There are a few sentences you don’t expect to say in the world of sports. Some could be, “the Cleveland Browns have won the Super Bowl,” or “Rob Manfred likes baseball.” In college football, “Indiana beats Ohio State” is not a phrase many would have on their bingo cards. However, after an impressive 13-10 win in Indianapolis, it happened. In just his second year taking over one of the worst programs in the history of college football, Curt Cignetti took down Ohio State and won the Big Ten. It is the Hoosiers’ first outright Big Ten title since the end of World War II.
How could this happen? Ohio State has been the consensus top team all year, with many deeming it unbeatable. Of course, those who said that haven’t sit down to really watch this team. There are flaws, and Indiana perfectly exploited them. In some cases, the Hoosiers made life difficult. In others, all it needed to do was sit back and watch as the Buckeyes get in their own way.
There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it: Indiana is the king of the Big Ten this year. It is the best team, and it showed it on the field. Complain about missed calls here and there, Big Ten officials have been missing things for years. You have to game plan against not one-sided officiating, just bad officiating in general. The Buckeyes benefited from some missed calls, as did Indiana. It is what it is when you suit up in the Big Ten.
Indiana Outcoaches Ohio State, Exploits Weaknesses To Win Big Ten
Google “Who Calls the Plays For Ohio State”
Cignetti flat-out outcoached Ryan Day and his offensive staff. Broyles Award finalist and Hoosier defensive coordinator Bryant Haines had the answer to pressure Julian Sayin. For a team that allowed just six sacks in 12 games, Ohio State let Sayin get pummeled for five sacks in this one alone. The right side of the offensive line has been the literal Achilles’ Heel for this team, and Indiana came equipped with a full quiver of arrows.
The offensive game plan for this game was…odd. The Buckeyes used a lot of 13 personnel and often took their stars off the field. Ohio State’s running game just wasn’t working because Indiana was blowing up anything and everything the Buckeyes wanted to do by exploiting the right guard position. As a result, Ohio State decided to go away from what works (throwing it to two NFL receivers).
247Sports’ Dave Biddle alleges that Day has taken playcalling back in the biggest moments of the year from Brian Hartline. If you remember last year’s loss to Michigan, the Big Ten Championship sure felt similar.
When Ohio State got down to the red zone, it forgot that Jeremiah Smith existed. This wasn’t a case of Day trying to beat Indiana by being more physical, as was the case against Michigan last year. Rather, Day just had a bad game plan. It happens. He asserts the Buckeyes will learn from this loss and come out even more hungry in the CFP.
We will see.
Overshadowed
The worst part about Ohio State losing to Indiana is the fact that the Buckeye defense was incredible once again. Yes, it allowed over 300 yards for just the second time this year. However, Indiana had four drives reach the red zone, and the Buckeyes only allowed 13 points. It tightened up when it needed to. Even on the Indiana touchdown, it took a perfect only-where-Elijah-Sarratt-could-get-it throw from Fernando Mendoza. Despite the looks from Matt Patricia’s defense, Mendoza looked every bit worth the hype. While that isn’t a surprise to this author, it was a surprise to many who downplayed his feats because “it’s still just Indiana.”
Back to what could have been, Caden Curry and Sonny Styles were incredible. Curry was a massive part of keeping Indiana in check, especially in the first half. The Indiana native finished the game with a pair of sacks, three tackles for loss, and a pass deflection. Styles, meanwhile, led all players regardless of team with 12 total tackles. He came up huge in run defense and stonewalled the Hoosier backs. Every time he went in for a hit, he blew back whoever was carrying the ball and didn’t give up an inch.
Normally, 13 points is more than enough to win a game like this. The Ohio State defense has been one of, if not the best, units in the nation all year, and that didn’t change in Indianapolis. It’s too bad that it was overshadowed by the offense forgetting how to score.
Onto The Next One
At 12-1, Ohio State is likely going to drop in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Is a three-point loss in a conference championship going to be worth one, two, or three spots?
There is a fine argument, and you’re more than justified to think this way, that the Buckeyes should drop to number four. Indiana, Georgia, and Texas Tech all took care of business and won their respective conferences. The Buckeyes are at the complete mercy of the committee. If anyone feels slighted, there is a simple solution: win.
Day and his offensive staff needed a wakeup call, so it’s good that it happened in the Big Ten Championship and not the Rose Bowl. Imagine being the Big Ten champions, ranked first, and being completely overwhelmed in the Rose Bowl in your first game in the CFP. That would be awful.
Whether it’s the Orange, Sugar, or Cotton Bowl, Ohio State needs to get ready. While a narrow loss to, now, the best team in the nation is not the end of the world, it’s a stark reminder that no matter how good you are, someone is going to come in, punch you in the mouth, and expect to win.
Cignetti wins. Cignetti won. If both teams can take care of business, maybe we get a rematch on January 17 in Miami.
Main Image: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
