Michael Cohen
College soccer and faculty basketball author
For the second time this month, the narrative that Ohio State coach Ryan Day struggles to defeat top-five opponents has been undermined emphatically. On Nov. 2, the Buckeyes erased an early 10-point deficit to stifle then-No. 3 Penn State in what led to a 20-13 victory that wasn’t as shut as the ultimate rating indicated. And on Saturday, in entrance of a raucous crowd at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes utterly outclassed beforehand undefeated Indiana, 38-15, incomes a victory that places them inside a stone’s throw of reaching the Big Ten Championship sport for the primary time since 2020.
Ohio State erased an early deficit by unleashing 31 straight factors that reaffirmed the convention pecking order regardless of the very best efforts of the Hoosiers and their first-year coach, Curt Cignetti. A relentless defensive effort overwhelmed an Indiana staff that, till Saturday, had been thought of one of the crucial explosive offenses within the nation. But an Ohio State protection that reinvented itself midseason after a blowout loss to Oregon was by no means higher than Saturday, holding the Hoosiers practically 30 factors beneath their season common.
Quarterback Will Howard accomplished 22 of 26 passes for 201 yards and three complete scores in one other predictably environment friendly efficiency. And a particular groups landing by punt returner Caleb Downs meant all three performs contributed to the Buckeyes’ newest victory.
Here are some fast takeaways from the sport:
Initial distinction
The Hoosiers opened Saturday’s showdown with an 11-play, 70-yard landing run that doubled as a press release of intent from the multi-score underdogs. There have been large third-down conversions from quarterback Kurtis Rourke to vast receiver Elijah Sarratt, neither of whom have been on Indiana’s schedule final season, and two move interference penalties on Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun because the Hoosiers to problem the penalty defender topic has change into more and more clear. A 2-yard landing run by tailback Ty Son Lawton gave the guests a 7-0 lead.
But the distinction between that drive, which started at Indiana’s 30-yard line, and the sort of alternatives the Hoosiers have been giving Ohio State rapidly grew to become the story of the primary half. A Rourke third-down run by linebacker Cody Simon, who lived in Indiana’s backfield, shook the soccer and delivered the Buckeyes possession within the excessive pink zone. Several minutes later, Indiana punter James Evans gave Ohio State the ball contained in the 10-yard line when he was unable to cleanly area the snap on a punt, in the end leading to a 23 yard loss.
And whereas the Hoosiers have been in a position to pressure a turnover that absolved Rourke of his fumble on the earlier possession – deflecting a Howard move for an interception, the second time they tackled the Buckeyes within the pink zone in the course of the first half – c There have been solely so many bullets the protection may realistically dodge. One quick area too many allowed Ohio State to take a 14-7 lead with :21 remaining within the second quarter as tailback TreVeyon Henderson bumped into the top zone to cap a three-play, seven-yard drive.
TreVeyon Henderson evades a number of tackles on a 4-yard landing run to assist Ohio State take the lead towards Indiana
Game of the sport
Down 14-7 at halftime, and with the Ohio Stadium crowd beginning to foam, Indiana wanted a optimistic early push to start out the third quarter. Even if the Hoosiers have been unable to create any factors, any possession that would use the clock slightly and switch the sphere round would go a good distance in calming the staff’s collective nerves. The final thing they wished was a fast three-and-out that gave the ball again to the Buckeyes.
But a optimistic achieve on first down gave option to an eventual delay-of-game penalty that saddled Indiana with an undesirable third down. For most of two quarters, the Hoosiers’ retooled offensive line had struggled to deal with blitzes known as by Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. And this example proved no completely different: A move from Rourke, which was hit from behind by edge rusher JT Tuimoloau, triggered his supposed receiver’s hand to pressure a punt that might show rather more expensive.
Although Evans caught the snap with out subject, his punt took two bounces that sped away from Indiana’s protection unit. Overtime gave Downs, a high-profile switch from Alabama, an opportunity to interrupt away from the primary defender and gallop into open area alongside the precise sideline. He made a reduce down the center of the sphere and ran untouched to the top zone for a 79-yard punt return that gave the Buckeyes a 21–7 lead.
Caleb Downs returns a punt 79 yards to the home as Ohio State extends its lead over Indiana
Key statistic
There have been so many questions on Ohio State’s protection after the eye-opening loss to Oregon final month. That night time at Autzen Stadium, the place the Buckeyes misplaced by one level, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ group surrendered 496 yards of complete offense, together with 341 by way of the air, and didn’t report a sack of quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The efficiency was so troubling that Day later stated the teaching workers spent the subsequent few weeks “redesigning” the protection earlier than one other high-profile matchup with then-No. 3 Pennsylvania State.
Saturday’s dismantling of Indiana, which started the weekend with the No. 2 offense within the nation at 43.9 factors per sport, was the most recent indication that the modifications Knowles has made have confirmed extremely profitable. Aside from the Hoosiers’ 11-play, 70-yard drive that produced a landing early within the first quarter, Ohio State by no means allowed greater than 32 yards on a single possession till the waning moments of the second half. Seven of Indiana’s subsequent eight drives piled up 8 yards or fewer because the Buckeyes’ swarming protection generated relentless warmth on Rourke, who completed 8 of 18 for 68 yards general.
The waves of strain from Ohio State’s entrance seven mirror the shift in philosophy that has animated Knowles’ unit in latest weeks, a stretch during which they’ve allowed 35 factors to Penn State, Purdue, Northwestern and Indiana mixed. There have been move dashing alternatives for linebacker Simon, who recorded 2.5 sacks when the sport was nonetheless within the steadiness. There have been stunts and twists on offense that freed Jack Sawyer for 1.5 sacks, matching his season excessive. And there have been overload blitzes that created free runs for Tuimoloau, who additionally recorded a sack.
When the ultimate buzzer sounded, Ohio State had restricted Indiana to 151 complete yards.
“Our guys had an awesome look” – Ryan Day on Ohio State’s dominant win over Indiana
What is the way forward for Ohio State?
Everyone is aware of what is going on to occur in Columbus after the Buckeyes took care of their enterprise towards Indiana on Saturday afternoon: one other crack at Michigan. No one throughout the Ohio State program will care that the Wolverines vastly underachieved of their first season with out former coach Jim Harbaugh, now with the Los Angeles Chargers. No one will care that the Wolverines have already suffered their most losses since 2017 and will not even sniff the dialogue for this yr’s College Football Playoff. All that issues for Day and his staff is an opportunity to snap a three-game dropping streak towards Michigan that matches this system’s longest drought since dropping three in a row to the Wolverines from 1995 to 1997. None of Ohio State seniors who bypassed the NFL Draft for an opportunity to chase a nationwide title ever toppled The Team Up North. They are patiently ready for subsequent week’s rematch.
What is the way forward for Indiana?
The subsequent few weeks are prone to be stuffed with angst and uncertainty for a staff whose borderline College Football Playoff resume will probably be analyzed advert nauseum till the bracket is formally revealed on Dec. 8, as soon as all convention championships have been performed. Between at times, the Hoosiers will virtually actually get their eleventh win of the season in a house finale towards Purdue, who’s 1-10 general and 0-8 within the Big Ten, however that is all Indiana can do . Cignetti’s staff is not going to but have victory over a ranked opponent. Nor will it have a powerful program that ranks close to the highest 50 nationally on the Sagarin scale. Like it or not, the Hoosiers are in for 2 weeks of matchups with one another and any variety of two-loss groups within the SEC. And there is a respectable probability they do not have a powerful sufficient case to earn an at-large spot on this yr’s area.
Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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