Breaking trends can be difficult, especially when they are more than 30 years in the making.
Not only would a win Saturday over No. 6 Ohio State have been IU’s first since 1988, it also would have been the school’s first victory over a top-10 opponent since 1987. Instead the Hoosiers were met with defeat. The Buckeyes rolled to a 51-10 win.
“We just didn’t execute to our standard that we created for ourselves,” fifth year linebacker Reakwon Jones said. “Lot of people are disappointed. Just make sure people come back Monday with the right attitude, the right mindset.”
Redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sat out with an undisclosed injury after experiencing discomfort in practice this week. Junior quarterback Peyton Ramsey, who started all 12 games last year, trotted out with the first-team offense in his place.
Ramsey played well in a 49-26 loss at Ohio State last season, throwing for three touchdowns, over 300 yards and no interceptions. Saturday, however, was a much different story. Playing in front of a home crowd and being a year older didn’t help Ramsey when IU needed it most.
The Hoosiers played the Buckeyes closely deep into the second and third quarters the last two meetings but had not nearly as much to show for Saturday. IU’s defense earned a few stops early, including a missed field goal on Ohio State’s first drive, but ultimately allowed the opposing offense to go to work.
Sophomore quarterback Justin Fields ran for a touchdown and threw two in the first half before a safety and junior running back J.K. Dobbins rushing score brought Ohio State’s score total to 30. Just before halftime, fifth year receiver Donavan Hale caught a screen and threw over the defense for a 49-yard touchdown to sophomore tight end Peyton Hendershot, closing the gap to 30-10.
The Buckeyes tacked on two more offensive touchdowns and continued to get stops on defense. With a 44-10 lead, Ohio State let up a little bit and allowed Ramsey to go on a long drive. On the last play of the third quarter, the quarterback was picked off in front of the goal line by senior cornerback Damon Arnette, who returned it 96 yards for another Ohio State touchdown.
The Hoosier defense stood its ground at first and covered the field well before the Buckeyes made some crucial in-game adjustments. Fields and Dobbins, Ohio State’s two most lethal playmakers, combined for over 400 total yards and six touchdowns. Dobbins finished the afternoon with 207 total yards and a number of broken tackles.
“A lot of times it’s getting into position,” IU head coach Tom Allen said. “If you’re not in the right position against an elite running back like they have, then that’s usually what happens.”
With six minutes to go in the game, IU forced a fumble and pounced on it in Ohio State territory. Allen sent out freshman quarterback Jack Tuttle to take Ramsey’s place in the huddle. The quarterback transfer completed one of two passes and put together no scoring drives.
For Allen, he's dissapointed in the loss but he's looking at the big picture with at least eight games remaining.
“The team that we just played, there are about eight teams in the country that look like those guys do," Allen said. "The fight and the eternal fire that you have that makes you keep going, it never stops, it never changes, it never goes away. If you want to be special, you’ve got to have grit.”
