Even with emotions still riding high from a heart-breaking loss between top-five teams, Indiana football quarterback Josh Hoover showcased true leadership when discussing the game's most fateful play.
Hoover lobbed what seemed to be an easy go-ahead touchdown to a wide-open Nick Marsh on fourth down vs. No. 4 Ohio State. Even though he caught the ball, however, Marsh failed to establish himself inbounds, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Josh Hoover finds Nick Marsh - BUT HE'S OUT OF BOUNDS pic.twitter.com/WCcs1mUefF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 17, 2026
From there, the Buckeyes knelt out a 19-15 victory over the fourth-ranked Hoosiers.
Hoover, however, took the onus of the result of the play on himself, blaming a poorly placed ball for the reason Marsh didn't have the score.
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"It's not Nick (Marsh)'s fault at all. If I put it a little bit further inside, it would've been an easy catch."
— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) October 17, 2026
No. 5 Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover reacts to the heartbreaking ending to Saturday's 19-15 loss to No. 4 Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/NbU6XvSfw2
Curt Cignetti was slightly more blunt in his assessment of the play.
"We had it and we just didn’t make it happen," Cignetti said. "So it’s a hard one to swallow."
Despite the loss, which snapped a nation-leading 22-game win streak, Indiana still has everything to play for this season, including a potential rematch with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and, from there, a bid to the College Football Playoff.
"Everything we want — except an undefeated season — is still in front of us," Hoover said. "It's a journey."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana QB Josh Hoover blames himself for would-be TD to Nick Marsh vs Ohio State