COLUMBUS, Ohio – While the Buckeyes (4-0) extended their 26-game winning streak over the Hoosiers with an 42-35 win, it was a game that was way too close, as a handful of Hoosiers (4-1) outplayed their Buckeye counterparts while the Buckeyes were just not right after a quick start and couldn't put the Hoosiers away.
In fact, the Hoosiers would have 38 seconds and the ball on their own 22-yard-line, down one score with no timeouts. It would end up coming down to a final play where the Hoosiers would throw the ball all over the field but it would not amount to much as Ohio State fell on a loose ball to end the game.
Justin Fields picked the worst week to have his most pedestrian game but to be fair, the Indiana defense may be tops in the conference. Fields would throw three picks against the Hoosiers and while he would go 18-30 for 300 yards and two scores, there was a lot left on the field by the Ohio State quarterback.
The 12 incompletions would be one more than what Fields had thrown in his first three games, combined.
On the other side, Michael Penix had himself a game against an Ohio State defense that was far from a sure thing. He would throw for 495 yards on 26-50 with five touchdowns and Ty Fryfogle would have an even bigger game with seven receptions for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
The Hoosiers proved that you can go into a game one-dimensional, because the Hoosiers, could not run the ball, just netting minus-one yards on 16 carries.
At the end, it would just come down to old school Big Ten football as the Buckeyes kept it on the ground and were able to bleed the clock out and keep their struggling secondary off the field.
Master Teague should get a game ball and first dibs at the weekly Champion's Dinner as he rushed for 169 yards on 26 carries with two scores. The Buckeyes would rush for 307 yards on the day, really the difference in this game when the Hoosiers solved the Ohio State defense.
In what seemed like an eternity ago, the Buckeyes would get out and score on their first drive, a drive of two plays for 75 yards, all of that yardage going to Garrett Wilson by way of Fields passing. Wilson would end the game with 169 yards. He would be joined at 100-plus yards receiving by Chris Olave and his 101 yards.
What has to be most disheartening to Ohio State fans is that the Buckeyes led this game 35-7 at one point, early in the second half after scoring on the first drive of the game. Then the Hoosiers would outscore the Buckeyes 28-7 the rest of the way.
Ohio State's last points would come by way of a Shaun Wade pick-six, putting Ohio State up 21 points at the end of the third quarter.
But for a multitude of reasons, that was not enough as the Ohio State secondary would get torched time and time again down the stretch. This was not a case of great catches being made on 50-50 balls like Jahan Dotson did for Penn State, this was a case of wide-open receivers for the Hoosiers making routine plays as the Ohio State secondary was nowhere to be found.
The Buckeyes would have a hard time protecting Justin Fields in the throw game as the Ohio State quarterback would be sacked five times, several of those coming because of holding on to the ball too long, but regardless, it was a problem as the Hoosiers clamped down on the Buckeyes and would not allow the home team to run this game out.
There are some positives when it comes to the emergence of Teague, coming off of a big game in Ohio State's previous start against Rutgers and the continued domination of Wilson and Olave, but there are some serious problems that need to be fixed as Ohio State is on the road next week, at Illinois as the Illini demolished Nebraska, 41-23.
We will have plenty more on this game coming up including post game reactions.
