Strength against strength was a complete mismatch.
No. 5 Ohio State’s top-ranked offense steamrolled Indiana on Saturday night in rainy Bloomington. The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on their first six drives of the game and added a safety during that stretch in what was a complete dismantling of IU.
The second sellout crowd of the season at Memorial Stadium once again left disappointed. Most of the IU faithful had seen enough by halftime, vanishing into the tunnels never to be seen again as Ohio State amassed a 44-7 advantage at the break.
Meanwhile the Buckeyes were cheered as they ran off the field to the halftime locker rooms by what was a significant contingent of OSU fans.
Ohio State outgained Indiana 334 yards to 54 in the first half, and any hope that the Hoosiers might keep pace with the OSU offensive juggernaut quickly vanished when Hoosiers quarterback Jack Tuttle was injured while throwing a touchdown pass on IU’s first drive of the game. From that play on IU had -21 yards of offense in their final five drives of the first half, and just 53 yards for the rest of the game.
“Definitely without him in there it wasn’t quite the same,” head coach Tom Allen said after the game.
Allen didn’t specify the nature of Tuttle’s injury but said x-rays came back negative and further tests will be conducted. He could be seen limping on the sidelines.
Indiana rallied from a 35-7 deficit to pull to within seven against the Buckeyes in 2020, but with the third and fourth string quarterbacks leading the way for Indiana this time, there was never a realistic hope for a comeback.
Tuttle likely would have made little difference in this one. The Big Ten East foes went through the motions in the second half, with the Buckeyes ultimately coming out on top 54-7.
“As tough as tonight was, we need to just put this one in the trash and press on,” Allen said.
Indiana fell to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten, and the Hoosiers find themselves a long way from lofty preseason expectations.
“We’re not anywhere close to where any of us thought we were going to be, but at the same time I’m proud of our guys for staying together, and I think that’s what they’re going to continue to do,” Allen said.
The Hoosiers will travel to Maryland next weekend.
GAME NOTES:
- The loss was Indiana’s worst since a 51-3 defeat against Wisconsin in 2013.
- Tight end Peyton Hendershot became the program’s all-time receptions leader for a tight end during the game. He had five catches for 35 yards to lead the way for IU. He has 118 receptions for his career.
- Tuttle was 4-of-7 for 41 yards before leaving the game. Freshman Donaven McCulley and walk-on Grant Gremel combined to go 4-of-10 for 39 yards.
- The Hoosiers rushed for just 67 sack adjusted yards and 2.1 yards per carry on that basis.
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