Written by: TJ Inman
For the first time since 1967, the Indiana Hoosiers are Big Ten Champions. The Hoosiers knocked off the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 13-10 in Lucas Oil Stadium. After struggling against the elite Ohio State defense in the red zone during the first half, Fernando Mendoza connected with Elijah Sarratt for a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead and Ohio State missed a short field goal late in the fourth quarter as IU slammed the door shut with a deep pass to Charlie Becker right before the two-minute warning. The win is IU’s first in the Big Ten Championship Game and it will result in IU being #1 in the country for the first time ever.
The Indiana Hoosiers began the game with the ball and defensive lineman Caden Curry made his presence felt right away, blasting Fernando Mendoza after he threw a pass. Mendoza laid on the turf as IU fans waited anxiously and Alberto Mendoza entered for second down. Indiana’s Heisman hopeful quarterback returned to the game and the Hoosiers picked up two first downs before Caden Curry ended the drive with a sack on third down. The Buckeyes picked up one first down but Louis Moore snagged an errant pass on third down and returned the interception to the Ohio State 23-yard line, setting IU up with great field position. Elijah Sarratt picked up a first down but the drive stalled inside the red zone and IU settled for a short field goal from Nico Radicic to open the scoring at 3-0. Rolijah Hardy sacked Julian Sayin to end Ohio State’s next drive but the Buckeyes quickly turned the tide as a wide receiver screen was popped into the air and Davison Igbinosun grabbed it out of the air and set the Buckeyes up in IU territory.
A face mask penalty on Mario Landino moved Ohio State into goal-to-go range and Julian Sayin connected with Carnell Tate for the game’s first touchdown. Indiana took a deep shot and got a pass interference penalty on the OSU secondary and then Kaelon Black ripped off a 37-yard run as the first quarter came to an end. IU again moved into scoring territory but were unable to break the Ohio State defense, trying a field goal from 40 yards. For the first time all season, Nico Radicic missed on his attempt and the score remained 7-3 in favor of Ohio State. The Buckeyes started to seize control as Jeremiah Smith had a 51-yard reception and they cruised into the red zone but Isiah Jones made a great play on third down, covering a ton of ground to pull down Julian Sayin for a sack. Ohio State kicked a field goal and took a 10-3 lead and the Hoosiers hung in the game.
Fernando Mendoza got into a rhythm and IU moved the ball well, converting on a fourth and two to Riley Nowakowski but a pair of sacks by Ohio State’s defensive front halted Indiana’s offense in the red zone again. Nico Radicic hit his field goal attempt this time and IU cut the lead to 10-6 with 2:47 remaining in the half. Indiana’s stellar defense continued to perform, sacking Julian Sayin and forcing an incomplete pass on third down that effectively ended the half. Indiana outgained Ohio State 166-128 and had the ball for nearly 18 minutes of the first half but they only scored six of a possible 21 points when they entered the scoring zone.
Ohio State had the ball to begin the second half but IU’s defense picked up right where they left off, sacking Julian Sayin back-to-back times and forcing a punt. The Hoosiers struck with a 51-yard pass to Charlie Becker and then Elijah Sarratt caught a perfectly thrown from Mendoza to give IU the 13-10 lead with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter. It was the first time the Ohio State Buckeyes had trailed in the second half all season. They responded as champions do, driving down the field and getting inside the ten-yard line but a fourth-down quarterback sneak from Julian Sayin was ruled short and the Buckeyes turned it over on downs. Indiana had to punt the ball but they did pick up a few first downs and flipped the field.
Ohio State drove down the field with the aid of a personal foul penalty on Mikail Kamara but on fourth and short, Ryan Day opted to kick a field goal and it was shockingly hooked wide by the normally reliable Jayden Fielding. With just 2:48 remaining, the Hoosiers took the ball with a 13-10 lead. On third and six, IU went for the jugular with a deep pass to Charlie Becker and Fernando Mendoza dropped it in the bucket with a perfect pass for a 33-yard gain and a critical first down. After three runs, IU punted and the Buckeyes had the ball with 18 seconds remaining and just 13 seconds left. The final play of the game was a completed pass to Jeremiah Smith but it was well short of threatening to score and for the first time since 1988, Indiana had defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes. IU last won the Big Ten in 1967 and they have never been the number one team in the country. That will change on Sunday afternoon as IU will almost certainly be the number one team and the number one seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff.
Fernando Mendoza was 15-23 for 222 yards with one touchdown and one turnover and it included a couple of Heisman-worthy moments. Charlie Becker had six receptions for 126 yards and Elijah Sarratt had 37 yards with one touchdown. Indiana’s defense was outstanding, limiting Ohio State to 2.2 yards per carry and sacking Julian Sayin five times.
The Indiana Hoosiers will await the unveiling of the College Football Playoff bracket and find out who they might be playing on January 1. Hoosier Huddle will have comprehensive coverage of this historic victory as IU improved to 13-0.