Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN covering college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019. Saturday delivered one of the most chaotic days in college football history, with five of the top seven teams falling.
The last time Alabama, Georgia and Texas all lost on the same day was 1996. Three No. 1 teams fell to unranked opponents in back-to-back weeks, last occurring in 1990. No. 4 Ohio State defeated No. 5 Indiana 19-15 in a thriller decided by fourth down plays. Julian Sayin threw a 2-yard touchdown to Bo Jackson with 10 seconds left in the first half.
Down 13-7 in the third quarter, Indiana went for it on fourth-and-4 but Josh Hoover was sacked and fumbled, recovered by Ohio State. With 12:52 remaining, Sayin connected deep to Jeremiah Smith to extend the lead to 19-7. A final fourth-down play saw Josh Hoover find Nick Marsh, but the reception was nullified because he was out of bounds, preserving the Buckeyes' narrow victory.
Despite the loss, Indiana remains resilient. With Sayin out for several weeks, Ohio State faces challenges including a road game against USC and a stretch with freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback. The chaos of the day has cemented this season as a potential new classic.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing