Ohio State Holds Off Indiana 19-15 as Quarterback Julian Sayin Injured
No. 4 Ohio State beat No. 5 Indiana 19-15 in Bloomington, but starting quarterback Julian Sayin left the game with a right-arm injury that will keep him out for several weeks.
Ohio State secured a 19-15 win over Indiana in Bloomington on Saturday, but the victory came at the cost of starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who exited with a right-arm injury that is expected to sideline him for several weeks. Sayin threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter before departing the game.
The Buckeyes, who improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten, held on after Indiana wide receiver Nick Marsh stepped out of bounds on a potential go-ahead score with just over a minute remaining. Indiana, also 6-1 (3-1 Big Ten), rallied late, with quarterback Josh Hoover completing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Marsh and a two-point conversion to Turbo Richard to narrow the gap to 19-15.
"I don’t have a ton of details, but it looks like Julian will be out several weeks," Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said, describing the game as "wild" and noting the team ran out the clock after Sayin’s injury.
"That was our blitz check. We had it, we just didn't make it happen. This one is a tough one to swallow," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said after his first home loss in three seasons.
Sayin finished 15 of 29 for 235 yards with two interceptions, while Hoover was 20 of 40 for 296 yards, one touchdown and one fumble. Ohio State will have a bye week before traveling to face No. 19 Southern California on Oct. 31, while Indiana looks ahead to a matchup with Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Both teams remain in the top five of the AP poll, but Indiana is expected to drop in the rankings after the loss.