No. 4 Ohio State defeated No. 5 Indiana 19-15 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, snapping the Hoosiers' 22-game winning streak and handing the reigning national champions their first loss since December 2024. The victory marked Indiana's first home defeat in 19 games.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State's star quarterback, was injured and removed from the game during the fourth quarter. Heisman frontrunner Jeremiah Smith scored a 38-yard touchdown in the final period, while the Buckeyes' defense held Indiana at bay late in the game. Ohio State ultimately relied on freshman quarterback Luke Fahey after Sayin was knocked out of the contest.
The Buckeyes bookended the first-half scoring with field goals and touchdowns. Sayin drove Ohio State into Indiana territory early, but the Hoosiers' defense forced a field goal. On the final possession of the first half, Sayin took the team to a goal-to-go situation. After three plays where the Hoosiers' defense stopped Ohio State, head coach Ryan Day opted to go for it on fourth down. Sayin found Bo Jackson in the flat for a touchdown, giving Ohio State a 10-7 lead.
Indiana's only first-half touchdown resulted from an interception of Sayin. Two plays after the turnover, Turbo Richard ran for a 7-yard score. Later in the half, kicker Nico Radicic missed a 32-yard field goal attempt that hit the uprights.
Down 10-7 at halftime, Indiana trailed at home for the first time under head coach Curt Cignetti. Ohio State opened the third quarter with a field goal to extend its lead to 13-7. The teams traded turnovers thereafter. Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover was sacked from behind by Jaylen McClain on fourth-and-4, resulting in a turnover on downs. Hoover remained in the game but appeared to be playing through an injury.
Ohio State failed to capitalize on the turnover, as Sayin's pass to Smith was intercepted by Amare Ferrell. Indiana drove into Buckeye territory but missed a career-long 55-yard field goal attempt by Radicic, keeping the score at 13-7.
In the fourth quarter, Smith caught a play-action pass from Sayin over multiple defenders for a 38-yard touchdown, extending Ohio State's lead to 19-7. The Buckeyes missed their two-point conversion attempt. Indiana responded with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Hoover to Nick Marsh, followed by a successful two-point conversion to Richard, cutting the deficit to 19-15.
Ohio State drove into Indiana territory but lost possession after defensive end Mario Landino sacked Sayin for an 18-yard loss, knocking him out of the game. Fahey entered as quarterback. The Hoosiers' defense forced a punt with just over five minutes remaining, giving Indiana a chance to take the lead. Indiana punted back without scoring.
With three minutes left, Ohio State was forced into another three-and-out. On the subsequent Indiana possession, Hoover threw a fourth-down pass to Marsh. Marsh caught the ball but stepped out of bounds, ending the game and securing Ohio State's 19-15 victory.