It’s the first day of December and Hoosier fans are staring at what might be the most electric week in Indiana University sports history. IU volleyball opens the NCAA Tournament inside Wilkinson Hall, the No. 22 IU Men’s basketball team gears up for an anticipated showdown with No. 6 Louisville in Indianapolis, and the football program steps into its biggest stage all season. No. 2 Indiana faces No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten Championship game, with a shot at revenge, a conference title, and the one seed for the CFP all in play.
On Monday, head football coach Curt Cignetti met with the media to open championship week. His message was clear. This is not just another matchup with Ryan Day’s Buckeyes. It is a chance to settle a score. Cignetti still remembers how last year’s trip to Columbus ended, a 15 to 38 loss that marked his first defeat as Indiana’s head coach, and he does not intend to relive it. He knows what awaits. Ohio State is loaded with game wreckers on both sides of the ball and punishes every slip in execution.
“They’re dominant on offense,” Cignetti said in Monday’s press conference. “Quarterback is playing great. They got big time weapons on the outside and the tight end too, [Max] Klare, is a weapon. And the running backs have gotten better every week and had big days against Michigan.”
Ohio State’s attack has backed up that praise all season. The Buckeyes sit at 438.5 yards per game which ranks twenty fourth nationally and fourth in the Big Ten. They are tied for tenth in the country in total offensive touchdowns with fifty five and they rarely give opponents any margin for error. Their passing game in particular has been nearly impossible to slow.
Quarterback Julian Sayin has been one of the most efficient players in the nation in his first year as a college starter. He finished the regular season with 3,065 passing yards with a 78.9 percent completion rate, thirty touchdowns, and only five interceptions. His play has vaulted him into the heart of the Heisman Trophy race where he sits just behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the current odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Many analysts believe the conference title game will decide the award.
Sayin is far from the only threat. Ohio State’s wide receiver room remains one of the most feared units in the country. Jeremiah Smith continues to show why he is viewed as one of the most gifted players in the sport while Carnell Tate has become a consistent big play option whenever he is on the field. Both were dealing with injuries prior to their game in Michigan and are expected to be full participants this weekend as well which sets up a slate of dangerous matchups for Indiana’s secondary. The Buckeyes also added tight end Max Klare who transferred from Purdue and has turned into yet another reliable weapon in Sayin’s arsenal.
While Ohio State’s passing attack has been explosive for most of the season, the most dramatic shift in their identity has come on the ground. Through their first eight games, the Buckeyes averaged 284.3 passing yards and three passing touchdowns per game. Their rushing numbers were far more modest at 157 yards and 1.6 rushing touchdowns per game. But over the final month of the regular season, the script flipped. Ohio State leaned heavily into its run game, piling up 208 rushing yards per outing with 2.75 rushing touchdowns per game. The Buckeyes have scored eleven rushing touchdowns in their last four contests which nearly doubled their total from the first eight weeks. Their offense has become fully balanced and fully capable of dictating terms.
Yet as dangerous as that offense is, it is Ohio State’s defense and special teams that change games in an instant.
“They’re good. That’s why they’re No. 1 in the country,” Cignetti said. “Least amount of points, least amount of yards, red area defense, great on third down, fourth down, 30 sacks, give up 70 yards rushing a game, 130 passing… Special teams are really good. If you all remember, special teams was a big part of our downfall last year in that game. So, our special teams, aside from that game, were excellent last year and they’ve been very good this year, so they’re going to need to be real good Saturday.”
Last year’s matchup in Columbus is still fresh in his mind. Indiana struggled with the noise, the pressure, and the environment and their mistakes snowballed. Special teams proved costly. A mishandled punt by former punter James Evans set Ohio State up just outside the goal line and a mis-hit punt to the wrong side of the field handed the Buckeyes another easy scoring chance. Cignetti admitted Indiana got caught staring at the bright lights. This season he refuses to let those moments repeat.
“We’re going to find out Saturday how ready we are,” Cignetti said. “What I can tell you about this football team is we’ve met every challenge up to this point because we prepare consistently, the way you need to prepare, and put it on the field… Five days from now, our guys will walk on the field with confidence that they will get the job done.”
Cignetti knows exactly what is at stake. He knows who beat him first. He knows where the cracks showed last time. And he is coming for revenge. Indiana is not looking ahead to the College Football Playoff picture because their head coach refuses to let them. His focus is fixed only on the opponent in front of him. Saturday’s championship showdown features two of the nation’s best defenses with Indiana ranked fourth at 251.8 yards allowed per game and just eleven offensive touchdowns surrendered while Ohio State sits at No. 1 allowing 203 yards per game and nine touchdowns total.
The Big Ten Championship will kick off in Indianapolis on Saturday December 6 at 8 p.m. EST. If you cannot make it to Lucas Oil Stadium, the game will be broadcast on FOX. As basketball season heats up and the College Football Playoff draws closer, stay locked in with Hoosier Huddle for full coverage of Indiana athletics.