COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State 21 - Indiana 7 | 3rd quarter | 12:44
We got a punt return touchdown! Caleb Downs takes a bouncing kick 79 yards the other way to put Ohio State up by two scores. Incredible blocking to help Downs score.
---
Ohio State 14 - Indiana 7 | 2nd quarter | 1:41
A botched punt gives Ohio State a 1st and goal. TreVeyon Henderson scores on a 3-yard run.
3 plays, 7 yards, 1:20
---
Ohio State 7 - Indiana 7 | 2nd quarter | 5:22
And the Buckeyes give it right back. Tight end Jelani Thurman bobbles a pass from Howard and it ends up in the hands of Indiana's Jailin Walker
---
Ohio State 7 - Indiana 7 | 2nd quarter | 6:23
FUMBLE! Cody Simon hits Rourke and forces the ball to come out and it's recovered by Ty Hamilton. Buckeye football.
---
Ohio State 7 - Indiana 7 | 2nd quarter | 7:22
Well, that seemed a lot easier.
The Buckeyes dink and dunk down the field. Howard finds Emeka Egbuka for a 11-yard TD pass. Howard is 14 of 14 to start the game.
5 plays, 44 yards, 02:20
---
Ohio State 0 - Indiana 7 | 2nd quarter | 10:12
The Buckeyes bring the blitz on a third down and get home. Rourke goes down and Indiana punts from within their own end zone.
Ohio State gets the ball in Indiana territory.
---
Ohio State 0 - Indiana 7 | 2nd quarter | 13:35
Ohio State somehow ended up with a 3rd and 35, but completed two passes to Tate and got a 1st. But the Buckeyes stalled in the red zone, went for it on a 4th and 1 and came up short.
A long, hard fought drive with nothing to show for it. Indiana ball.
Ohio State 0 - Indiana 7 | 1st quarter | 6:52
Not a good start for the Ohio State defense. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke and company marched down the field without much resistance from the Buckeyes. Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun also got called for two pass interference calls, one of which gave Indiana the ball at the 2-yard line. Ty Son Lawton ran it in for the score.
11 plays, 70 yards, 06:12
---
Ohio State 0 - Indiana 0 | 1st quarter | 13:02
Three and out for the Buckeyes. Will Howard completed a couple of short passes short of the sticks. Ohio State forced to punt to start the game.
---
For the first time in school history, Ohio State will play in a top 5 matchup in the regular season.
The No. 2 Buckeyes welcome the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers to Ohio Stadium.
Looking at Ohio State's schedule at the start of the season, the game against Indiana in late November didn't stand out.
The Hoosiers haven't been a contender in the Big Ten for decades and were terrible last year, so it was logical to think about this game as a throwaway, one that wouldn't require a lot of heavy lifting for the Buckeyes as they schemed for revenge against Michigan the following week.
Instead, the college football world will get a treat instead of a dud on Saturday when undefeated Indiana plays Ohio State at the Horseshoe, a place where the Hoosiers haven't won a game since Ronald Reagan was president.
Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP) is one the most uplifting stories of the season. Behind Ohio University transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the Hoosiers are enjoying their best season since 1967 when they finished 9-2 and shared the Big Ten title with Purdue and Minnesota.
They haven't even sniffed a conference crown since.
The Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1, No. 2 CFP) are doing what they were expected to do. Their only stumble this season was a nail-biter of a 32-31 loss to now-No. 1 Oregon. Ohio State hasn't dropped below No. 4 in the AP Top 25 all season.
"We saw Indiana becoming a big game, now a Top 5 matchup," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this week. “Our guys are fired up for this one and know this is a must-win for us. We’ve got to go win this game to play in Indianapolis (in the Big Ten championship). I know the team, the coaches, everybody in this building, the fans know what kind of game this is, and we’ve got to bring it on Saturday.”
Oregon has already clinched one of the spots in the conference title game.
If Indiana beats Ohio State — the only nationally ranked team on its schedule this year — and closes out the season with a win over Purdue, the Hoosiers will be in the Big Ten championship for the first time since the inception of the game in 2011.
If Ohio State wins out, it will return to the conference title game for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season — and get a rematch with the Ducks.
Ohio State has a 28-game winning streak against Indiana, dating back to 1991. That's the longest active winning streak of one team over another in Division I football.