Buckeyes' defense masks offensive struggles as No. 4 Ohio State defeats No. 5 Indiana

Ohio State’s defense faced questions throughout its first six games about whether it had the pieces to support a championship run.

On Saturday, it answered those questions with an emphatic “yes.”?

After the No. 4 Buckeyes stalled on their final two offensive drives, it was the defense that made the stops it needed and forced two fumbles. In the waning seconds, the defense held strong against a tenacious No. 5 Indiana, keeping the Hoosiers from scoring a game-winning touchdown in their final drive and securing the 19-15 win.?

“We wanted to be able to win a game like this in the fourth quarter, and the last couple weeks I felt like we were able to do that on offense with the run game,” head coach Ryan Day said. “In this game it came down to the defense.”

The offensive challenges were evident on Ohio State’s first half when it was held to just two scoring possessions, and converted on one of its first five third-down attempts

Despite those challenges, the defense held Indiana to a single touchdown and allowed the Buckeyes to head into the halftime lockerroom leading 10-7.

At the start of the second half, freshman cornerback Jay Timmons showed just how dominant the defense would be, forcing a fumble on the second play. Earl Little Jr.’s recovery allowed the offense to set up inside Indiana territory and led to a 29-yard Connor Hawkins field goal.?

A possession later, Indiana drove the ball to Ohio State’s 27-yard, but safety Jaylen McClain sacked quarterback Josh Hoover on fourth down and forced a fumble to give the Buckeyes’ offense back the ball.?

“Coach [Matt Patricia] wanted to be a little bit more aggressive on that play,” McClain said. “Obviously [it’s] a got to have it situation, so somebody had to step and make a play, and I stepped up to make that play.”

Things became even more challenging for the offense when quarterback Julian Sayin was knocked out with 8:05 left in the fourth quarter, and backup true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey was unable to get the team a first down.Indiana received the ball at its own six-yard line trailing 19-15 with 5:23 remaining–and the Buckeyes’ defense forced Indiana off the field in four plays.?

Indiana received the ball once again with 3:06 remaining at its own 30-yard line, and Day said he had one thought when the Hoosiers took over: “We’ve got to go win this game on defense.”

With Indiana at Ohio State’s 27-yard line on fourth down, linebacker Riley Pettijohn pressured Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover who launched the ball to the endzone to wide receiver Nick Marsh, who caught the ball–a foot out of bounds–to seal the Buckeye win.

It was in the eyes of McClain a “defining moment.”

“It was another great school, defending national champions, and to go into their house and get a win like this, is huge for not just the defense, but just the team in general” he said.