That, my friends, was a good, old-fashioned butt-whoopin'.
Ohio State came out swinging haymakers and Indiana was only able to land a single blow all night. With the Buckeyes seeing serviceable minutes from players well into its two-deep even, the Hoosiers were simply outmanned and outmatched in a 54-7 drubbing Saturday night in Bloomington.
C.J. Stroud was practically flawless, TreVeyon Henderson made a case that he's the best running back in America, and – don't look now – the Buckeye defense had its best game in nearly four years, holding Indiana to just 128 yards of total offense.
It was another complete game from a young team that appears to be getting better every single week, and although the same caveat about the level of competition clearly applies as it has every week since Oregon came to Columbus in early September, there seems little question that the Buckeyes are among the best teams in college football this season.
TL;DR: Just the Facts, Ma'am
Ohio State recorded more than 500 yards of total offense for a sixth-consecutive game, only the second time in school history they have done so in the regular season. Stroud threw for 266 yards and four scores in the driving rain before Ryan Day sent in his backups early in the second half.
Indiana landed its only punch of the night on their first drive of the game, scoring on a 15-play, 75-yard drive after the Buckeyes marched the same distance down the field to score on a 12-play opening drive. Hoosiers quarterback Jack Tuttle was injured in the effort, and although he attempted to come back in later in the first half, it was not to be and Indiana was sunk.
Not since holding Illinois to 105 yards in November of 2017 was the Buckeye defense so stingy, The team recorded 5 officials sacks, an astounding 14 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a safety in their most-dominant effort yet.
How It Went Down
Offense
Stroud led the team down the field on the game's opening drive, completing four of his first five passes (Garrett Wilson dropped one that hit him right in the gloves) and handing off to Miyan Williams in a methodical march down the field that foreshadowed how deadly efficient the Buckeyes would be all night. Williams punched it in from 11 yards out for the game's first score.
Henderson was banged up on the first play of the game, but would come back in the second drive. He was the team's leading rusher, gaining 81 yards and two touchdowns on 9 carries (good enough for 9 yards a pop), and would also add a 14-yards touchdown reception to pad his statline on the day.
Williams would finish with 60 yards on 8 carries, which works out to 7.5 yards a carry. Evan Pryor looked sharp late in the game, and the team averaged just shy of 6 yards per carry for the game.
The wide receivers again looked like the best room in America; aside from Wilson's aforementioned drop early, they were largely stellar in sub-optimal weather conditions. Smith-Njigba paced the team with 99 yards on 6 catches, Wilson would finish with 59 yards on 5 snags, and Jeremy Ruckert hauled in 2 touchdown receptions out of 5 total catches.
Ohio State's offensive line made another strong case that they are the best unit in the country, as Stroud had all night to throw the ball. The unit gave up just a single sack on the day, and were equally effective in run blocking as they were in pass protection.
Helmet Stickers
- C.J. Stroud: Once again, expect this cat to be your Big Ten Freshman of the Week and probably at least co-offensive player of the week. He made several beautiful throws in crummy conditions and scored four times.
- TreVeyon Henderson: Three total scores and nearly a hundred yards of total offense. 'Nuf said.
- Jeremy Ruckert: Ruck was fantastic, hauling in a pair of touchdown passes and catching 5 of 6 passes that came his way.
- Offensive Line: Man these guys are huge, but boy oh boy can they match their size with skill and technique.
Defense
This was, to put it mildly, their best game of the season. Given the level of competition they've faced since a disastrous loss to Oregon no one is going to say the Silver Bullets are back quite yet... But, the progress is certainly encouraging.
And yes, it should be noted that at one point Indiana was playing a walk-on quarterback, with both Michael Penix, Jr., and Jack Tuttle out of the matchup. Even so, 5 sacks on the day (and it felt like 7 or 8, honestly) and a whopping 14 tackles for loss is impressive any time you're playing a conference opponent on the road.
Holding a team to less than 130 yards is something to hang your hat on, without question. Indiana converted 4 of 4 third-down attempts on their lone scoring drive. After that, they converted just one out of 10.
The defensive line had probably its best game of the season. Zach Harrison, Haskell Garrett, Ty Hamilton, Tyleik Williams, Jerron Cage, and Tyreke Smith all found themselves in the backfield recording either a sack or a tackle for loss, and in the case of Harrison, Garrett, Hamilton and Smith... both, actually.
Indiana managed just 48 yards rushing and 80 yards passing.
Helmet Stickers
- Zach Harrison: This guy had sky-high expectations coming into the season, and this was a game where it felt like he was starting to live up to them.
- The rest of the defensive line for reasons already mentioned.
- Steele Chambers: Recorded the team's only forced fumble of the night. He continues to improve at a new position.
Jim Tressel's Least Favorite Moment Of The Game
President Tressel is not, you may be surprised to learn, a huge fan of night games on general principles ("Nothing good happens past 10 p.m., I've always said that," he told Miss Ellen when the game time was announced), so after a morning spent writing thank you letters to donors and and notes of encouragement to random Youngstown State students, he suck in a quick nap before cheering on the Penguins in a tough loss to Indiana State.
"Well, at least one Ohio team is going to get a win over an Indiana team today," he said on his way back to The Residence. After a quick dinner and some light reading ("I'm really going to finish War and Peace this time..."), the five-time national champion poured a fresh mug of masala chai and turned on the television.
After tamping down what might have been a not-entirely positive comment about the rather strange Nissan hairball commercial during the pregame show, Tressel again wondered why on earth it takes four hours to play a 60-minute game these days. But finally the actual game was underway and both teams were off to a hot start.
Then Ohio State's defense forced a three-and-out, which was exciting because it gave a chance for the special teams guru to see if Indiana could flip the field. He was not best pleased when the Hoosiers' James Evans booted it just 30 yards, but hey, everyone has an off day now and again.
After Ohio State scored its third touchdown of the game and managed another three-and-out, the Indiana punt team trotted out with a chance to redeem itself. But with the rain pouring and the home team pinned inside its own 20, Evans couldn't hang on to a high snap and had to track the ball down deep in his own endzone. Ohio State's Marvin Harrison, Jr., capitalized on the blunder.
That's @MarvHarrisonJr making the tackle for the safety.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 24, 2021
No. 5 @OhioStateFB extends its early lead to 23-7. pic.twitter.com/4F4akJnN9Q
"I suppose they don't even practice snapping a wet ball these days," Tressel spluttered in his disappointment. "If you're not working on the little things in practice, you're not going to be ready for the big moments in the big games."
Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect. - Margaret Mitchell #QuietTime
— Jim Tressel (@JimTressel5) October 20, 2021
It Was Over When...
...Jack Tuttle left the game after Indiana's solitary touchdown. The Hoosiers likely didn't stand a chance with Tuttle in the game either, but with him out of action it gave Ohio State license to be as aggressive as they wanted to be defensively, and gave the team no shortage of confidence that they could have their way with the home team.
Up Next: A primetime date with No. 7 Penn State, a team reeling from a 9OT loss to Illinois in Happy Valley. The Buckeyes appear to be trotting out their scarlet color rush uniforms to welcome a team that heretofore considered itself a contender for the Big Ten East crown.
