Ohio State football left Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana on Oct. 17 with a top-five win over the Indiana Hoosiers, but also with questions at the quarterback position.
In the fourth quarter, Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin took a big hit and had to head to the locker room to be looked at by athletic trainers. When he returned to the sideline, he was wearing a sling on his right arm. He obviously did not reenter the game, but the Buckeyes won 19-15 and avenged their loss to the Hoosiers in the 2025 Big Ten championship game.
Quarterback Luke Fahey finished the fourth quarter for OSU.
Here's what you need to know about the Ohio State quarterback
situation.
What happened to Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin against Indiana?
Sayin went down during the fourth quarter after he was sacked near midfield. When Indiana defensive lineman Mario Landino got around right tackle Phillip Daniels, he collided with Sayin’s arm as Sayin was beginning to throw.
The contact knocked the ball loose, resulting in a fumble that Daniels recovered. The Buckeyes lost 18 yards, but more importantly, the play left Sayin lying on the Memorial Stadium turf.
Ryan Day gives Julian Sayin injury update after Indiana game
After the game, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said it would be a matter of "weeks" before Sayin is likely to return.
"I don't have a ton of details, but he'll probably be out for several weeks. We'll have to come up with a plan there," Day said on Oct 17.
Day added later: “We've had some guys go down. Some guys got to step up. The quarterback position obviously is different. We'll regroup. We've got a bye week to figure that out. We've got a good team."
Ohio State's next game is Oct. 31 at Southern California. Day will undoubtedly be asked about his plans at quarterback during his media availability on Oct. 20 at 6:15 p.m.
Who is Ohio State backup quarterback Luke Fahey?
Fahey was a three-star recruit and the No. 35 quarterback in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He quickly stepped up as a freshman and lost his black stripe following the Buckeyes’ first preseason intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 15.
At the beginning of preseason training camp, Day praised Fahey's development.
“He’s really been doing a great job,” Day said in August. “He’s putting a lot of pressure on Tavien. He really is. He’s been competing. He’s been making plays.”
Before camp, it was presumed that quarterback Tavien St. Clair would move up after spending last year as the third-stringer. St. Clair stood out during the spring game in April. The native of Bellefontaine, who was the first Ohio high school quarterback since Joe Burrow to sign a scholarship agreement with Ohio State, was a highly touted five-star prospect.
In the week leading up to Ohio State's season opener, Day said that St. Clair and Fahey would continue to split reps with the second-team offense in practices leading up to the game. By the time the Ball State game came around on Sept. 5, it was Fahey, not St. Clair, who entered the contest when Sayin's day was done.
Fahey took over with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter with Ohio State leading 42-3. After completing his first pass for two yards to Isaiah West, Fahey threw an interception after freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. dropped the pass, which popped up for opposing cornerback Cedric Franklin III to grab.
Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey stats vs Indiana
Entering the fourth quarter against the Hoosiers, Fahey went 0 for 2 passing and rushed for -2 yards. He had one carry for eight yards, but was called for intentional grounding on his second drive and was penalized with a 10-yard sack as a result.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What to know about Julian Sayin, Luke Fahey after Indiana win
