Ohio State left Bloomington with a 19-15 win, a snapped 22-game Indiana winning streak and a spot in the AP top three.
It also left with a lot of bodies banged up.
Most of the attention since Saturday has gone to Julian Sayin, and for good reason. Ryan Day said his starting quarterback will, “probably be out several weeks,” with a throwing shoulder injury after Mario Landino sacked him in the fourth quarter. Luke Fahey is likely set to start in his place.
But Sayin isn’t the only name on Ohio State’s
injury list, and some of the others could matter almost as much for what this team looks like at USC on Halloween.
If the Buckeyes are going to win games with a true freshman quarterback, they’ll need everyone else around him as healthy as possible. That’s why this bye week couldn’t have come at a better time.
The offense needs its pieces back around Fahey
Ja’Kobi Jackson is the biggest one. The Florida transfer had worked his way into a starring role in the backfield and had six touchdowns in six games before getting hurt against Maryland. He missed the Indiana game, and the run game felt it.
Ohio State ran for just 78 yards, and Bo Jackson had 56 yards on 18 carries. Indiana’s run defense is one of the best in the country, but without Ja’Kobi, the Buckeyes had no true change of pace, even though I thought Isaiah West played well.
Ja’Kobi and Bo have clearly established themselves as Ohio State’s 1A and 1B, and with a freshman quarterback taking over, the run game is about to carry much more of the load. Getting Ja’Kobi back for USC might be the most important return of all.
Austin Siereveld isn’t far behind. Ohio State’s most versatile offensive lineman has missed the last two games after first being sidelined by a non-football illness. We saw what that did to the right side of the line against Indiana.
Phillip Daniels returned at right tackle after missing a month, and Gabe VanSickle moved back to right guard, but Indiana lived in the backfield all afternoon. Landino got the sack that knocked Sayin out of the game by beating Daniels on the right side.
If Siereveld returns, it gives Ohio State their best five back together for the first time in weeks. That matters even more with Fahey, who held the ball too long in his short time on the field Saturday and took a late hit on his first series.
Wide receiver Brock Boyd also missed Indiana with an injury. The freshman isn’t a starter, but with Ohio State still searching for consistent production beyond Jeremiah Smith, every option matters for a young quarterback.
The defense took some hits in Bloomington
The defense won Saturday’s game, but they didn’t come out unscathed.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. got hurt during the game. He returned but looked gimpy heading to the locker room after the final whistle.
Ohio State’s pass rush has struggled for consistency all season, and Jackson has been the most reliable piece of it, with three sacks heading into Indiana. The Buckeyes can’t afford to be without him against USC’s offense. The good news is that he finished the game, and with two weeks between games, I’d expect him to be ready for USC.
Jay Timmons is the one that worries me most on defense.
The true freshman was the best player on the field for Ohio State against Indiana, with seven tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Then he disappeared late with an injury and missed Indiana’s most important possessions.
You saw what that meant on the final drive, when Nick Marsh got behind Cam Calhoun for what should have been the game-winning touchdown. If Marsh’s left foot lands an inch over, we’re talking about a very different weekend.
Timmons already missed the Iowa and Maryland games with a hamstring injury earlier this season, so this is now his second setback in a month. He’s become one of the best players on this defense already, and Ohio State needs him back healthy.
Defensive tackle Eddrick Houston also left the game briefly before returning. That’s worth monitoring, but it doesn’t seem as serious, as he came back into the game and played till the end.
The bye week came at the perfect time
If there’s ever a good time for a rash of injuries, it’s right before an off week. Ohio State doesn’t play again until Oct. 31 at No. 19 USC, which gives the Buckeyes two full weeks to heal and to rework the offense around Fahey.
Day said as much after the game.
“When Luke’s in there, we just may need to do things just a little bit differently, but the bye week gives us a chance to regroup.”
If Ohio State gets Ja’Kobi, Siereveld, Kenyatta Jackson and Timmons back for the trip to Los Angeles, it’ll look like a different team than the one that limped out of Bloomington.
A healthy run game and offensive line can protect a freshman quarterback. A healthy Jackson and Timmons gives Ohio State’s defense their two best playmakers back for a stretch that includes USC and Oregon in back-to-back weeks.
Sayin’s injury is the one that will define the next month, but how many of these other players return for USC might determine whether Ohio State can survive it.
