Land-Grant Podcast Network: An Ohio State University podcast

We talked about the scout team that the starting five went up against, how certain players looked, and much more

The bye week news hasn’t been kind to Ohio State. Julian Sayin is now out indefinitely. He technically hasn’t been ruled out for the season, but my guess is we won’t see him again this year. With Sayin out, both Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair will get first-team reps over the next two weeks before Ohio State travels to USC. The two quarterbacks couldn’t be more different. St. Clair was a five-star recruit and the No. 3 quarterback in the 2025 class, and he’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds. In limited action, he’s 5-of-7 for 52 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Fahey was a three-star and the No. 36 quarterback in the 2026 class, listed at 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds. He’s 9-of-11 for 203 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.Whoever wins it, the offense will have to lean on the run game and Jeremiah Smith. That run game took a hit too. Ja’Kobi Jackson needs surgery and will be out about a month. The hope is that he’s back for Michigan, which puts even more on Bo Jackson’s shoulders in the meantime. Cole and Joey go position by position, comparing what was expected of each group heading into the season with how they’ve actually performed through the first half of the year. From the running backs and wide receivers to the defensive front and special teams, they evaluate which units have lived up to expectations, which have exceeded them, and which still have work to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ugly, ugly, ugly. But a win is a win, and this one ended Indiana’s 22-game winning streak and avenged last December. Ohio State’s first drive stalled in a field goal, and the next ended with a Julian Sayin interception that set up a quick Indiana touchdown. The Buckeyes took a 10-7 lead into halftime when Sayin found Bo Jackson for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Early in the fourth quarter, Sayin hit a double covered Jeremiah Smith for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to make it 19-7. That was Smith’s 39th career touchdown catch, tying Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten record. Then Indiana stormed back with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to make it 19-15. With Sayin hurt, Luke Fahey couldn’t move the ball, and the Hoosiers got it right back. They appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown on fourth down with a minute left, but Nick Marsh’s left foot came down out of bounds, and Ohio State escaped Bloomington with a win. The defense is back. Indiana came in averaging 221 rushing yards a game and finished with just 73. The defensive line was dominant against the run, the Buckeyes forced two fumbles, and Jay Timmons was excellent in his return. Sayin struggled before getting hurt. He threw two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions, missed throws and never looked comfortable against Indiana’s pass rush. Then Mario Landino sacked him in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Day said afterward that he’ll “probably be out several weeks.” Fahey went 0-for-2 in relief and now takes over as the starter. And Indiana’s kicking game ended up being the thing that decided it. Nico Radicic missed field goals from 32 and 55 yards in a four-point game. The bye week comes at the right time, giving Fahey a full week with the first team and Sayin extra time to heal. After that, the schedule is at USC, Oregon, Northwestern, at Nebraska and Michigan. At 6-1, Ohio State is in good shape and probably has room for one or maybe even two more losses to still make the playoff. But USC on the road and Oregon at home with a freshman quarterback will be tough. The defense and run game will need to carry more of the load until Sayin returns. For the first time ever, five of the top seven teams lost in the same weekend: Auburn 27, No. 1 Georgia 24 No. 8 BYU 28, No. 3 Notre Dame 24 No. 14 Tennessee 26, No. 6 Alabama 10 Florida 27, No. 7 Texas 24 Miami also needed double overtime to survive, Ole Miss beat Missouri by 30, and Kentucky, Utah and UCLA all kept rolling. It was one of the craziest weekends in recent memory, and Ohio State should move up when the new rankings come out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talked with Jackson about Anthony Thompson, Jake Diebler, the Big Ten, and much more

This is the one Ohio State fans have had circled since December. No. 4 Ohio State travels to No. 5 Indiana on Saturday at noon ET on FOX for a rematch of last year’s 13-10 Big Ten title game loss in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes are 3.5-point favorites, but going into Bloomington against the defending national champions is about as tough a road test as there is in the Big Ten. Indiana looks a little different than last year, but they’re still very good. The Hoosiers rank 20th nationally at 462.7 yards per game and average 40.2 points per game, also inside the top 20. They’re balanced too, averaging 241 passing yards and 221 rushing yards a game. Josh Hoover has been excellent since transferring in from TCU. He’s completing about 70% of his passes with 17 touchdowns and zero interceptions. That’s a huge change for a quarterback whose biggest knock coming in was that he was interception prone. That says a lot about Curt Cignetti’s coaching staff. The backfield is a two-headed monster in Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr., who both have over 550 rushing yards. Richard is averaging 8.4 yards per carry. The receiver room is just as dangerous. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh both have 30 catches for 530 yards. Becker has eight touchdowns and Marsh has six, and it’s hard to find a better receiver duo in the Big Ten. The defense might be even better. Indiana is allowing just 11.8 points per game, fifth in the country, and 237.8 yards per game, fourth nationally. The Hoosiers also haven’t lost the turnover battle in a single game this season. The pass rush is led by Tobi Osunsami and Stephen Daley, who each have five sacks. Isaiah Jones and Rojiah Hardy are a strong linebacker duo in the middle. This is a complete, well-coached defense that won’t give Ohio State much for free. Osunsami and Daley vs. Ohio State’s offensive tackles. This might be the biggest matchup of the game. Phillip Daniels’ status is still worth watching, and whoever starts at the other tackle spot has to hold up against two edge rushers with five sacks apiece. If Indiana can get to Julian Sayin, it changes everything. Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. vs. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. Ohio State’s corners just had their best combined game of the season against Maryland. Becker and Marsh are a completely different level of challenge, and Becker made two of the biggest catches against Mathews in last year’s title game. Julian Sayin vs. a good team. Last year against Indiana, Sayin went 21-of-29 for 258 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was solid, but Ohio State needed more. He’s coming off a sloppy game against Maryland, and this is his chance to show he can be the difference in a game like this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices