Even with emotions still riding high from a heart-breaking loss between top-five teams, Indiana football quarterback Josh Hoover showcased true leadership when discussing the game's most fateful play.
Hoover lobbed what seemed to be an easy go-ahead touchdown to a wide-open Nick Marsh on fourth down vs. No. 4 Ohio State. Even though he caught the ball, however, Marsh failed to establish himself inbounds
, resulting in a turnover on downs.Josh Hoover finds Nick Marsh - BUT HE'S OUT OF BOUNDS pic.twitter.com/WCcs1mUefF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 17, 2026
From there, the Buckeyes knelt out a 19-15 victory over the fourth-ranked Hoosiers.
Hoover, however, took the onus of the result of the play on himself, blaming a poorly placed ball for the reason Marsh didn't have the score.
Indiana blew it against Ohio State. That’s exactly why I’m buying Curt Cignetti
"It's not Nick (Marsh)'s fault at all. If I put it a little bit further inside, it would've been an easy catch."
— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) October 17, 2026
No. 5 Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover reacts to the heartbreaking ending to Saturday's 19-15 loss to No. 4 Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/NbU6XvSfw2
Curt Cignetti was slightly more blunt in his assessment of the play.
"We had it and we just didn’t make it happen," Cignetti said. "So it’s a hard one to swallow."
Despite the loss, which snapped a nation-leading 22-game win streak, Indiana still has everything to play for this season, including a potential rematch with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and, from there, a bid to the College Football Playoff.
"Everything we want — except an undefeated season — is still in front of us," Hoover said. "It's a journey."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana QB Josh Hoover blames himself for would-be TD to Nick Marsh vs Ohio State
