Game Wrap and Reaction: Ohio State 38 Indiana 15

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Ohio State Buckeyes

Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

Why They Played: 

The Hoosiers and Buckeyes are meeting in a late season conference game.

What The Game Meant: 

The was labeled as the biggest game in Indiana football history as there was a lot on the line concerning the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff races. IU started well, but critical errors on special teams gave Ohio State 14 points with a dropped snap and a touchdown return Caleb Downs. IU needed to show they belonged in the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately, that decision is not in their hands anymore.

Top Offensive Performers:

Ty Son Lawton, RB, Indiana- Lawton was a bright spot for an otherwise dismal IU offensive performance. He ran 15 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. He also added two catches for nine yards.

Will Howard, QB, Ohio State- Howard kept Ohio State’s offense humming starting the game by hitting his first 14 passes. He kept plays alive with his feet and finished 22-of-26 passing with 201 yards and two touchdowns. He added another touchdown on the ground late in the game.

Top Defensive Performers:

Jailin Walker, LB, Indiana- Walker helped lead a valiant effort from the Indiana defense. He led the Hoosiers with eight total tackles, had a tackle for loss and an interception.

Cody Simon, LB, Ohio State- Simon was a game wrecker for Ohio State. IU could not pick him up when he blitzed. Simon finished with 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

Special Teams Performance:

Indiana’s special teams cost them a chance to be in the game in the second half on Saturday. A dropped punt snap set up an Ohio State touchdown right before halftime to make it 14-7 and then a back breaking 79-yard punt return touchdown by Caleb Downs put the game firmly out of reach at 21-7. We talked about this on the pregame podcast, IU could not make these types of mistakes and win. 

Key Stat(s):

7 for -72

Ohio State had seven tackles for loss accounting for a loss of 72 yards for the Indiana Hoosiers. IU was moving backwards most of the game.

Turning Point:

Curt Cignetti pointed to the non-false start false start penalty when everything started to change. However, we will go when James Evans dropped a snap on a punt for a 23-yard loss and set Ohio State up for a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead into the half. IU should have gone into halftime tied 7-7.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Caleb Downs returned a punt 79 yards to push the Ohio State lead to 21-7.

What I take away From the Game:

There will be plenty of pundits saying this loss invalidates IU’s season and that they should be excluded from the College Football Playoff. Here’s what the loss actually does. It brings IU a dose of reality. This is a very good football team having a great season. One loss does not blow that up. However, it shows just how far this program still has to go to be able to stay in these types of matchups on the road.

The Hoosiers caught some major breaks from the rest of the Playoff field yesterday. Ole Miss, Alabama and Colorado losing all helped IU’s cause. Results have to matter. I have said that all year. The result against Ohio State should matter. IU will fall, but how far is out of their hands now.

As far as the game goes. Indiana started off great. They forced Ohio State to go three-and-out on their first drive and then took the ball down the field for a touchdown to go up 7-0. After that, the game turned into a mess on offense and special teams. Curt Cignetti cited crowd noise as a major factor of why IU could not pick up Ohio State’s blitzes.

The Hoosiers made too many critical errors. James Evans dropping a snap is inexcusable. A poorly placed punt led to a breakdown in coverage on Downs’ touchdown return. Then the offense could muster anything until the fourth quarter. There were too many blown protections and too many drops for the Hoosiers.

In a game where everyone was watching to see if IU belonged at the big boy’s table, they looked like the old IU. The one that crumbled in big moments against elite teams. Was the moment too big for IU? Maybe. Did the Hoosiers get caught up in the Playoff noise? Possibly. All I know is that IU got their rear ends kicked against one of the best teams, if not the best, in the sport. That does not wreck the season, but it very well could’ve dimmed their Playoff hopes if things did not bounce their way the rest of the afternoon.

What’s Next

The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1) will face the Purdue Boilermakers at 7pm on November 30th for the Old Oaken Bucket in Bloomington to finish out the regular season.