Maybe Buckeyes Expose Hoosiers as House of Cards

    The #2 Excel H Sports Ranked Ohio State Buckeyes dropped Indiana Quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times Saturday afternoon in a 38-15 win over #9 Excel H Sports Ranked Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio before a crowd 105,751. The Buckeyes continued their dominance over Indiana winning their 30^th straight game against the Hoosiers and 31^st out of the last 32 games with the Hoosiers and the Buckeyes playing to a 27-27 tie in 1990 and now lead the series 81-12-5.   Indiana is 0-16 in Columbus since 1987 when the Hoosier beat Buckeyes 31-10. Indiana has not beaten Ohio State since October 8, 1988, 41-7 in Bloomington. The Buckeyes are 10-1 on the season and 7-1 in the Big Ten and will host Michigan Next Saturday and if Ohio State beats its rivals to the North, they will clinch in a spot in the Big Ten Championship game against Oregon who the Buckeyes lost to earlier this season. Indiana is 10-1 and 7-1 in the Big Ten and will host archrival Purdue Next Saturday for the Old Oaken Bucket Game at Memorial Stadium.

     Indiana forced Ohio State go to three and out on its first possession holding the Buckeyes to eight yards and 1:56 off the clock forcing the Buckeyes to punt. Indiana chewed up clock going 70 yards in Six minutes and Twelve seconds as Ty Son Lawton punched it in on the 11^th play of drive to give the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead. Ohio State was stopped at the Indiana 2 Yard line when Running Back Quinshon Judkins was held for no gain and Indiana got the ball back as the Hoosier defense made a big goal line stand early on in the second quarter.  Ohio State forced Indiana to punt after a 6 play 8-yard drive and 5 plays later tied the game 7-7 on a 11-yard pass from Will Howard to Emeka Egbuka with 7:22 left in the second quarter.

     Ohio State sent the Jailhouse blitz early and often and the Hoosiers Offensive Line could not stop it. On a third and eight at IU 27 Yard Line Cody Simon sacked Kurtis Rourke for a loss of nine yards and Rourke fumbled the ball and the Buckeyes recovered at the 18-yard line. Indiana’s defense got a big defensive stop as Jaylin Walker intercepted Will Howard at the Indiana 11-yard line and Hoosiers got the ball back with 5:22 left in the second quarter. Indiana was in punt formation when James Evans could not hang on to the ball and was dropped for 23 yards at the Hoosiers 7-yard line. Three plays later TreVeyon Henderson scored from 4 yards out with 21 seconds left in the quarter as the Buckeyes lead 14-7 a halftime.

    Indiana got the ball to start the second half and James Evans punted away and Caleb Downs took it 79 yards to the house to put the Buckeyes up by two touchdowns 21-7 12:44 left in the third quarter and it was the first time since 2014 that Ohio State had scored on a punt return and it was against Indiana on November 22 in a 44-27 victory in Columbus. Ohio State led 28-7 after Will Howard threw a one-yard pass to Jelani Thurman with 6:02 left in the third quarter. The Buckeyes added a 45-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding with 8:56 left in the fourth quarter to make it 31-7. The Hoosiers scored when Ty Son Lawton scored his second touchdown of the game with 1:53 left as Rourke found Omar Cooper Jr for the two-point conversion to make it 31-15 to cap off a 15 play 75-yard drive that took seven minutes ad three seconds.

   The Buckeyes fast scoring offense just needed 3 plays and one minute and seven seconds as Will Howard capped it off on a one-yard touchdown run to make it 38-15 and hand Curt Cignetti his first loss as the Hoosiers Head Football Coach and end their chances of the school’s first perfect regular season. Will Howard finished 22-26 from 201 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception as Ohio State outgained the Hoosiers 316-151. Kurtis Rourke was 8-18 for 68 yards and Ty Son Lawton had 15 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns.