No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana didn’t disappoint.

The Indiana Hoosiers entered the game on a 22-game winning streak under Curt Cignetti, with their last loss coming to Notre Dame in the 2024 College Football Playoff. For Ohio State, it was a chance to end that win streak and avoid losing two games already in the college football season.

A star-studded matchup. Two of the game’s best coaches. How did it turn out? Here are the main takeaways for each team after Ohio State’s thrilling 19-15 win over Indiana.

Ohio State

Julian Sayin injury

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day confirmed that starting quarterback Julian Sayin will be sidelined for several weeks. The news comes after Sayin took a big hit against Indiana and left for the locker room. He later came out with a sling on his right arm, which signaled his day was done. Sayin ended the game with 15-of-29 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

What does it mean for Ohio State?

Well, true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey came in to finish the game for the Buckeyes and attempted just two passes, completing neither of them.

“One thing about Luke [Fahey], I mean, you can see on that scramble that he made; he stepped right up,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said after the game. “He’s got confidence, he’s got athletic ability, he’s a competitive kid, I don’t think the moment was too big for him.”

Looking at remaining quarterback depth for Ohio State, they have Tavien St. Clair, who threw for 52 passing yards against Ball State in Week 1, and transfer Justyn Martin, who hasn’t taken a snap for Ohio State just yet.

So, can this team still win a national championship? Well, looking at the schedule, a possible absence of seven weeks would put Sayin’s earliest return around the first week of December. That means he’ll miss the rest of the regular season. Ohio State has matchups against No. 19 USC, Oregon, and Michigan in those weeks.

It’s hard to say right now whether this team can still compete for a championship, and the potential of the QBs in the depth is unproven. We don’t know how they’ll handle Big 10 defenses, so it’s safe to say Ohio State could miss the playoffs entirely.

Ohio State’s defense is elite, so it could carry the Buckeyes into the Big 10 championship game. Along with that, Jeremiah Smith is clearly the best player in the country, so he makes it easy for any quarterback taking the starting snaps. Don’t count Ohio State out yet for a national championship run, but the odds are certainly against them right now.

Jeremiah Smith is inevitable

Indiana had a clear game plan coming into this game. Stop Smith at all costs. The plan? Well, Cignetti said it before the game.

“By hitting the quarterback before he throws the ball,” Cignetti said pregame, on how to upset Smith.

While the pass rush was getting there for Indiana, it didn’t matter. Smith caught the final touchdown for Ohio State over two defenders down the field. He finished his day with four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Smith is a huge weapon no matter the coverage he’s getting. Even if he’s getting double-teamed, it opens up others in the passing game, and the amount of attention he demands is a big reason why running back Bo Jackson scored a touchdown to end the first half. Smith drew multiple defenders, and Jackson was wide open in the flat.

Indiana

A glorious winning streak for Curt Cignetti was snapped by Ohio State’s defense. With a little over a minute on the clock, Josh Hoover was on a fourth-and-4 from Ohio State’s 27-yard line. He targeted a wide-open Nick Marsh, who had already created some separation. Unfortunately, Marsh’s foot was out of bounds when he caught the ball, ending Indiana’s hopes of keeping the winning streak ongoing.

“Fourth and four, we’re expecting a house blitz,” Cignetti said after the game. “You never really know; you’re rolling the dice. That’s our blitz check that we ran … We had it. We just didn’t make it happen. So, it’s a hard one to swallow. Learn from it and move on.”

Uncharacteristic Mistakes

When you think of Indiana, you think of mistake-free football. Well, that wasn’t the case for the Hoosiers today. Indiana had two turnovers, losing two fumbles, and missed two field goals during the day. Kicker Nico Radicic missed a 32- and 55-yard kick.

Obviously, in hindsight, those six points would’ve won Indiana the game, but there’s nothing you can do about it now. Quarterback Josh Hoover came into the game with zero turnovers, but lost a fumble, ending his perfect turnover-free streak for the season.

Despite the mistakes, Indiana was still in the game. The Hoosiers’ defense held Ohio State to 313 total yards and caused two turnovers.

Safety Amare Ferrell was all over the field for Indiana today and had an interception against Sayin. While uncharacteristic mistakes left their mark on this game, Indiana has shown it can overcome them, and Cignetti made that clear in his message to his team.

“I told the kids it was a tough one,” Cignetti said. “Really proud of the effort, and we gave ourselves a chance to win and certainly had the opportunity to. Sun comes up tomorrow, and get ready for Michigan.”