Ohio State holds off Indiana, 19-15, after Sayin exits late

Ohio State stopped Indiana's last drive at the Buckeyes' 27-yard line and escaped Bloomington with a 19-15 win Saturday, handing the fifth-ranked Hoosiers their first loss. No. 4 Ohio State finished with backup quarterback Luke Fahey after Julian Sayin left the game following a fourth-quarter hit.

Sayin had thrown two touchdown passes, including a 38-yarder to Jeremiah Smith that opened a 19-7 lead with 12:46 remaining. Indiana answered quickly, then had another chance to win after forcing a late punt. Josh Hoover's fourth-down pass toward Nick Marsh fell incomplete with 1:07 left, and Ohio State knelt out the game.

The result left both teams 6-1 overall. Ohio State moved to 4-0 in the Big Ten, while Indiana fell to 3-1. The Hoosiers had beaten Ohio State 13-10 in last season's conference championship game, making Saturday's rematch a meeting between the last two national champions.

Indiana outgained the Buckeyes 369-313 and got a big afternoon from Charlie Becker, who caught nine passes for 165 yards. Hoover finished 20 of 40 for 296 yards and a touchdown. The Hoosiers, however, lost two fumbles and failed on both of their fourth-down attempts.

One of those fumbles interrupted Indiana at the start of the second half. FOX's game footage showed Jay Timmons forcing the ball loose, allowing Ohio State to regain possession while protecting a 10-7 lead.

The Buckeyes had taken that halftime advantage with seven seconds left in the second quarter. Sayin found Bo Jackson for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth down, completing Ohio State's answer to Turbo Richard's earlier 7-yard scoring run. Connor Hawkins also supplied field goals from 26 and 29 yards, the second extending the lead to 13-7 in the third quarter.

Smith's fourth-quarter score made it a two-possession game, though Ohio State failed on its two-point attempt. Hoover then found Marsh for a 19-yard touchdown, and a conversion pass to Richard cut the margin to four with 10:30 left.

Sayin finished 15 of 29 for 235 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. TheScore reported that the broadcast identified a right-arm injury after his exit and that he returned to the sideline wearing a sling. An injury diagnosis and return timetable were not established in the immediate reporting.

Fahey could not put the game away on Ohio State's final full possession. Indiana got the ball back at its 30 and reached the Buckeyes' 27, helped by a roughing-the-passer penalty and a 16-yard Becker catch. The drive ended after Hoover was stopped for no gain and then threw incomplete on fourth down.

Smith finished with four catches for 68 yards, and Jackson ran for 56 yards on 18 carries. Neither team reached 80 rushing yards.