Ohio State ended a 22-game Hoosiers winning streak in Bloomington, Indiana, on Saturday. Curt Cignetti's program took its first loss since the 2024 calendar year in a 19-15 Buckeyes win that was nearly a loss.
Hoosiers receiver Nick Marsh's would-be go-ahead touchdown catch was called off because his left foot was out of bounds. Indiana's late-game comeback fell short in the fourth quarter.
Julian Sayin's injured shoulder is a concern, with the third-year quarterback set to miss a few weeks. Luke Fahey was anything but inspiring in the snaps he received in Sayin's stead. There may need to be some soul-searching in that quarterback room during the bye week. Tavien St. Clair may have to accelerate his development.
Besides the quarterback doom, Ohio State was able to triumph in Week 7 because of these three developments:
Isaiah West rose up in Ja'Kobi Jackson's absence
Ja'Kobi Jackson's injury absence could've been a major blow to the running back room. Luckily, Isaiah West showed up at the perfect time. West had 45 rushing yards on six carries and had timely first-down conversions in the fourth quarter to extend possessions.
It'll be important for West and Bo Jackson to step up if both Ja'Kobi Jackson and Sayin miss significant time. Now's the time for Arthur Smith's ground-and-pound offensive reputation to step up big.
Jeremiah Smith was still Jeremiah Smith before Julian Sayin went down
Jeremiah Smith was brilliant before Sayin went down. On a fourth-down heave from a play-action set, Smith shook off two Indiana defenders to haul in his lone touchdown catch. Unsurprisingly, Smith was the team's receiving leader in catches and yardage. On a related note, water is wet, and the sky is blue when the sun is out.
Smith losing Sayin for however long the quarterback is out may be the end of his Heisman push if he has more somewhat subdued performances like today. Still, JJ Smith proved he is an unstoppable piece on the chessboard that Arthur Smith knows how to use effectively.
OSU's defensive front contained Josh Hoover and the Indiana run game
Props to Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover, who proved he was elite during the loss against one of the Big Ten's best defenses. Hoover still managed 296 yards and a touchdown pass, and almost had a game-winning pass.
Still, Hoover was constantly under pressure all afternoon and even knocked him out of the game at one point. Indiana managed just 73 rushing yards. Cignetti and Mike Shanahan's unstoppable offensive engine was slowed significantly on its home field.
The Buckeyes defense finally had its breakout game.
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