Ohio State Survives Indiana, But Julian Sayin’s Injury Changes Everything

MEMORIAL STADIUM (Bloomington, Ind.) — It was there. All of it. A transformation complete. A coronation. A firm and steadfast understanding that Indiana — yes, Indiana — is the football power we all must finally respect and acknowledge. And then came the breeze. Or was it the pressure in quarterback Josh Hoover’s face? Or the teensy-weensy extra air he added to give his receiver a chance? Or the left cleat that Nick Marsh let slip ever so slightly into the white paint edging the north end zone? It doesn’t matter. Ohio State sure doesn’t care. The Buckeyes’ 19-15 victory, errr, College Football Playoff “get out of jail free” card, was wrapped in cream and crimson on Saturday. “Our guys never flinched. They had a different look in their eye,” an exasperated, almost unbelieving Ryan Day said during his post-game press conference. “Now, listen, if he catches the ball in the corner of the end zone and his foot’s, you know, a yard in, we’re all sitting here in a different spot. “… We were able to find a way to win the game in the fourth quarter. That’s the bottom line.” Day’s right. Ohio state won. That is the bottom line. But let’s address the other elephant in all of this. Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin is out for “several weeks,” Day told reporters after the game. A strip sack in the waning minutes of Saturday’s contest forced some type of upper body injury that sent Sayin to the locker room. He was later spotted in a sling aiding his throwing shoulder. Doesn’t look great. Even less so when Day is already revealing he’ll be gone for the immediate future. This is why Saturday’s result was so critical. Ohio State’s schedule is unrelenting. It’s a gryyyunnndddd, as coaches south of the Mason-Dixon might allude. The sting of the Texas loss is still there. USC looms after a bye week. As does Oregon. And ranked Northwestern. And Nebraska. You see the picture here. That slate is no joke. Facing it with two losses and a backup quarterback in Luke Fahey, who saw headlights in emergency action on Saturday, wouldn’t have been catastrophic. But it would’ve been exceedingly uncomfortable at best. The Buckeyes now have one in the bank. The College Football Playoff committee will make note of such things. As I learned this week as part of the CFP’s annual mock selection exercise, injuries are absolutely worthy of mention in the committee room. Lose a game to Lincoln Riley and USC in two weeks? Not ideal, sure. Disqualifying? Not when you have the best win in the country in your pocket and an injured quarterback to explain it away. “Resilient,” Day said, diagnosing his squad’s efforts Saturday. “Resilient against a good defense.” None of this is to discount what the Buckeyes did, can do, or will do the rest of the way. Saturday was proof there are perhaps questions to be asked about the completeness of this team, but is anyone in college football a finished product at this point? Sayin was, frankly, not good against the Hoosiers. Indiana’s persistent stunting put the third-year quarterback in a blender. Twice he was intercepted — once on an egregious overthrow, another on a tipped pass. He completed just 52% of his 29 throws. That won’t get it done most days. Saturday wasn’t most days. Ohio State’s defense was good. Really good. The Buckeyes’ ferocious defensive line stymied the balanced Hoosiers’ rushing attack that has been a staple of the Curt Cignetti era. Indiana ran 29 times for just 73 yards. The 2.5 yards per carry was the lowest output by the Hoosiers rushing attack since the 2024 College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame. That’ll travel. And then there’s the Jeremiah Smith of it all. He’s down there. Somewhere. Even if the Buckeyes’ All-American wideout ran the wrong route. No, really. He screwed up. Didn’t matter. Stacked up against a Hoosiers pass rush that officially planted Sayin four times, but seemingly stuck him on every single one of his 29 pass attempts, Smith angled toward the middle right portion of the south end zone. Sayin sent it — crucial fourth down be damned. Smith recoiled. He slipped beneath the ball and the two Indiana defenders who, if guarding anyone other than college football’s most prominent mutant, might have made a play. Two hands. A quick spin. Touchdown. The throw wasn’t great. The coverage was excellent. The route wasn’t correct. Smith was simply better. It was the difference on Saturday. “Julian just trusted me,” Smith said, the room still laughing at his miscue revelation. “He just trusted me. I made the play.” A bye week couldn’t come for Ohio State at a better time. Day and his staff will need it. Still, what Saturday’s win proves is that no matter what offensive ebbs might be ahead by virtue of Sayin’s injured shoulder, the Buckeyes leave Bloomington with a résumé boost they may desperately need. Ohio State blew it at Texas. Ohio State escaped at Indiana. A little breeze. A little too much air. A little too tight of a route along the sideline. The Buckeyes will take it — and run.