Caleb Downs couldn't have chosen a better moment to break Ohio State's 10-year drought of return touchdowns on special teams.
With the Buckeyes ahead 14-7 in the third quarter, Downs fielded a punt off a couple of bounces at his own 21-yard line. It looked like a questionable catch, until Downs slipped past one defender, hit a second with a nasty spin move and outraced Indiana's coverage team 79 yards to the end zone.
CALEB DOWNS TO THE HOUSE @OhioStateFB starts the second half with a bang pic.twitter.com/XT4Wrax5CI
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024
It's the first return touchdown of any kind for Ohio State since Nov. 22, 2014, when Jalin Marshall returned a punt for a score against Indiana. Not only did that runback come against the same opponent as the Buckeyes are facing on Saturday, but it was also in the second-to-last week of the season before OSU's annual tilt with Michigan.
Downs didn't open the year as Ohio State's punt returner, with the duties instead lying at the feet of wide receiver Brandon Inniss. Downs made his first appearance returning punts midway through the 2024 campaign, a decision that clearly paid off against the Hoosiers for the Buckeyes.
It's the second punt return touchdown of Downs' career, as he had an 85-yard punt return score for Alabama last year against Chattanooga.
Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for more coverage of Ohio State and Indiana's top-five tilt.
