No. 4 Ohio State shocks No. 5 Indiana and breaks 22-game win streak with 19-15 victory

Twenty minutes past the final whistle, Indiana fans were still sitting on the metal bleacher seats of Memorial Stadium, hands on their heads, mouths open in disbelief.?

For five seconds, the capacity Hoosier crowd thought Nick Marsh had scored a touchdown that would give the Hoosiers a come-from-behind win for their 23rd straight triumph and first home victory over Ohio State since 1988.??

But his left foot hand landed out of bounds and with that misstep Indiana’s undefeated season came to end. Ohio State left Bloomington with a 19-15 victory Saturday after a game filled with momentum shifts, defensive strengths and mistakes.

“I think every week we’re getting more cemented as a team and the brotherhood is getting stronger,” head coach Ryan Day said.

The game was far from a work of art for either team. Buckeye quarterback Julian Sayin threw two interceptions. Indiana fumbled twice and missed two field goal attempts.

But Ohio State scored when it needed to–and the defense kept Indiana from doing the same when it matters most.

Ohio State got on the board first with a field goal with 11:52 left in the first quarter, but Indiana took the lead 1:06 into the second quarter.?

But Ohio State had scored in the final 30 seconds of the first half every game it played this season, and Saturday was no exception. Sayin connected with running back Bo Jackson on his first of two passing touchdowns on the day, giving the Buckeyes a three-point lead heading into intermission.

“We’ve got to be able to hammer that in when we get down in there in big spots,” Day said.?

In the third quarter defensive back Jay Timmons and safety Jaylen McClain forced fumbles on back-to-back possessions, Indiana’s first since its 2025 season opener.?

With 12:46 on the clock in the final quarter, Sayin connected with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith on a 38-yard reception, putting the Buckeyes ahead 19-7 with a missed two-point conversion.?

But the Hoosiers wouldn’t go away.?

Indiana responded with a Nick Marsh 15-yard touchdown reception, and a two-point conversion pulled the Hoosiers within four points.?

The Hoosier faithful believed their team could pull out the win and it looked like it had after Marsh caught the ball in the end zone with 1:02. Except he wasn’t exactly in the end zone and the crowd exaltation quickly turned to paralyzing disbelief.

“When the ball was in the air, I was starting to think about getting a two-minute drill ready to roll,” Day said. “But we talked about going into that drive as the drive was going on in the headset, like, ‘we got to win this game on defense.’”?

Despite the victory, Ohio State suffered significant losses in the form of injuries during the fourth quarter.?

Sayin was sacked for an 18-yard loss with eight minutes to play, and left the game immediately for the locker room. He returned minutes later with a black sling on his right arm, and Day said he will likely miss weeks.

Before he was taken out, Sayin threw for two interceptions, two touchdowns, 235 yards for 15-29

Freshman quarterback Luke Fahey entered the game as backup, going 0-2 and two rushes for -2 yards.

Offensive lineman Luke Montgomery said he was proud of Fahey stepping up and the team has faith its “next man up” philosophy will carry them through the change in personnel.

“[Fahey’s] a heck of a player,” Montgomery said. “He wouldn’t be out there if he wasn’t.”

Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. went down with 11:55 remaining in the fourth quarter and came back on the field with 4:30 left. He was helped off the field by two teammates when the clock ran out, limping back through the team tunnel.?

“I think now more than ever, you got to have a team that plays for each other, that plays with heart, that plays with passion,” Day said. “I think you saw that today. I think these guys at the end of the fourth quarter came together. They just had a great look in their eye.”

In the end, it was a game of redemption for the Buckeyes who were still smarting from the loss to Indiana last year that cost them the Big Ten Championship.?

And it was a lesson for Indiana fans that inches matter, and all streaks eventually come to an end.