on the road, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and then The Game to close things out.
On paper, Indiana was the toughest one left. In practice, none of them looks like a free pass.
Day was asked whether this team can still win a national championship, and he kept his answer measured.
“We'll kind of cross that bridge as it comes up.”
There was energy in the locker room after the win, and Day said he liked the way his players competed. He talked about their passion, their heart and the look in their eyes - the kind of language he has used before when a team shows him something real.
Still, Ohio State knows the margin just got thinner. The Buckeyes got the win they needed in Bloomington, but now they have to prove they can keep stacking them without the quarterback who helped put them here.
“We'll kind of enjoy this game for at least 24 hours, but then we'll figure that out,” Day said of what his team looks like moving forward. “But we got a lot of great pieces and a really good team.
We may have to look a little different, but that's OK. There's a lot of teams doing it a lot of different ways.”
In Other News...
Ohio States Playoff Push Just Got A Tough Julian Sayin Twist
Ohio State kept its playoff push moving with a win over Indiana, but the Buckeyes left that game with a concern much bigger than the final score. Quarterback Julian Sayin exited with an arm injury, and Ryan Day said he is expected to be out for several weeks, a development that lands at an uneasy moment for a team trying to hold its footing in a crowded stretch of the schedule.
Luke Fahey, a freshman, is next in line to back up the offense while Sayin is sidelined, and the Buckeyes will have to navigate some tough upcoming games without their starting quarterback. At 6-1, Ohio State is still in solid position, but the margin for error gets a lot thinner now, especially with the kind of tests still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem To Solve
Ohio States backfield is suddenly thinner heading into the matchup with Indiana, with JaKobi Jackson confirmed out and his absence looking like it could linger beyond what the Buckeyes first hoped. The injury appears to be a foot issue based on what was seen during the game, and Jacksons message on Instagram suggested the recovery process may not be a quick one.
For now, Ohio State will need more from Bo Jackson and Legend Bey to help carry the load at running back. The timing matters because the Buckeyes were already counting on depth in that spot, and losing another piece forces the staff to adjust quickly as the game plan shifts toward the next man up. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Big Win Just Created A Julian Sayin Problem
Julian Sayins afternoon against Indiana ended with an unsettling sight, as the Ohio State quarterback was forced out of the game and later left the locker room with his right throwing arm in a sling. The Buckeyes still found a way to hang on for a 19-15 win, a result that kept them from absorbing a second loss and dealt Indiana its first defeat since the end of the 2024 season.
For Ohio State, the victory was significant, but the bigger question now is what comes next at quarterback. Sayins status remains unknown after the injury, and the Buckeyes suddenly have to balance the value of a marquee win with the uncertainty surrounding the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]