Ohio State will enter its next game without starting quarterback Julian Sayin for the first time in nearly two seasons. Sayin suffered an arm injury in the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes’ 19-15 win at Indiana on October 17 and is expected to miss at least several weeks. Coach Ryan Day confirmed the timeline on Monday, saying testing and evaluation are still ongoing. With a bye week on October 24, the next game is at USC on October 31.
The offense will turn to true freshman Luke Fahey. Fahey, a three-star recruit from Mission Viejo, California, beat out sophomore Tavien St. Clair for the backup role earlier in the season. He finished the Indiana game after Sayin exited, going 0-for-2 on official pass attempts in limited action. Earlier this year in mop-up duty against Ball State and Kent State, Fahey completed 9 of 11 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Day has said the moment did not appear too big for him against Indiana, though the speed of the game was a factor in a short sample.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith addressed the practical challenge of adjusting to a new quarterback. Smith and Sayin have developed a connection over multiple seasons that has produced strong production. Smith has 52 catches for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, including the 38-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-1 that proved decisive against Indiana. When asked how the receivers will get on the same page with Fahey, Smith was direct.
“A lot of practice, a lot of reps … we got to get together. Especially we got a bye this week,” Smith said. “We got time, about two weeks until we play a game. So it’s going to take time to build that. I ain’t going to say it’s going to take one day. It’s not that easy. But like I said, it’s going to take time.”
The bye week provides extra practices before the USC game, which is a night contest at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC enters 6-1. Ohio State’s remaining schedule after that includes a home game against Oregon on November 7, followed by Northwestern, a trip to Nebraska, and the regular-season finale against Michigan. These are not games in which the Buckeyes can expect to control the outcome early and rotate freely.
Smith also noted the team’s approach after the injury. He said the group is operating under a “next man up” mindset and that Fahey handled the pressure well in his brief appearance. Day has indicated the staff will prepare Fahey as the starter during the open week while continuing to evaluate Sayin’s recovery. There is no official diagnosis beyond the general timeline of at least several weeks, and Day has not ruled out the possibility of a longer absence depending on further testing.
The offense has leaned on Smith as the primary receiving threat and on a defense that has limited scoring in recent weeks. Maintaining production without Sayin will depend on Fahey finding a rhythm in practice and translating it to the field against USC and Oregon. Smith’s comments make clear that the timing and familiarity built with the previous starter cannot be replaced immediately. The bye week gives the group its best opportunity to close that gap before the next game. How effectively that work translates will shape Ohio State’s results over the next several weeks.
