The defense…shut down what had been a high-powered Indiana offense to less than 200 yards. Linebacker Cody Simon sacks IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
Ohio State found ways to beat the upstart Hoosiers in every which way…and keep alive their goal of getting to Indianapolis for a rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten title game.
Columbus, OH – Will Howard learned almost a year ago what Thanksgiving week means regardless of Michigan’s record.
“Means absolutely nothing,” he said after a game that meant a lot of something.
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The first time he entered the Woody, Howard also got a lesson in the only acceptable utterance of that team’s name in Ohio.
“This game is as big as they come, man – it’s the Michigan-Ohio State game,” he said in all of the excitement.
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Howard knew right away the penalty he had committed.
“I’m sorry I just said that,” he said. “It’s the team-up-north-Ohio State game – it’s everything.”
But before the No. 2 Buckeyes could think about the team up north and a chance to clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game against Oregon, they had to deal with 10-0 and No. 5 Indiana.
Head coach Ryan Day refers to the big-boy games on Ohio State’s schedule as matchup games – the ones between teams with high rankings and equitable talent.
Indiana is a good football team and remains deserving of playoff consideration. But even on talent? Not so much. There’s a difference between national championship contenders and nine through 12 playoff seeds. And it showed clearly on a cloudy and sometimes misty day inside the high-decibel Horseshoe.
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From blitzing linebackers, to rush ends, to blockers, to quarterback, to receivers, to running backs, to punters, to punt returners, the difference Saturday in Ohio State’s 38-15 victory was as clear as Day’s instructions this week for the crowd to be loud.
Ohio State belongs in top-five matchups. They are 2-1 with a one-point loss to the No. 1 team in the nation this season. Indiana deserved this chance to play in the first top-five matchup in program history. But the usually high-scoring Hoosiers, playing a ranked team for the first time in 2024, now hope for a chance to prove they are capable in a top-12 playoff matchup.
Egbuka’s big day…the Buckeyes tied the game in the second quarter on this touchdown grab by Emeka Egbuka.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for what they do and what coach (Curt) Cignetti’s done – they’ve had a heck of a turnaround,” Howard said about IU’s upgrade from 3-9 a year ago. “But you gotta remember you’re coming in to play the Buckeyes, and it’s a little different.”
A win next week against Michigan (6-5) means the Buckeyes would finally get a night game. They will get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon – a 32-31 winner in October against the visiting Buckeyes – on a neutral field the following Saturday night in Indianapolis.
The Buckeyes played with a visible edge Saturday.
“That’s the way you’ve gotta play the game of football, that’s the mentality that we have to have,” Day said. “We want to be playing our best football – we also know what was at stake. You don’t win this game, there’s no chance to go to Indianapolis.”
Not even a shaky start for Ohio State and perfect start for Indiana deterred the Buckeyes from taking an important step toward the Indiana border.
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The Buckeyes didn’t worry that they had the ball first, ran three plays and punted. They weren’t rattled that Indiana responded to take a 7-0 lead on Ty Son Lawton’s two-yard run. They weren’t shellshocked that the Hoosiers converted three third-down attempts, that cornerback Davison Igbinosun was flagged twice for pass interference or that the Hoosiers drove 70 yards in 11 plays.
The Buckeyes responded and drove to Indiana’s two. But the Hoosiers stopped Quinshon Judkins for no gain on fourth-and-1. Still, the Buckeyes were unfazed, undaunted and unwilling to flinch.
It was loud….105, 751 loud, which visibly altered the Hoosiers on offense.
The rest of the afternoon belonged to the Buckeyes and the 105,751 who pushed the scoreboard decibel meter consistently to 110 and as high 112. That’s what Day and his players asked for this week.
“The crowd was awesome, the players played with great passion,” Day said. “The two of them just played off of each other the entire game.”
Being loud on every down and forcing Indiana to use a silent count was a goal. And the crowd achieved it early. Other than the 70-yard drive to start the game and a meaningless fourth-quarter drive that covered 75 yards, Ohio State’s defense limited the Hoosiers to six net yards on nine possessions.
After the three third-down conversions on the first drive, the Hoosiers were 2 of 11. Twice in the first half quarterback Kurtis Rourke was sacked on third down, first by ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, second on a blind-side blitz by linebacker Cody Simon. Simon finished with 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles.
“We practice those a lot during the week, and I just try to do what they tell me to do,” Simon said. “I’m just thankful we’ve got them up front because they do the dirty work.”
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Momentum shifts happened in every phase. Even the OSU drive that ended at the two with no points sent a positive signal. The Buckeyes faced third-and-35 at their 40. But Howard threw successive passes of 25 and 24 yards to Carnell Tate to gain a first down at the 11.
“That really set the tone for the game,” Howard said, “and said, ‘OK, we’re here to play.’”
Two of the next three possessions: 11-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka; four-yard touchdown run by TreVeyon Henderson on third-and-goal set up by Indiana’s botched punt attempt.
The Buckeyes’ punt return team, for the third straight game, made a big play on another snapu by the opponent to set up the Henderson touchdown. During some misty moments, punter James Evans let the snap slip through his fingers and was tackled by Caden Curry, who was again in the middle of such a play, at the Indiana seven.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day points the way to the end zone for Caleb Downs…and his third quarter punt return for.a score.
With a touchdown at 1:20 of the second quarter in those coveted middle eight minutes, the Buckeyes went to halftime up 14-7. Indiana started the second half with the ball, but Rourke couldn’t produce a first down.
Punt team. And somewhere Jim Tressel said, “I’ve always said the punt is the most important play in football.”
Evans kicked short, the ball bounced twice, and soon-to-be All-American safety Caleb Downs fielded the football with room to run. A spin move, a cutback on a great block by C.J. Hicks just across the 50, and 70 yards later Downs had a touchdown and the Buckeyes led 21-7.
And you just knew that was the back breaker and the spirit breaker for the Hoosiers who had come to Columbus with a fan base wanting to believe the unbelievable could happen.
Buckeyes’ Caden Curry tackles Indiana punter James Evans on a botched punt attempt in the second quarter.
“There was no doubt that I was going to field it,” Downs said. “There was space there and everybody did a really good job blocking. We talked about it all week that we had a real opportunity to do it this week. Just a true blessing from God to be able to put it in the end zone.”
The Buckeyes added a one-yard touchdown pass from Howard to Jelani Thurman, a 45-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding and Howard’s one-yard sneak with 35 seconds left. That score came after Henderson ripped off a 39-yard run and slid down at the one with just under two minutes to play to keep the ball away from Indiana. But Day decided to score anyway.
“I said, ‘You’re a better man than me,’” Howard said of Henderson. “But he’s being a smart football player. And we wanted to put an exclamation point on that thing and remind them what the Buckeyes are about.”
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The storyline coming in was how Ohio State’s offensive line would perform after losing center Seth McLaughlin to a season-ending injury on Tuesday. Carson Hinzman, who started 12 games at center last season and the previous two at left guard, moved to center. Austin Siereveld took over at left guard and Donovan Jackson remained at left tackle in place of injured Josh Simmons.
Quarterback Will Howard dives for the end zone during the Buckeyes’ 38-15 Saturday win over Indiana.
The line gave Howard plenty of time to throw and the running backs enough room to keep the chains moving. Howard started 14 of 14, finished 22 of 26 and set the OSU career record with his sixth game of completing at least 80% of his passes.
“For those guys to be able to step in like they did, I was just so proud of them,” Howard said. “And really all week, I just told those guys, ‘Dude, I’m not worried about you guys. You guys have played a ton of football.’”
And the Buckeyes ran their record against IU to 80-12-5. They clinched their 31st 10-win season. This is Indiana’s first.
Day said there will be appropriate time given to rejoicing in the win against Indiana. But that time will climax with Sunday’s meeting when those who grade out as champions get their due.
When the calendar flips to Ohio State vs. The Team Up North, Howard will be right there with his first-year teammates, wanting to win it for them, for Coach Day, for everyone who cares. He knows many of his teammates returned for another chance to right what they believe are three years’ worth of wrongs.
“This one’s for those guys that came back – this one’s for Buckeye Nation,” Howard said. “I can just feel it – that hurt for the last three years.”
And Howard won’t forget the word he’s not supposed to say.
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