Ohio State beat Indiana 19-15 on Saturday. But the biggest story for the Buckeyes is quarterback Julian Sayin’s injury late in the game.
Sayin hurt his arm in the fourth quarter and headed to the locker room, he didn’t return. He returned to the sidelines wearing a right-shoulder sling. Head coach Ryan Day updated his status after the game.
Day said that Sayin “will be out for several weeks.”
“QB Julian Sayin will be out for several weeks, according to Ohio State coach Ryan Day,” ESPN’s Jake Trotter wrote on X.
Ohio State is Going to Need Sayin to Return Soon
Sayin completed 15 of 29 passes for 235 yards and two scores, while throwing two interceptions, before he was injured.
True freshman quarterback Luke Fahey came in for Sayin, but he didn’t have much time: he threw only two passes, neither was successful, and one was an intentional grounding.
Sayin is in his second season as Ohio State’s starter, and he entered the game against Indiana with 1,772 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions.
It’s never good when the starting quarterback goes out, but Ohio State doesn’t have much backup production behind him. Redshirt freshman quarterback Tavien St. Clair was supposed to be Sayin’s backup this season, but he didn’t win the No. 2 job coming out of camp. This made Fahey the No. 2 backup, even though he is only a true freshman.
Ohio State will head into its bye week next week, then play USC on Halloween.
Jeremiah Smith Put on Another Show
Ohio State’s star wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, had an impressive performance against Indiana, catching four passes for 68 yards and one touchdown.
The junior wide receiver is a Heisman Favorite. Heading into the game against Indiana, he had recorded 48 receptions for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns. With Sayin out for a few weeks, Smith may need to take on a larger role, catch more passes closer to the line of scrimmage, and get yards after the catch to support his young quarterback.
Even if Sayin misses a few games, Smith should still have a good chance to win the Heisman because his production shouldn’t drop much.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day Gives Critical Injury Update on Julian Sayin After Win Over Indiana