Ryan Day, Will Howard’s late-game taunts are a blemish on Ohio State statement win

No. 2 Ohio State got an all-important win against No. 5 Indiana but the way the Buckeyes finished off the game that drew some unwanted attention.

Up 31-15 with less than a minute left to play, Ohio State running back Treveyon Henderson broke loose and rushed downfield for what looked like an exclamation mark touchdown. However, Henderson did the classy and football-savvy thing to slide at the one-yard line to ensure the clock would run.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti did not call any of his remaining timeouts, indicating he was waving the white flag. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day must not have gotten the message and gave quarterback Will Howard the go-ahead to sneak for a touchdown.

Ryan Day and Will Howard offer bogus excuse for running up score against Indiana

Day was asked post-game why he decided to score a last-minute touchdown with the game already well won and practically no time left on the clock.

"We said leave no doubt," Day explained. "We wanted to finish it the right way and make sure that everybody knows that this is The Ohio State Buckeyes."

Um, okay? Obviously, Day wasn't going to say anything disparaging about Cignetti or Indiana but maybe a touch of humility would've been in order after a statement win.

Granted, Cignetti's "I win, Google me" comments from before the season have turned his tenure and the program into a viral sensation, clearly making its way into the Ohio State locker room.

Howard made that known with his cigarette stomp taunt on the sideline after the touchdown, appearing to yell "Google me" ironically.

Howard was asked about the touchdown and his celebration after the game as well.

"I was just having some fun with it," Howard said. "I got a lot of respect for those guys, man. I think what coach Cignetti’s done over there, he’s done a heck of a job."

It may not have been a classy reaction for the program as previous Buckeye teams have acted like they've been there before. But a win is a win and to the victor go the spoils. In this case, that means the inside track to the Big Ten Championship Game and a near lock on a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

No matter what kind of chattering or bulletin board material there was prior to the game, Ohio State got the last word and the jumbotron crew at Ohio Stadium capitalized with the ultimate troll: "Buckeyes win??? Google it!"

We can bet that Cignetti won't have to Google any of this to remember it down the line.