No. 5 Indiana Fails to Handle Noise, Pressure in 38-15 Loss at No. 2 Ohio State

Indiana had to use a silent count in a game for the first time all year Saturday at Ohio State, which contributed to the offense’s worst game of the season. Add special teams blunders, and the Hoosiers took their first loss of the season.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) throws a pass against Ohio State Saturday at Ohio Stadium. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

COLUMBUS, Ohio –  No. 5 Indiana had a chance to measure itself against a perennial college football powerhouse Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

It came up well short.

Punctuated by special teams mistakes and pass protection issues, coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers fell 38-15 to No. 2 Ohio State. Indiana punter James Evans dropped a snap just before halftime, which led to an Ohio State touchdown three plays later. The same special teams unit allowed a 79-yard punt return touchdown early in the third quarter. The Hoosiers would never recover.

Indiana fell to 10-1 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten play, with a matchup against Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game next Saturday. With this win, the Buckeyes are in the driver’s seat to face No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten championship game, with a home game against Michigan next. Both Indiana and Ohio State could still reach the College Football Playoff, which will release another set of rankings Tuesday night. 

“In life, all good things come to an end eventually,” Cignetti said. “I give Ohio State a lot of credit. They dominated the football game.”

An Indiana offense that entered Saturday with the nation’s second-highest scoring offense finished with a season-low 151 total yards. And after garnering Heisman Trophy consideration, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was sacked five times and completed just 8-of-18 passes for 68 yards, zero touchdowns and a fumble. Indiana’s defense also allowed a season-high 38 points.

Cignetti said Ohio State’s pressure was nothing Indiana hadn’t seen and practiced for all week, and that their inability to pick up the blitzes was a combination of factors. Rourke acknowledged that Indiana frequently practices silent counts, but Saturday was its first time using them in a game.

“I think you couple it with the noise and having to go to a silent count,” Cignetti said. “The center couldn’t hear. Then the speed at which they do it at, compared to our scout team and the pressure of the moment. Our guys just didn’t respond very well. Simple. Sometimes we had missed assignments. Sometimes we had communication errors. Sometimes we got physically beat. But it wasn’t very pretty.”

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti runs onto the field to face Ohio State. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Entering its most daunting road environment of the season at the 102,780-seat stadium, it would be important for Indiana to keep Ohio State from grabbing early momentum. Indiana’s defense did just that, and the offense followed. It forced an Ohio State three and out to begin the game, with tackles from Rolijah Hardy, Terry Jones Jr. and Aiden Fisher – all players who Cignetti added to the roster before the season. 

Rourke missed wide receiver Myles Price on his first pass, a deep ball that could have been a touchdown had it hit him in stride. But Rourke shook it off and completed a 13-yard pass to Price over the middle to convert 3rd and 9. Indiana converted two more third downs, a 19-yard pass to Elijah Sarratt and a three-yard rush from Justice Ellison.

Those conversions in critical situations set up Ty Son Lawton for a two-yard touchdown run on a direct snap. Indiana took a 7-0 lead with 6:52 left in the first quarter. 

The rest of the first half played out with one huge swing after another. Pressure from Indiana defensive lineman James Carpenter led to an intentional grounding penalty on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, which brought up 3rd and 35. But Howard evaded pressure on the following play to complete a 25-yard pass to Carnell Tate. On 4th and 10, he found Tate for a 24-yard pickup.

But just as Ohio State threatened to tie the game, Indiana stuffed four straight runs. On 4th and 1 from the two-yard line, Mikail Kamara led a swarm of Hoosiers who shut down all rushing lanes for Quinshon Judkins, forcing a turnover on downs. 

Indiana faced another crucial 3rd and 1 on the following possession, but right guard Bray Lynch was whistled for a false start. Cignetti said by all indications, Ohio State jumped offsides on the play, which should have given Indiana a first down. Instead, the Buckeyes sacked Rourke on the following play, leading to an Indiana punt.

“I'm not sure they made the correct call,” Cignetti said. “... I'm not saying the game would've been different on that call, that's not what I'm saying at all. That's where the game really changed, I'd say, is around that point. We couldn't protect the quarterback, we had communication errors in pass pro. Every time we dropped back to pass, something bad happened. And it seemed like we were in that end zone to our left for five years. It was like a nightmare.” 

Howard found his rhythm during Ohio State’s next drive, completing 5-of-5 passes. His fifth was an 11-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka, who exploited Indiana defensive end Lanell Carr Jr. dropping back in coverage. That tied the game at 7-7 with 7:22 left in the half.

The momentum swings were far from over. On 3rd and 8, the Buckeyes pressured Rourke from his blind side and jarred the ball loose on contact. Ohio State’s Ty Hamilton pounced on the fumble and set up the Buckeyes with optimal field position at Indiana’s 18-yard line.

But Indiana’s defense was up for the challenge again. Defensive lineman CJ West burst through and tackled Judkins for a four-yard loss. On 3rd and 14, Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds tipped Howard’s pass, and linebacker Jailin Walker intercepted it at the Hoosiers’ 11-yard line.

Indiana’s offense struggled to pick up Ohio State blitzes throughout the second quarter. The Buckeyes’ third sack of the day put the Hoosiers behind the chains, facing 2nd and 18 and stalling the drive. Indiana lined up to punt, but punter James Evans dropped the snap. He picked up the fumble but was immediately tackled for a turnover on downs.

Ohio State defenders celebrate after Indiana punter James Evans dropped the snap. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And three plays later, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson punched in a four-yard touchdown, putting the Buckeyes ahead 14-7 with 21 seconds left in the half. Indiana took a knee and faced its first halftime deficit of the season. 

“Fortunate to be only seven. That’s how I felt,” Cignetti said. “And all we had to do was get our feet back on the ground and kind of settle down a little bit, and that the longer the game went, the pressure then would shift to them if we could stay within striking distance. But then they had those where we just couldn’t respond. We did start to get a little ground game going, but we’d call a pass, get sacked and be way behind the chains.”

On one hand, Indiana was fortunate it wasn’t down by more points at halftime, because Ohio State went scoreless on two chances inside the Indiana 25-yard line. On the other hand, the game likely would have been tied after the first 30 minutes had Evans got his punt off cleanly. But after two quarters, an Indiana offense that ranked second nationally in scoring had just 53 total yards and zero in the second quarter.

Special teams mistakes continued immediately in the second half. After an Indiana three and out, which included a delay of game penalty, Ohio State’s Caleb Downs blew past the Hoosiers for a 79-yard punt return touchdown. Indiana’s special teams unit got to him quickly, but he broke a few tackles and followed key blocks on his way to the end zone. 

And all of a sudden, what could have been a 7-7 halftime tie turned into a 21-7 Ohio State lead with 12:44 left in the third quarter – Indiana’s largest deficit of the season.

“The dropped punt is definitely like a touchdown and the punt return, there may have been a couple nicks in the back that weren't called, but that's the deal,” Cignetti said. “Yeah, it's not good football."

Indiana’s offense stalled again on its second drive of the second half, going three and out. The Buckeyes took over and built their longest drive of the game. Going 10 plays and 75 yards, Howard capped off the drive with a play-action touchdown pass to tight end Jelani Thurman. With 28 unanswered points, Ohio State extended its lead to 28-7 with 6:02 left in the third quarter.

Two more punts concluded Indiana’s third quarter, in which it mustered just 36 total yards on four drives. Lawton’s 21-yard rush in that stretch accounted for over half of the Hoosiers’ third-quarter yards. The quarter ended with an Indiana three and out that included Rourke being sacked twice.

“They were just teeing off on us,” Cignetti said. “I don’t know if it was the silent count triggered by the guard — they were able to time up some blitzes and we couldn’t protect the quarterback and we were probably throwing the ball a little bit more. Didn’t try to run the ball. We didn’t get anything going on offense. That’s really what happened. We got, for probably five or six series, we got nothing done on offense.

Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) sacks Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9). / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State took a significant chunk out of the clock with its first drive of the fourth quarter. Though the Hoosiers kept them out of the end zone, the Buckeyes extended their lead to 31-7 with a 45-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding. Nearly six minutes ticked away on the 11-play drive.

After eight dismal drives following its first-possession touchdown, Indiana went 75 yards across 15 plays. Lawton finished off the drive with a two-yard touchdown, and Omar Cooper Jr. caught the two-point conversion, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 31-15 with 1:53 to play.

But the Buckeyes didn’t stop there. Indiana’s on-side kick attempt failed, and Henderson rushed 39 yards before sliding down at the one-yard line. Howard plowed into the end zone with a one-yard quarterback sneak. That would be it, as Ohio State took a 38-15 lead with 35 seconds to play.

“I was proud of the way we fought back and got it within two scores there, 31-15, but didn't like the fact that we gave up the run and the easy touchdown at the end,” Cignetti said. “But they won. They deserved to win, They're a terrific football team. And coupled with the noise, it made it a very, very challenging day for us. And I give them nothing but credit.”

Moving forward, Cignetti said he doesn’t make the decisions regarding the College Football Playoff, and that Indiana’s focus is on Purdue, a team it hasn’t beaten since 2019.

But based on its body of work, should Indiana get one of the 12 spots?

“Is that a serious question? I’m not even gonna answer that one. The answer’s so obvious,” Cignetti said with a wink and a nod.