They say that defense wins championships; well, Indiana’s stout defense just won them a Big Ten Championship.
Let that sink in. The Hoosiers defeated Ohio State for the first time in 37 years to claim their first Big Ten title since 1967. It was their first appearance in a Big Ten Championship game and the Hoosiers did not disappoint. From the very first OSU drive, it was clear that Indiana was out for blood. On second down, IU safety Louis Moore picked off OSU QB Julian Sayin, setting the tone for what was to come. The Hoosiers quickly capitalized on this turnover, scoring the first three points of the game.
As Indiana took an early lead, the defense began to make the highly-touted Buckeye offense look human—something we had not seen all season. The Buckeyes went a dismal 4-11 on third downs, as they saw an unfamiliar sight: their punter.
Even when Ohio State found some rhythm in the second quarter, connecting with their all-star receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 52-yard shot that set the Buckeyes up in the red zone, the Indiana defense held firm. Following a touchdown-saving tackle by Rolijah Hardy (the first of his game-defining plays), Isaiah Jones sacked Julian Sayin to force the Buckeyes to settle for a field goal, keeping it a one-possession game headed into the half.
Jones’ sack was one of 5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss that the Hoosiers’ defense had on Saturday, a staggering number considering that Ohio State had only allowed 6 sacks all season.
When asked about this after the game, head coach Curt Cignetti said, “That’s been who we’ve been all year…we’ve always been high on TFLs (tackles for loss) and sacks. So we got a great effort from our front guys. And we’re dialing up those blitzes, got the quarterback off rhythm, let him out of the pocket a few times, which we can’t do. But all in all, I thought we played pretty well.”
The defense “playing pretty well” might be the Coach Cig understatement of the year. They were flying around the ball, bending but not breaking to the high-powered Ohio State offense. Perhaps no play embodies this more than the defense’s third-quarter 4th-and-1 stop in the red zone. Ohio State had put together a methodical drive covering 70 yards and taking nearly 7 minutes off the clock.
Trailing 13-10, Ohio State found itself with a 4th and 1 on the Indiana 5-yard line. Instead of kicking the field goal, the Buckeyes elected to keep the offense on the field, as they had done successfully so many times before this season. This time was different. Julian Sayin ran into a buzzsaw of Hoosiers defenders, going down short of the line to gain. The Buckeyes traveled 70 yards and took 7 minutes off the clock, and the Hoosiers’ defense ensured that they had nothing to show for it.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Buckeyes must have had deja vu. Again, the Buckeyes began to move the ball. The OSU offense traveled 81 yards and took 8 minutes off the clock before they faced a key 3rd and 1 from the Indiana 9 yard line. In the biggest moments, however, Indiana’s players come up big. That’s exactly what Rolijah Hardy did on Saturday. Finding himself in one-on-one coverage in the end zone, Hardy made a phenomenal diving pass breakup to force 4th down.
“That play by Rolijah [was huge]; he’s a phenomenal player. He’s taking steps every single week this year to get to where he’s at now. I mean he just played an amazing game. He’s worked so hard to earn to be in that position. And he took advantage of the opportunity he got.” Linebacker Aiden Fisher said after the game.
Facing yet another 4th and 1 in the red zone, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes appeared to learn their lesson, lining up for a 27-yard field goal. While they opted for a different strategy, they got the same result, as Jayden Fielding missed the field goal, as yet another long and promising drive came up empty. With that, Indiana was able to run a majority of the time off the clock, making history in Indianapolis with a 13-10 victory over the Buckeyes and a Big Ten Title.