Ohio State prevails in Indiana (Graphic by Ohio State Athletics)
The Ohio State Buckeyes hold on in an ugly battle against the Indiana Hoosiers
#11 Ohio State 19, #1 Indiana 15
Ohio State came out of the gate slinging the football. Mason Williams had two catches for 45 yards, and then a Devin McCuin catch got Ohio State into the red zone. Despite 67 yards through the air, a poor third-down overthrow had OSU settle for a Connor Hawkins field goal and take an early 3-0 lead. The Ohio State red zone offense sputtered in a way that echoed last year’s Big Ten championship. OSU is Wide Receiver U and, on third down in the red zone, went with three tight ends and a receiver, and it ended with an overthrow that the tallest player in the NBA couldn’t have caught.
Ohio State’s defense would get off to a good start by forcing a three-and-out from Josh Hoover and the Hoosiers. Overthrows from the quarterback would force a Buckeye punt. Indiana would move the ball into Ohio State territory, but an Earl Little Jr. pass deflection on third down would result in a Hoosier punt. OSU would punt it right back after more errant passes. After four straight completions to start the game, Julian Sayin would throw six straight incompletions, with all but one throw being poor placement by the Buckeye quarterback.
Second Quarter
The Buckeye defense would get a stop on third-and-11 to begin the second quarter that would force an IU punt. Sayin would continue to struggle. After eating a sack he should have thrown away, Sayin threw an interception on his second target of Jeremiah Smith of the game. The defender would get away with interfering with Smith and popping the ball up, and Indiana would get the interception and return it inside the Buckeye 10-yard line. Two plays later, Indiana would punch it in, and Indiana would lead 7-3.
Make or Break Moment
After struggling most of the first half, Ohio State was in a make-or-break situation. For every one on offense, from the head coach down to the last walk-on, this was the time to show what they’re made of. Good or bad. Sayin made his best throw of the half to Chris Henry Jr. Indiana challenged it, and it was close, but ruled complete. Henry would get open for a 30-yard completion, and a roughing-the-quarterback call would put Ohio State at the Indiana 11-yard line and a first down. A pass to Smith got them to the three-yard line. Four Buckeye rushes and a missed wide-open pass later, Ohio State faced a huge fourth down. After four inside runs got only two yards, the Bucks spread Indiana out, and Sayin would find Bo Jackson in the flat for a touchdown. Ohio State would lead 10-7 at the half.
This was a huge moment where they showed what they were made of and found a way to get it done. The fourth-down touchdown pass to Bo Jackson was huge in so many ways. The Bucks were getting nothing in their heavy formation, running between their tackles. So they went back to who they are, a pass-heavy team. They spread Indiana out from the shotgun, and Jeremiah Smith cleared out the defense, allowing Jackson to get open in the flat for the touchdown.
Second Half
Ohio State’s defense continued their strong play to open the second half. Jay Timmons forced a fumble, Earl Little Jr. recovered it, and the Buckeye offense started in Indiana territory. Ohio State got into the red zone for the third time and had to settle for their second field goal. Hawkins nailed another one to make it 13-7, Buckeyes.
Indiana’s offense would get the ball moving. The Hoosiers would get to the Buckeye 33-yard line before Ohio State stopped them. On a fourth-down attempt, safety Jaylen McClain would blitz against Josh Hoover and knock the ball loose, and Riley Pettijohn would recover it for Ohio State. Ohio State would give the ball right back with a turnover of their own. OSU would weather it when Indiana missed their second field goal of the game.
Fourth Quarter
Ohio State’s offense would start the final quarter with an offensive drive moving and in Indiana territory. The Bucks faced a fourth-and-one. Ohio State would go for a big time pass play, and it would finally pay off. The offensive line gave Sayin all day to throw, and he tossed it into the end zone, and despite being bracketed by defenders, Jeremiah Smith came down with a huge touchdown. OSU wouldn’t get the two-point conversion, but would lead 19-7 thanks to their do-everything receiver.
The Hoosiers would respond with an aggressive aerial drive. Ohio State’s defensive scheme would fail their players by putting inexperienced corners in to cover IU receivers, Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. Becker and Marsh are one of the best duos in college football, and putting a first-year starter and a true freshman on them in the red zone is coaching malpractice. Indiana capitalized on it with a touchdown to Marsh, cutting the lead to 19-14.
Winning Ugly is Still Winning
Isaiah West would get the Bucks off to a good start, gaining 37 yards in three plays. Julian Sayin would eat another sack and leave the game injured. Luke Fahey would come in and scramble into IU territory. Fahey got hit after he started his slide, giving OSU 15 yards and a first down. That would be the end of things for the Bucks as they’d stall out. They’d punt the ball back to Indiana shortly thereafter. The OSU defense would force a punt in turn, but the Bucks would go three-and-out. IU would get the ball with 3:07 to go. Indiana would drive well into Ohio State territory and on a fourth-and-four would have a game-deciding play. Nick Marsh would beat the same young Ohio State corner, just like he did for an earlier touchdown. Marsh would make the catch in the endzone but would land out of bounds. That would do it, and The Ohio State LUCKEYES would hold on for a 19-15 win.
Up Next, USC
Ohio State will lick their wounds this coming week with a bye. They’ll then head to the West Coast to play at USC on Halloween. The big issue now is who the starting quarterback for Ohio State will be. Julian Sayin ended the game in a sling, and Luke Fahey came off the bench but didn’t show much to finish off this win. Both Sayin and Fahey are from SoCal, so both would love to play and ideally win in L.A. Ohio State just has to have the next-man-up mentality that was successful in a season like 2014.
UPDATE: Coach Day confirmed that Sayin will likely be out for several weeks, meaning Luke Fahey will almost certainly be the starter against USC in two weeks. This means it is the next man up at Ohio State, and it’s Fahey’s time to do his J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones impression.
Buckeye Bottom Line
Ohio State has struggled at quarterback this year. Sayin has looked more like a freshman than a second-year starter. He was having a rough game even before his injury. Almost every pass was misplaced, either over- or underthrown. The best time for that to be addressed was in August; the second-best time is now. Everything on the line for Ohio State is riding on that. Everything. Even Jeremiah Smith’s Heisman chances. Smith had four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Hoosiers.
The Bottom line is, Ohio State still has the same struggles they’ve had all season. Quarterback and offensive line play are inconsistent, but especially the quarterback play. The defense is pretty good against the run, but can struggle in the passing game, both in covering good receivers effectively and generating a pass rush. Special teams are still a work in progress, though to their credit they didn’t lose Ohio State this game, which is huge for them.
But the glass is at least half full, if not more. Ohio State just got a top-five road win over a team that was on a 22-game winning streak that included a 16-0 national championship run. They gave one of the top three head coaches in college football his first loss at home. They still have the best player in college football on the team in Jeremiah Smith. Most importantly, every team goal is achievable right now. Beating TTUN, winning the Big Ten Championship, and winning a National Championship are still possible with this 6-1 start.
