Ohio State Beat No. 5 Indiana 19-15 in Bloomington as Sayin Leaves With Arm in a Sling

Updated 21:11 UTC. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin will probably be out several weeks with the arm injury he suffered in the fourth quarter against Indiana, head coach Ryan Day said after the game. Day told reporters he did not have a ton of details yet, and said the team will have to come up with a plan, USA Today and theScore reported. Sayin left for the locker room after a hard hit, returned to the sideline with his right arm in a sling, and did not return. Freshman Luke Fahey closed the game and is in line to start after the bye week, when Ohio State play at USC on October 31.

No. 4 Ohio State beat No. 5 Indiana 19-15 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Saturday, October 17, 2026, ending the Hoosiers' unbeaten season in the first top five matchup ever played at the stadium. It was the 100th meeting between the two programs. Indiana, the reigning national champion, had won 22 games in a row. The Hoosiers beat Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game on December 6, 2025, and the Buckeyes returned the result on Indiana's home field. Ohio State improved to 6-1. Indiana fell to 6-1 with its first loss of the season.

A game won on fourth down

Ohio State scored first on a Connor Hawkins field goal and led 3-0 after the first quarter. Indiana took the lead in the second quarter after Amare Ferrell intercepted Julian Sayin and Turbo Richard ran 7 yards for a touchdown. Indiana then missed a chance to stretch the lead when a 32 yard field goal attempt hit the left post. Ohio State answered with 10 seconds left in the half, when Sayin found running back Bo Jackson for a touchdown on fourth down to make it 10-7 at halftime.

The Buckeyes forced two turnovers early in the third quarter. Jay Timmons forced a fumble that, according to the Fox broadcast, was Indiana's first fumble since the first week of the 2025 season, and Hawkins added a 29 yard field goal for a 13-7 lead. Indiana drove back but came up short on a 55 yard field goal attempt. Early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State went for it on fourth and 1 and Sayin threw 38 yards to Jeremiah Smith for a touchdown. The two point try failed, but the lead was 19-7. The score tied Smith with Michigan's Braylon Edwards for the Big Ten record for career touchdown catches, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

Sayin hurt, and Indiana nearly steal it

Indiana cut the lead to 19-15 with 10:30 left when Josh Hoover threw an 18 yard touchdown pass to Nick Marsh and then found Richard for the two point conversion. Charlie Becker finished with eight catches for 149 yards for Indiana. Ohio State's win came at a cost. Sayin was hit hard in the fourth quarter, left for the locker room with his right arm hanging by his side, and returned to the sideline with the arm in a sling. He finished 15 of 29 for 235 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Freshman Luke Fahey took over at quarterback and closed the game. The extent of Sayin's injury was not known at the final whistle, USA Today reported.

Indiana got one last chance. A roughing the passer penalty on Jermaine Mathews Jr. moved the Hoosiers to the Ohio State 33 with 1:58 left. On fourth and 4, Hoover threw to Marsh in the end zone, but Marsh caught the ball with his left foot out of bounds. Ohio State took over on downs with 1:02 left and Fahey knelt twice to end the game. Bo Jackson carried 18 times for 56 yards for Ohio State, and Smith caught four passes for 68 yards. Ohio State now has an off week before a road game at USC on October 31.