For a little bit there, it seemed as if Indiana could potentially walk away from the Shoe with their first win against Ohio State since 1988.
Any possibility of such an unexpected outcome was squashed early in the fourth quarter after Dwayne Haskins delivered a perfectly lofted 17 yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin in the back corner of the end zone. It was all Buckeyes from that point on with the Scarlet and Gray picking up a 49-26 win over Indiana.
How did Ohio State come out on top? Here are three key statistics that led to the Buckeyes victory on Saturday.
OHIO STATE: 3-4 ON 4TH DOWN, INDIANA: 1-3 on 4th down
This was a gutsy game, with both teams opting to go for it on fourth down multiple times relatively early in the game. Indiana started the trend with a failed fourth down attempt midway through the first quarter on the Ohio State 29-yard line. OSU took note of this, and mastered the trend with multiple 4th-and-1 conversions. The only fourth down converted by Indiana was also a 4th-and-1 late in the third quarter, which ultimately resulted in a touchdown for the Hoosiers.
The Buckeye ability to keep drives alive was critical to their success in this matchup. All three Ohio State fourth down conversions ultimately resulted in a Buckeye touchdown. For those not keeping count, that is a total of 21 points as a result of fourth down conversions. While OSU would still technically have come out on top without those points, it would have been a much poorer showing from the Scarlet and Gray.
Hoosiers win the turnover battle, Buckeyes win the war
A large reason that the game was so close for so long was turnovers. Ohio State committed three turnovers, with their first possession of the game ending as a result of a Mike Weber fumble. The Buckeyes would go on to turn the ball over two more times, both as a result of Dwayne Haskins interceptions. The first interception came midway through the second quarter, and the second came late in the third. However, the defense was able to rise to the challenge, only allowing Indiana to score points off one of the Ohio State turnovers.
While Indiana did win the turnover battle, they did not manage to stay perfect themselves. The Buckeye defense was able to force two Hoosier fumbles. The first fumble was forced by Tuf Borland and recovered by Jordan Fuller late in the second quarter. The second fumble was forced by Tyreke Smith and recovered by Dre'Mont Jones midway through the third quarter. The Ohio State offense only managed to score off of the first fumble thanks to a seven-yard Dwayne Haskins touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin.
Ohio State racks up 455 passing yards, Haskins falls four yards short of setting school record
The Buckeye passing game was on fire this Saturday with Dwayne Haskins amassing 243 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone. Not only was Haskins hitting his targets, but receivers were making their defenders miss and accumulating large amounts of yards after the catch. Parris Campbell was the biggest beneficiary of Haskins performance, totaling nine receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
It is also worth noting that on 33/44 passing attempts, Haskins averaged 10.3 yards per play. Think about that for a second. Dwayne Haskins averaged a first down every time he threw the ball. It is no wonder that the Ohio State offense converted 33 first downs with only 11 of those conversions coming on third down or later.
Save for a pair of interceptions, Haskins produced a dominant performance finishing with 455 yards and six touchdowns. Only four more yards, and Haskins would have overtaken Art Schlichter and his 458 passing yards for the Ohio State single game passing yard record. Regardless, it was a great showing by Haskins as he lead the Buckeyes to a 49-26 victory over Indiana. The Buckeyes are now 6-0 on the season.
