Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin is out indefinitely with an injury to his throwing arm suffered during the Buckeyes’ 19-15 win at Indiana. Sayin was hurt early in the fourth quarter when he was sacked by Indiana defensive lineman Mario Landino. He left the game and was later seen with his right arm in a sling.
Head coach Ryan Day addressed Sayin’s status on Tuesday, October 20, and said there is no timeline for a return. Day described a return during the regular season as doubtful and said the coaching staff is planning as if Sayin will not be available for the remainder of the regular season or for the postseason.
Day stopped short of calling the injury season-ending. The distinction leaves open the possibility that Sayin’s recovery could change the outlook, but Ohio State is moving forward with its preparation based on the expectation that he will not be back this year.
Sayin, a junior, had made 21 consecutive starts for Ohio State. Over two seasons as the starter, he threw for 5,617 yards with 51 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting last year.
True freshman Luke Fahey is expected to take over at quarterback. Fahey has appeared in spot duty this season and has completed 9 of 13 passes for 203 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He will now prepare as the starter during the bye week.
Ohio State is 6-1 and sits first in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes do not play this weekend, giving Fahey and the coaching staff additional practice time to adjust the offense before the next game on the schedule. That adjustment now becomes the team’s central task for the rest of the season, with five regular-season games still to be played after the bye.
Ohio State returns to action at USC on October 31, followed by Oregon on November 7 and Northwestern on November 14. The Buckeyes then travel to Nebraska on November 21 before closing the regular season against Michigan on November 28. Ohio State’s position at the top of the Big Ten standings will be decided over that closing stretch, now with Fahey at quarterback. No further update on Sayin’s recovery timeline was provided on Tuesday.
Photo: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA