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Ugly, ugly, ugly. But a win is a win, and this one ended Indiana’s 22-game winning streak and avenged last December.
Ohio State’s first drive stalled in a field goal, and the next ended with a Julian Sayin interception that set up a quick Indiana touchdown. The Buckeyes took a 10-7 lead into halftime when Sayin found Bo Jackson for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Early in the fourth quarter, Sayin hit a double covered Jeremiah Smith for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to make it 19-7. That was Smith’s 39th career touchdown catch, tying Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten record.
Then Indiana stormed back with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to make it 19-15. With Sayin hurt, Luke Fahey couldn’t move the ball, and the Hoosiers got it right back. They appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown on fourth down with a minute left, but Nick Marsh’s left foot came down out of bounds, and Ohio State escaped Bloomington with a win.
The defense is back. Indiana came in averaging 221 rushing yards a game and finished with just 73. The defensive line was dominant against the run, the Buckeyes forced two fumbles, and Jay Timmons was excellent in his return.
Sayin struggled before getting hurt. He threw two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions, missed throws and never looked comfortable against Indiana’s pass rush. Then Mario Landino sacked him in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Day said afterward that he’ll “probably be out several weeks.” Fahey went 0-for-2 in relief and now takes over as the starter.
And Indiana’s kicking game ended up being the thing that decided it. Nico Radicic missed field goals from 32 and 55 yards in a four-point game.
The bye week comes at the right time, giving Fahey a full week with the first team and Sayin extra time to heal. After that, the schedule is at USC, Oregon, Northwestern, at Nebraska and Michigan. At 6-1, Ohio State is in good shape and probably has room for one or maybe even two more losses to still make the playoff. But USC on the road and Oregon at home with a freshman quarterback will be tough. The defense and run game will need to carry more of the load until Sayin returns.
For the first time ever, five of the top seven teams lost in the same weekend:
- Auburn 27, No. 1 Georgia 24
- No. 8 BYU 28, No. 3 Notre Dame 24
- No. 14 Tennessee 26, No. 6 Alabama 10
- Florida 27, No. 7 Texas 24
Miami also needed double overtime to survive, Ole Miss beat Missouri by 30, and Kentucky, Utah and UCLA all kept rolling. It was one of the craziest weekends in recent memory, and Ohio State should move up when the new rankings come out.
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