Game Wrap and Reaction: Ohio State 52 Indiana 10

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Ohio State Buckeyes

Location: Saturday September 14th, 2019 Bloomington, Indiana

Why They Played: The Hoosiers and the Buckeyes play annually as members of the Big Ten East division

What The Game Meant:

This game was a chance for the Hoosiers to measure where they stack up early in the season against one of the nation’s best teams in Ohio State.

Top Offensive Performers:

Donavan Hale, WR, Indiana- Hale only caught two passes for 33 yards, but he was responsible for tossing Indiana’s lone touchdown pass on a nifty double pass that resulted in a 49-yard score.

Peyton Hendershot, TE, Indiana- Hendershot was the beneficiary of the toss from Hale and he reached the end zone, barely, for the touchdown. Hendershot was the Hoosiers leading receiver with four catches for 70 yards.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State- Dobbins was outstanding again in Bloomington. He ran 22 times for 193 yards with a touchdown and caught two passes for 14 yards for a total of 207 all-purpose yards to lead the Buckeyes.

Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State- Olave did a little bit of everything for Ohio State on Saturday. He led the team in receiving with three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Then, on special teams, he blocked a punt that resulted in a safety and two points for the Buckeyes.

Top Defensive Performers

DeMarcus Elliot, DT, Indiana- Elliott may have been one of the only Hoosier defenders to keep his motor going all game. After a strong performance last week in a win over Eastern Illinois, Elliott made four more tackles and had a sack.

Chase Young, DE, Ohio State- Chase Young is a game wrecker and that’s what he did Saturday against the Hoosiers. Young had three total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Damon Arnette Jr, DB, Ohio State- Arnette only had two tackles, but he broke up two passes including a 96-yard pick six that is the record for the longest interception return for an opponent against the Hoosiers.

Special Team Performance

Logan Justus hit a field goal and an extra point, David Ellis had 110 kick off return yards and Nathanael Snyder had two touchbacks on three kickoffs. That is good. However, there was plenty of ugliness in the special teams unit on Saturday and it centered around the punt team. The Hoosiers had a punt blocked deep in their own territory after a player missed an assignment. Luckily for the Hoosiers the ball spun out of bounds for a safety. Including the blocked punt, Haydon Whitehead averaged 33.8 yards per punt. After the block, Whitehead looked shaken and shanked a couple punts.

​Key Stat(s)

314 to 42

The Buckeyes ran for 314 yards while the Hoosiers couldn’t manage to get 50. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Turning Point

There’s always a turning point, but sometimes they’re not too obvious. For Saturday, the turning point was Indiana’s second drive. After the Hoosiers lucked out and the Buckeyes missed a short field goal, the Hoosiers offense went three-and-out for the second straight drive. The Hoosiers first six plays netted negative-seven yards.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Indiana did not punch it in for a touchdown and instead kicked a field goal to get on the board at 7-3.

Players of the Game

Peyton Hendershot, Indiana- On a day when there were few bright spots, 70 yards and a touchdown will get you player of the game.

J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State- Dobbins set the tone early as the offensive line helped pave the way to victory and 207 total yards.

What I took away from the game

51-10 is ugly, but it has to be put into perspective.

Yes, the Hoosiers did not play well.

Yes, the defense lacked the toughness needed to hang with a top-10 team.

 Yes, the offense couldn’t run or throw the ball effectively.

Yes, the Haydon Whitehead looked as if he was malfunctioning punting the ball.

Yes, there were all the little mistakes that kill teams looking for upsets.

Oh yeah, Ohio State is also pretty darn good.

But, what does this loss really mean? Well, it means Indiana has a long way to go to being a top-10 football team.

While most of Hoosier Nation was in full meltdown mode, I took a look at the bigger picture. Sure, a win would have been program building and a win that IU fans would remember forever. However, the loss really doesn’t mean that much in long term. While this was a butt whopping, it wasn’t a BIG loss.

Don’t get me wrong there were a lot of issues IU needs to iron out and should be concerned about, but this loss should not define the season.

The absence of starting quarterback Michael Penix was felt early and often as the offense under Peyton Ramsey reverted back to its 2018 version. The run game was non-existent and the offensive line was dominated by a great defensive line. The passing game was hindered by short throws, over throws, missed reads and a lack of competitive catches.

The biggest concerns Indiana football has going forward this season, and there is a ton of season left, are the health of Michael Penix, the toughness in the trenches, leadership on defense and getting Marcelino Ball back to being a productive member of the defense.

The Hoosiers will have a chance to lick their wounds while hosting UConn next weekend before heading to East Lansing to face a Michigan State team who looks like they may be in disarray.