NCAAF

Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio State Buckeyes

· NCAA - Football
10-1, 3-1 Away
Final
15 - 38
10-1, 7-0 Home

No. 2 Ohio State takes control in the 2nd half and runs over No. 5 Indiana 38-15

How No. 2 Ohio State stifled No. 5 Indiana

All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12.

The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times.

“In life, all good things come to an end,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said.

Late in the first half, Indiana punter James Evans fumbled a snap and was buried at his own 7-yardline with the Buckeyes taking over. That turned quickly into a 4-yard TD run by Henderson that gave the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead.

Early in the second half, Caleb Downs fielded an Evans punt at the Ohio State 21, raced down the right sideline, cut to the middle and outran the coverage for a TD that put the Buckeyes up 21-7. It was the first time a Buckeye returned a punt for a touchdown since 2014.

Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD.

“Our guys just played with a chip today, and that’s the way you got to play the game of football,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.

Indiana scored on its first possession of the game and its last, both short runs by Ty Son Lawson, who paced the Hoosiers with 79 rushing yards. Rourke was 8 for 18 for 68 yards.

“We had communication errors, pass (protection), every time we dropped back to pass, something bad happened," Cignetti said.

Indiana's 151 total yards was its lowest of the season. And it was the most points surrendered by the Hoosier's defense.

The takeaway Indiana: Its special season was blemished by the Buckeyes, who beat the Hoosiers for the 30th straight time. Indiana was eyeing its first conference crown since sharing one with two other teams in 1967. That won't happen now.

“Ohio State deserved to win,” Cignetti said. “They had those (third quarter scores), and we just couldn’t respond.”

Ohio State: Didn't waste the opportunities presented by the Hoosiers when they got sloppy. The Buckeyes led 14-7 at the break and took control in the second half. An offensive line patched together because of multiple injuries performed surprisingly well.

“We know what was at stake," Day said. “We don't win this game, and we have no chance to go to Indianapolis and play in the Big Ten championship. And that's real. We've had that approach for the last few weeks now, more than that.”

Poll implications Some voters were obviously unsure of Indiana because it hadn't played a nationally ranked team before Ohio State. After this one, the Hoosiers will drop.

All about Will Howard made history by completing 80% of his passes for the sixth time this season. No other Ohio State quarterback has done that. He completed his first 14 passes in a row and finished with a 85% completion rate.

“I think Buckeye nation is now seeing, after 11 games, that this guy is a winner, he's tough, he cares about his teammates, he's a leader,” Day said.

Up next Indiana hosts Purdue in the regular-season finale next Saturday.

Ohio State hosts rival Michigan on Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes?
  • TV Channel: Hoosiers at Buckeyes 2021 College Football, week 13, is broadcasted on FOX.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Buckeyes: 73.5%
Hoosiers: 26.5%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

IU TD 1st Period 6:52 Ty Son Lawton 2 Yd Run (Nicolas Radicic Kick)
OSU TD 2nd Period 7:22 Emeka Egbuka 11 Yd pass from Will Howard (Jayden Fielding Kick)
OSU TD 2nd Period 0:21 TreVeyon Henderson 4 Yd Run (Jayden Fielding Kick)
OSU TD 3rd Period 12:44 Caleb Downs 79 Yd Punt Return (Jayden Fielding Kick)
OSU TD 3rd Period 6:02 Jelani Thurman 1 Yd pass from Will Howard (Jayden Fielding Kick)
OSU FG 4th Period 8:56 Jayden Fielding 45 Yd Field Goal
IU TD 4th Period 1:53 Ty Son Lawton 2 Yd Run (Kurtis Rourke Pass to Omar Cooper Jr. for Two-Point Conversion)
OSU TD 4th Period 0:35 Will Howard 1 Yd Run (Jayden Fielding Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/84.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originIU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/194.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originOSU
16 1st Downs 14
6-14 3rd down efficiency 4-11
1-2 4th down efficiency 2-3
153 Total Yards 316
68 Passing 201
8/18 Comp/Att 22/26
3.8 Yards per pass 7.7
85 Rushing 115
40 Rushing Attempts 29
2.1 Yards per rush 4.0
3-15 Penalties 8-58
1 Turnovers 1
1 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 1
30:40 Possession 29:20

Game Information

Ohio Stadium

Location: Columbus, OH
Attendance: 105,751 · Capacity:
Full Standings

College Football News

College football conferences with the best bowl game records

College football conferences with the best bowl game records

The SEC is a dominant college football powerhouse, especially when it comes to bowl games. See which other conferences also have bowl success.

Sources: Steve Belichick expected to join North Carolina as DC

Sources: Steve Belichick expected to join North Carolina as DC

Steve Belichick is expected to join father Bill Belichick's North Carolina staff as the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.

Mason Rudolph evades pressure, fires TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Mason Rudolph evades pressure, fires TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Mason Rudolph avoids getting sacked and throws a short touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

Heupel speaks on Vols' first CFP appearance, where to go from here

Heupel speaks on Vols' first CFP appearance, where to go from here

Josh Heupel discusses what No. 7 Tennessee needed to improve on for a better result in the first round of the CFP and outlines his vision for the future of the program.

College football SP+ rankings after first-round CFP games

College football SP+ rankings after first-round CFP games

After the first round of the College Football Playoff, the championship odds are more bunched than ever.