BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Here are four things we learned from No. 5 Ohio State’s 19-15 win at No. 4 Indiana on Oct. 17:
The defense can be clutch
If wide receiver Nick Marsh's left foot had come down in bounds, another narrative surrounding the Buckeyes’ defense would have emerged.
Marsh beat cornerback Cam Calhoun down the sideline for a potential Hoosiers' go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute left.
But his foot landed on the end zone’s white boundary line, an incompletion that resulted in a turnover on downs. The Buckeyes knelt out the rest of the clock.
The defense made the difference with its late stops.
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia dialed up blitzes that twice stopped Indiana on fourth down in the second half.
The pressure not only rushed quarterback Josh Hoover’s
last pass to Marsh, but it also led to a sack in the third quarter when safety Jaylen McClain burst off the edge of the line of scrimmage. McClain’s hit on Hoover resulted in a fumble that linebacker TJ Alford recovered.
It was the second of two forced fumbles as the Buckeyes caused uncharacteristic mistakes for Indiana.
The Hoosiers had turned the ball over only once in their first six games in 2026, tied for the fewest giveaways in the Football Bowl Subdivision entering this weekend. They would end up with just their third multiple-turnover game in three seasons since Curt Cignetti’s arrival.
Ohio State limited their explosiveness as well. The Hoosiers' longest run was 8 yards, and they averaged just 2.5 yards per attempt. After 41 plays from scrimmage of 20 or more yards through their first six games, they had just two against the Buckeyes.
The fourth quarter was a contrast to Ohio State’s previous top-five test, a one-point loss at Texas when the defense allowed 21 points in the final 15 minutes and struggled to get off the field on critical late downs.
The unit fueled the win, especially in the aftermath of the late injury to quarterback Julian Sayin.
“If Julian was there and it was a different situation," coach Ryan Day said, "maybe we would have said, ‘Hey, let's think about it,’ but we knew we had to go win the game on defense."
There is quarterback uncertainty
The image of Sayin with his right arm in a sling cast a shadow over the Buckeyes’ win.
While the nature and severity of the injury remain unknown, it’s unlikely Sayin will make an immediate return.
Day said Sayin will miss several weeks.
The forecast leaves the Buckeyes to turn to Luke Fahey, an inexperienced freshman from Southern California, as they continue one of their most grueling stretches of the regular season.
Following an idle week, the Buckeyes will visit USC on Oct. 31, then host Oregon and Northwestern to open November.
The triumph at Indiana left Ohio State with breathing room in pursuit of a berth in the College Football Playoff. It has navigated a formidable schedule with six wins in seven games, including two over ranked teams on the road this month between the Hoosiers and Iowa.
The Buckeyes should be able to stomach another loss and still reach the playoff. Perhaps even two more losses if the selection committee takes a charitable view of their quarterback situation.
But Ohio State has a national championship ceiling with Sayin behind center. Even if he was shaky at times against the Hoosiers, he gives the Buckeyes their best shot at beating opponents downfield.
Until his return, a lot is riding on an untested passer.
Heavy coverage on Jeremiah Smith isn’t everything
Indiana dedicated extra defenders to its coverage of Smith.
It limited his production. Smith finished with just four catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.
But the heavy attention didn’t derail the Buckeyes.
At times, defensive backs were caught in Smith’s vortex, as when Ohio State scored a touchdown just before halftime. Smith drew four defenders while running a slant into the end zone on fourth-and-goal at Indiana’s 2-yard line, leaving running back Bo Jackson open to catch a pass from Sayin underneath for the score.
The focus on Smith also put freshman Chris Henry Jr. in single coverage earlier in the series. Henry made a toe-tapping catch for 21 yards on a third down, then pulled in a 30-yard pass along the opposite sideline.
Openings emerged as Smith was often in a sea of defenders.
Special teams is proving more capable
The Buckeyes have been better on special teams in recent weeks, and two areas stood out at Indiana.
Connor Hawkins was a reliable kicker, making field-goal attempts from 26 and 29 yards. Joe McGuire’s punts also helped give the Buckeyes an edge in field position.
Three of McGuire’s five punts pinned Indiana within its 20-yard line, including one that landed at the Hoosiers’ 6-yard line in the fourth quarter. Then, after a three-and-out on Fahey’s first full drive, McGuire flipped the field with a 52-yard punt. Charlie Becker fielded the punt at the Hoosiers’ 22-yard line and returned it 8 yards.
In other words, while the Buckeyes were clinging to a four-point lead, McGuire made two punts that helped prevent the Hoosiers from scoring a go-ahead touchdown because they needed to drive almost all the way down the field to do so.
The effort in the third phase was critical as the Buckeyes were trying to survive late without Sayin.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 4 things we learned from Ohio State football's win at Indiana
