3 halftime observations from Ohio State vs. Indiana

Josiah Pletcher, Buckeyes WireSat, October 17, 2026 at 7:12 PM UTC

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Ohio State vs. Indiana has been a competitive first half. Here are our observations as both teams headed into the locker room.

Ohio State and Indiana have finished one half of football in the biggest Big Ten game of the year. The Buckeyes went into the locker room up 10-7, despite some first-half struggles.

Both offenses have been mostly quiet so far in the contest. Ohio State seemed to have everything clicking on their first drive of the game, but the Buckeyes stalled in the red zone and were forced to settle for a field goal. The Hoosier defense shut down the Ohio State offense for most of the half, but in the final five minutes, the Buckeyes put together a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped off by a Bo Jackson touchdown reception on fourth down.

Indiana’s only points came on a 7-yard touchdown drive after the Hoosier defense picked off Julian Sayin. Here are three things we took away from the first half in Bloomington with Ohio State and Indiana.

Indiana has eliminated Jeremiah Smith

The best player in the country has yet to make an impact against Indiana. The Heisman favorite caught two passes for only 20 yards in the first half.

Indiana has had all eyes on Smith and have been consistently doubling the wide receiver.  Julian Sayin forced a pass to Smith leading to a tipped interception which set up Indiana for its only score of the game. Sayin also underthrew Smith on a deep ball the very next drive.

The Buckeyes need to find more creative ways to get No. 4 the ball. On the touchdown drive, Sayin found Smith on a bubble screen. Look for Ohio State to do more of the same in the second half.

If the Hoosiers continue to take Smith out of the game, other Ohio State weapons like Chris Henry Jr. will have to step up. Henry Jr. recorded two receptions for 51 yards in the first half.

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Julian Sayin has struggled under pressure

The Ohio State quarterback has not looked like himself today. On the first drive, Sayin completed his first 4 passes, but since then he has gone 6-17 including an interception.

The Ohio State offensive line has struggled to protect Smith which has clearly impacted his ability to operate efficiently. Sayin has been sacked two times and has also missed many throws with Hoosiers in his face.

On the final drive of the half, Sayin rolled outside the pocket on 2nd & Goal and missed a wide open Maxence LeBlanc. Julian Sayin must settle down and hit his receivers if Ohio State is going to win.

The Ohio State Defense has done their job

A bright spot for the Buckeyes has been their defense. Ohio State held Indiana to only seven points in the first half.

The Hoosier touchdown was not necessarily the defenses fault as the Julian Sayin interception set Indiana up on the Ohio State 7-yard line.

Indiana only put together one effective drive, but it stalled in the red zone and it came away with no points after missing the field goal.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: 3 halftime observations from Ohio State vs. Indiana

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