Todd’s Take: Ohio State Paid Indiana The Compliment Of Taking Them Seriously

It could have been easy for the Buckeyes to discount what the Hoosiers have done this season, but Ohio State gave its best on Saturday and Indiana came out second best.

Todd Golden | Nov 23, 2024

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) and defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) sack Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Throughout the week leading up to No. 5 Indiana’s showdown with No. 2 Ohio State, on the Indiana side of things most were interested in the comments that the Hoosiers made and that outside observers made about the Hoosiers.

That makes sense, because that’s what you care about most. Underplayed was the position Ohio State was in as they faced the Hoosiers.

While Indiana was on the hunt for respect and determined to silence doubters who thought they benefited from a weak schedule, Ohio State had its own dynamic to contend with.

It would have been easy for the Buckeyes to fall into the trap of believing Indiana’s critics. Ohio State is a proud team, and they believe they’re a national championship contender. They were playing at home, where Indiana hasn’t won since 1987. An upstart like the Hoosiers? Who are they?

That could have been the attitude the Buckeyes took, but it wasn’t the lever they pulled on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

What Ohio State did instead was understand they had to play their best to beat the Hoosiers and demonstrate to Indiana and to observers nationwide that they were still the national championship contender everyone thought they were.

You’re supposed to put forth that kind of effort all of the time, but as Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has pointed out this season, human nature can get in the way of good judgment. Not so for Ohio State. As much as Indiana fans would hate to admit it, Ohio State’s 38-15 victory was definitive. The Buckeyes meant business, and they knew they had to be to beat the Hoosiers.

They wanted everyone to know all about it, too.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I’ve got a lot of respect for what they’ve done over there. They’ve had a heckuva turnaround, but you’ve gotta remember you’re coming in to play the Buckeyes. It’s a little different,” said Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, who set a single-season Ohio State record with his sixth game where he completed 80% or more of his passes. Howard completed 22 of 26 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

The Buckeyes were better, especially when it came to their defense, which put the Hoosiers in a hammer lock with the exception of drives at the start and end of the game for the Hoosiers.

Cignetti didn’t mince words in telling a harsh truth.

“They won, they deserve to win. They're a terrific football team, and coupled with the noise it made it a very challenging day for us. And I give them nothing but credit,” he said.

A hint into Ohio State’s mindset came Friday. Ohio State coach Ryan Day appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and recoiled when McAfee said the Hoosiers were the “real deal.’’

“So are we,” Day said as he concluded his segment.

Ohio State did seem to be taken aback early in the game. Indiana’s first series was the Hoosiers at their best. An 11-play, 70-yard drive culminated in a Ty Son Lawton touchdown run to put Indiana up 7-0.

After that, Indiana kept Ohio State out of the end zone early in the second quarter with a stand at the 2-yard line that prevented a first down. Later, linebacker Jailin Walker stopped an Ohio State drive with an interception.

But Ohio State wasn’t going anywhere. From the moment a false start penalty was called on Bray Lynch, the Buckeyes’ defense seemed to be in permanent attack mode.

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was sacked on the next play and would be under constant pressure from that time going forward. He was eventually sacked five times.

The Ohio Stadium crowd smelled blood and made life hard on the Hoosiers. Indiana was forced to go to a silent count at the scrimmage line. While Cignetti downplayed its impact after the game, the Buckeyes thought it was a turning point.

“I’m proud of Buckeye Nation for showing up, being loud, and having an impact on the game. Having them go to a silent count? It really makes a difference,” Howard said.

Ohio State’s offense was gifted a short field and a 14-7 lead when Indiana punter James Evans dropped a wet ball on a snap, resulting in a short, 7-yard scoring series just before halftime.

Ohio State drove some short fields, but don’t be misled. The Buckeyes still averaged 5.7 yards per play to Indiana’s 2.6. It was a well-rounded effort, augmented by a 79-yard punt return in the third quarter that made it 21-7 and put Ohio Stadium into permanent party mode and the Hoosiers into their first hellish experience of the season.

“Our guys played with a chip today and that’s how you’ve got to play football,” Day said. “That’s the mentality we have to have. We knew what was at stake. You don’t win this game, you have no chance to go to Indianapolis and play in the Big 10 championship. That’s real.”

That chip extended right to the bitter end of the game. Indiana scored with 1:53 left and trailed 31-15, a score that would have at least not looked too bad to the College Football Playoff committee. After the Hoosiers couldn’t recover Nicolas Radicic’s onside kick, the Buckeyes had to advance the ball given that the Hoosiers still had two timeouts left.

They did more than that. TreVeyon Henderson broke free for a 39-yard gain that would have been a touchdown had he not slid at the 1-yard line. Ohio State wanted to run the clock down so its defense wouldn’t be back on the field, but they also craved to make a statement.

After one failed run to get into the end zone, Indiana decided to not call any of its timeouts, a signal to the Ohio State sideline that the Hoosiers weren’t going to extend a game they had scant chance of winning.

Ohio State had a different message to send to the Hoosiers. Howard went off left tackle and scored a touchdown run to make it 38-15 with 35 seconds left.

If you thought the Buckeyes were ignoring the words that had come from Cignetti, think again. Remember Cignetti included Ohio State in his trio of teams that “suck” in a hyped up speech to Indiana fans last December.

Howard motioned as if he was putting out a cigarette on the Ohio State sideline after the touchdown. He invoked Cignetti’s “Google me” line in his postgame interview with FOX.

“The Buckeyes are here and the Buckeyes won. So you can Google that,” Howard crowed.

In his postgame press conference, Howard was more sedate, but admitted that the Buckeyes wanted to show something to Indiana.

“We wanted to put an exclamation point on that thing and kind of remind them what the Buckeyes are about. You get what you accept and you accept what you ask for,” Howard said.

Day had similar words.

“We decided to milk 45 seconds off the clock, we’re on the 1-yard line and we felt like we wanted to put an exclamation point on the win by going ahead and sneaking it in,” he said.

That late touchdown won’t go down well with Indiana fans. It’s not going to win any sportsmanship trophies.

For his part, Cignetti brushed off the late touchdown. It’s just noise in the larger message the Buckeyes delivered to the Hoosiers with devastating effect.

We know you’re good. So you’re going to get our best.

Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, that’s just what the Buckeyes gave them.

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