The most anticipated game in the Big Ten regular season lived up to expectations Saturday, when Indiana played host to Ohio State.
The bad news is that Indiana lost, as its fourth quarter comeback fell just short, following a Josh Hoover pass that led Nick Marsh out of bounds, on what would have been a go-ahead touchdown on fourth down.
Instead of being complete and Indiana moving to 7-0, it falls to 6-1, losing for the first time since December 20, 2024, when Notre Dame knocked it out of the College Football Playoff.
It's by no means the end of anything for Indiana, as it could still end up in the Big Ten Championship, but things need to be cleaned up if the Hoosiers are going to make another deep run this postseason.
Social media reacted in a big way as the game came to an end. Here are what some of the best posts to X looked like right after the Hoosiers suffered their first loss in nearly 22 months.
Indiana Just Misses Epic Comeback
Josh Hoover finds Nick Marsh - BUT HE'S OUT OF BOUNDS pic.twitter.com/WCcs1mUefF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 17, 2026
With as open as Nick Marsh is, that's a pitch and catch. And it's the pitch part that led to Marsh starting to drift out of bounds. Marsh could have done more, yes, but a quality throw there isn't anywhere near the sideline, and intsead we're talking about Indiana's epic fourth quarter comeback.
Curt Cignetti Reacts to First Home Loss at Indiana
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 17, 2026Curt Cignetti's reaction after Nick Marsh stepped out of bounds on what would've been the go-ahead touchdown against Ohio State.
Indiana loses after winning 22 straight games 😳 pic.twitter.com/NFMfvUhNJ1
For the first time since taking the Indiana job in December of 2023, head coach Curt Cignetti has lost a game at Memorial Stadium.
USC, Minnesota, and Purdue on the home slate for 2026, while a home playoff game certainly isn't out of the question, either.
How Do You Lose That Way, Indiana?
WOW!! That's how Indiana loses?? WILD!!
— BeefLoaf🥩 (@MrDelicious13) October 17, 2026
That's a heartbreaker, but if you're an Indiana fan, you're looking at things as it pretains to the national championship level. Yes, the throw was off at the end, but plenty led to that moment for Indiana as well.
Indiana-Ohio State Still Awesome, Despite Playoff Certainty
— Pete Fiutak (@PeteFiutak) October 17, 2026Well THAT’S a new one.
(That Ohio State - Indiana game … the college football regular season will always be awesome)
The game was great, yes, but imagine how much more on the edge of the seat things would have been had Indiana essentially been eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration after getting hit with that loss?
2026 Hoosiers, Seven Games In
— Justin Albers (@Justin_Albers) October 17, 2026How it ended. Like I said, feel better about Indiana than I did after last week. Lots to clean up, but we will be heard from in the postseason.
Congrats to the Bucks. Fun game. Will take awhile to digest this one. #iufb pic.twitter.com/j9Tbdjqkd1
Hard fought and no quit to be found anywhere. Do you agree that Indiana looks better now, after this loss, than it did at any point of the 6-0 start to 2026?
Hoosier Fans Show Love
As Indiana’s 22-game winning streak comes to an end, Hoosiers fans show their appreciation: pic.twitter.com/gltL2nsK3e
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) October 17, 2026
Indiana fans have been really spoiled lately. It's nice to see the appreciation they showed on Saturday.
Now, how about another 22-game winning streak starting next week at Michigan?
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