No. 1 Ohio State vs Indiana, 34-27: Full highlights, final score and more
It was an ugly battle between Indiana and No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday. Despite the strong effort from the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes pulled away with the victory.
The Indiana Hoosiers came out in the first half against No. 1 Ohio State with upset on their minds. In the cold rainy weather that took over the game, it was an ugly battle between the two Big Ten conference teams. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they couldn’t get anything going against the Indiana defense early.
After the Buckeyes had to punt twice to start the game, the Hoosiers would put up a field goal and take a 3-0 lead on the Buckeyes after Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfield would lead them down the field. The woes didn’t stop there for Ohio State either.
The Buckeyes offense had to punt yet again and Indiana would go down the field and score when Devine Redding ran for a one-yard touchdown. After star running back Jordan Howard hurt his ankle early in the game, Redding would have to take the load at running back.
Suddenly, the No. 1 team in the country found themselves in 10-0 hole on the road with their offense having no chemistry, much like recent weeks. The Buckeyes would finally get some points on the board with a field goal to make it 10-3, but they could not get anything on the ground going. The Buckeyes only had 18 rushing yards in the first half.
It looked like Ohio State was going to take the ball down the field and score, but wide receiver Jalin Marshall would fumble deep in Indiana territory. Then the Hoosiers would make one of the more baffling decisions of the afternoon as they failed to convert a fake punt on fourth down deep in their own territory. Lucky for them, the Buckeyes couldn’t do anything with the opportunity they were given and were only able to get a field goal out of it to cut the deficit to 10-6.
The Buckeyes would get one more chance to score before the end of the first half, but poor decisions by Cardale Jones and a missed field goal would keep the score at 10-6 as the Hoosiers headed into the locker room at the half with an upset on their mind.
In the second half, the Buckeyes would finally get the boost on the ground they needed as Ezekiel Elliot went 55 yards on the ground to give the Buckeyes a 13-10 lead.
When it looked like the Buckeyes were going to build on their lead with more points in Indiana territory, Jones threw a costly interception that would wipe away any chance at scoring. The Indiana Hoosiers would take advantage by going down the field and scoring on a Redding rush right through the Buckeyes offense. That would give the Hoosiers a 17-13 lead and suddenly the crowd in Bloomington was getting loud as the game wore on.
As the Buckeyes were beginning to drive on the ensuing possession, wide receiver Corey Smith was piled into on a tackle and would be taken off the field in an air cast. Once again when things looked bleak on fourth-and-one, Ezekiel Elliot parted the red sea that was the Indiana defense and ran 65 yards for touchdown.
After Indiana was forced to punt yet again, Jalin Marshall returned the punt deep into Indiana territory to set up Ohio State for another score. Cardale Jones would finally shake off the past interception and find Michael Thomas in the endzone wide open for the touchdown to put Ohio State up 10, 27-17.
Things went from bad to worse for Indiana as quarterback Nate Sudfield would leave the game banged up. Zander Diamont would come into the game for the Hoosiers. They wouldn’t give up however. After Ohio State turned the ball over again, the Hoosiers would get into field goal range and kick a field goal to pull within a touchdown.
Just when it looked like the Hoosiers would have a chance of hanging around, Ezekiel Elliot delivered another huge blow to the Hoosiers by going 75 yards for the touchdown to put Ohio State up 14, by the score of 34-20. For Elliot, it became a pattern as his touchdowns were 55, 65 and 75 yards consecutively.
Still, the Hoosiers wouldn’t give in and Diamont would score on the keeper by going 79 yards down the field as he sprinted right through the Buckeyes defense. The Hoosiers defense didn’t allow the Buckeyes to do anything else and would get one last chance to tie the Buckeyes. They would get into Buckeyes territory after a facemask penalty along with a pass interference penalty and it appeared that Indiana would have a shot to tie.
Indiana would get down to the Ohio State six-yard line with less than a minute left. It would come down to fourth down for the Hoosiers with nine seconds left in the game. Indiana would suffer a bad snap and the ball would be thrown up by Diamont in desperation for an incomplete pass.
Despite Indiana’s best efforts, the Ohio State Buckeyes escaped Bloomington with a win and their perfect record in tact.
Three Stars
3. Zander Diamont
Diamont came in for starting quarterback Nate Sudfield who got banged up in the game. With the Buckeyes looking like they were going to run away with the win, Diamont pulled the Hoosiers close with a 79 yards sprint to the end zone. Coming in against the No. 1 team in the country as a backup isn’t easy, but he handled the pressure.
2. Jalin Marshall
The Ohio State wide receiver fumbled early, but he bounced back and made up for it in a big way with his punt returns setting Ohio State up with good field position on the day. He also led Ohio State in receiving with over 100 yards receiving. He would finish with six receptions for 110 yards on the day.
1. Ezekiel Elliot
The Buckeyes struggled offensively in the first half. The reason they left Bloomington with a win is because of Elliot. He had three big touchdown runs in the second half of 55, 65 and 75 yards. Each of those runs went for touchdowns and came at a time when the Buckeyes needed them. Elliot would finish with an incredible 274 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.
Odds
Ohio State was a 21.5 point favorite coming into the game. Despite winning, they did not cover the spread.
Next Week
Ohio State returns home next week to take on Maryland at home in Columbus. Although the running game looks good for the No. 1 team in the country, the passing game does not and they will have to rectify that as the season goes on.
Meanwhile, Indiana heads out on the road next week as they battle Penn State. If they bring the same defensive intensity they brought this week, they will have a chance to pick up the win on the road. It will also take quarterback Nate Sudfield and running back Jordan Howard being healthy for Indiana’s offense to be effective.
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