College football’s longest win streak and the reigning national champions’ bid to play another undefeated season ended on Saturday in the most agonizing way possible.

Indiana had won 22 straight games and trailed Big Ten nemesis Ohio State by just four points. All they had to do was score a touchdown to win. And for about a second, it looked like they had actually pulled it off.

Fourth Down Dream Becomes a Nightmare

Trailing No. 4 Ohio State 19-15 with just over a minute remaining, the Hoosiers faced fourth-and-4 near the Buckeyes’ 27-yard line. Josh Hoover dropped back and found wide receiver Nick Marsh wide open in the end zone for what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown.

Marsh secured the catch. The home crowd erupted. Then the officials ruled that his left foot had landed out of bounds. No touchdown.

The play was incomplete. A turnover on downs. Ohio State took over and kneeled out the clock for a 19-15 victory.

The Play That Defined the Afternoon

Replays confirmed the call was correct by the narrowest of margins — Marsh’s toe touched the white line just enough to negate the score. Hoover had thrown a strong ball, and Marsh had beaten his defender cleanly. 

But in a game of inches, those inches decided everything. The near-miss instantly became the defining image of the contest and one of the cruelest finishes of the 2026 college football season.

Indiana had already shown resilience earlier in the fourth quarter. After Ohio State extended its lead on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Julian Sayin to Jeremiah Smith, Hoover answered with a 19-yard scoring strike to Marsh and a successful two-point conversion to make it 19-15. 

The Hoosiers’ defense then forced a three-and-out after Sayin left the game with a shoulder injury, setting up the final dramatic drive.

The Streak Ends, But Context Remains

The loss dropped Indiana to 6-1 and marked its first defeat since a College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame on Dec. 20, 2024. 

The 22-game streak had been the longest active run in the FBS and arguably the most impressive in college football history, given Indiana’s previous struggles as a program. 

Ohio State improved to 5-1 and 3-0 in conference play while avenging its defeat in last season’s Big Ten Championship Game.

Both teams remain firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation. Yet for Indiana, the afternoon will be remembered for the one foot that didn’t quite stay in bounds — and the heartbreaking end to a remarkable winning streak.