The defense looked shaky and Ohio State continued to struggle in the passing game, but the Buckeyes outlasted Indiana to sneak by at home 34-20. It went down to the wire, but the OSU run game was dominant, and the defense came up with a late interception to shut down Indiana’s hopes of an upset. The Hoosiers showed some flashes of great play, but have still yet to win against an FBS opponent this season.
Recap:
The Hoosiers started early with a field goal, and a touchdown after a Braxton Miller fumble gave Indiana a short field. The Bucks responded with 13 points, the touchdown coming on an 81 yard run from Braxton Miller, the longest touchdown by a quarterback in OSU history, and the two teams went into the half tied at 13.
Ohio State dominated the second half points-wise, but never clearly dominated the game. Indiana and Tre Roberson moved the ball well on the Bucks defense, but continually stopped themselves when it counted, including a missed field goal. The missed field goal led to a Buckeyes touchdown, and then a costly Tre Roberson interception led to another score.
The Buckeyes defense then finally came up big for the second drive in a row, stopping the Hoosiers on 4th down and ending the quest for an upset in the ‘Shoe.
Player of the game:
Braxton Miller: The nod in yards goes to Boom Herron, but Miller made the huge plays when OSU needed it. An 81 yard touchdown when the Bucks were down 10, a touchdown on 3rd and 20, and a key first down run one play after being slightly injured. Miller was a warrior, running for 105 and going 5-11 for 55 yards in the passing game. Though he isn’t a developed passer yet, his shifty running and pure speed gives the OSU offense a huge jolt.
Stat of the game:
351: The Buckeyes ran for 351 yards (Indiana had just 333 total yards) on the heels of Miller, Herron, and Carlos Hyde. Miller had 105 yards and two touchdowns, Herron had 141 yards on just 14 carries with a score, and Hyde ran for 105 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. All in all, OSU averaged 8.2 yards per carry behind the dominating offensive line. Woody Hayes would be proud of the way this team runs the football.
What’s next:
The Buckeyes head on the road to Purdue with their renewed hopes in the Big Ten title game still alive. OSU will need to win out and have Penn State lose to either Wisconsin or Nebraska, and the Buckeyes will head to Indianapolis. Purdue has played the Buckeyes well in the past, and OSU will need to be careful to not fall into a trap.
Indiana will have a rough game next weekend at Michigan State, and will likely see the losing ways continue. Tre Roberson has shown flashes of brilliance, however, in leading the Hoosiers. Whether or not the Hoosiers get a win this season, Indiana has proven that it may be a force to be reckoned with in future seasons.
-Jamie Arkin
twitter.com/jamie_arkin