Regardless of how it looked and how they did it, the Buckeyes earned themselves a huge road win at Indiana. Ohio State got revenge from last year’s Big Ten Championship, and they are now in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten.
There are many key numbers that stand out from the victory, but there’s one big number that needs highlighting:
2
In more than one way, the No. 2 stands out the most from Saturday’s game.
Both teams had two turnovers. Julian Sayin threw two interceptions, and Indiana had two fumbles. Where the No. 2 really comes into play is that both teams had two fourth down attempts.
This is where the game was won and lost.
Ohio State converted two fourth downs for touchdowns. With just seven seconds left in the second quarter, Julian Sayin found Bo Jackson leaking out into the flat for a two-yard touchdown that gave the Buckeyes a 10-7 lead.
It was a back-breaking play that concluded a 15-play, 84-yard drive that took 5:04 off the clock. The Buckeyes got the ball for that drive off an Indiana field goal that clanked off the upright and was no good.
Then early in the fourth quarter, leading 13-7, Ohio State faced a 4th-and-1 from the Indiana 38-yard line. They opted to go for it, and my thought was a QB sneak. Naturally, Sayin dropped back to pass and chucked it deep. He threw it right where it needed to be, and Jeremiah Smith hauled it in for a touchdown that knocked the wind out of the Hoosiers’ sails.
Indiana had two fourth-down attempts in the second half, and they came up empty both times.
Their first came with over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, facing a 4th-and-4 at the Buckeyes’ 27-yard line. Josh Hoover was sacked by Jaylen McClain and fumbled the ball, with TJ Alford recovering it to change possession.
Then in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, Indiana faced another 4th-and-4 from the Buckeyes’ 27-yard line. Hoover faced a Cover 0 blitz and threw it deep down the left sideline to Nick Marsh. Marsh made the catch, but he was out of bounds.
Ball game.
In addition, Indiana faced a 4th-and-6 from the 37-yard line with 2:01 left in the third quarter. They opted for a 55-yard field goal, but Nico Radicic missed it. Ohio State answered with a touchdown on their next drive.
Ohio State’s Connor Hawkins made two field goals, while Radicic missed two for Indiana.
Other Key Numbers
4
Four receptions for No. 4. It’s Jeremiah Smith’s second straight week with just four receptions, but he still made an impact with that fourth down touchdown in the fourth quarter. Smith finished with 68 yards and the score.
9/165
Indiana standout wide receiver Charlie Becker finished with nine receptions for 165 yards. No other receiver had more than three receptions or more than 57 yards.
3-3
Ohio State was 3-for-3 in the red zone. Indiana was only 2-for-3, with their miss coming on that missed 38-yard field goal attempt. In a four-point game, that loomed large.
26/51
Twenty-six of the 51 rushing yards the Buckeyes lost came from Sayin. I’m not sure how many of those were on sacks, which I believe shouldn’t count towards negative rushing yards.
The Buckeyes gained 129 yards rushing, but lost 51.
1
Indiana only had one first down on the ground. Ohio State’s defense forced Josh Hoover to throw the ball 40 times, and it worked.