Let me start things off by saying I respect Indiana and the run the Hoosiers have been on. They are not known as a football school. And it's nice to see a dark horse put the rest of the country on notice that they're here to play. Curt Cignetti had the Hoosiers playing some good football.
But with that said, he learned a couple painful lessons today:
Don't talk trash until after you win.
In order to win against Ohio State, you have to have the talent to keep up with them first.
When Cignetti was introduced as Indiana's head coach at an IU basketball game, he said Ohio State and Michigan both sucked. He also said something that now has become an instant classic in the world of internet memes:
"It's pretty simple, I win. Google me."
Newsflash, Coach: If you're gonna take your shot at the big dogs, you'd better not miss. Or they'll chew you up and spit you out.
Google him now. He's got a big black mark on his record after the Buckeyes manhandled his team today. He probably would've been smart to stay quiet and let his coaching do the talking for him.
I'm all for confidence from a head coach when it comes to firing up an underdog team. I love it. And Curt Cignetti is a great coach at this point in his career. He's won everywhere he's been before this (IUP, Elon, James Madison).
But to me, Coach Cignetti's confidence almost bordered on cockiness. He was humbled today. How'd Ohio State do it? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory!
Smothering Pass Rush!
Boy I've missed this. I know Ohio State's defense has been solid for most of the year at all levels minus the Oregon game. But even for the Buckeyes' standards, their pass rush has sometimes struggled to get going in my opinion.
They've been good, but not overpowering and overwhelming. Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson loves nicknaming his unit The Rushmen. They didn't show up at all vs. Oregon early in the season, and started showing up at Penn State.
But this was their best performance all year. Indiana had no answer for the Buckeye pass rush. Particularly in third and long situations. The Hoosiers had no way to keep Kurtis Rourke clean or upright, which basically shut down everything they wanted to do offensively. They surrendered five sacks to a hungry Ohio State defensive line. Three of them came on third and long. I think those third and long bullrushes were actually the turning point in the game.
Ohio State was incredibly physical, controlled the line of scrimmage and bottled Indiana up for the majority of the game, holding the Hoosiers to just 151 total yards (68 yards passing and 83 yards rushing). And when you can't even control the line of scrimmage, I don't care how well you've done all year. You're not going to win.
Linemen are the most important players in any football game. Offensive line and defensive lines aren't the most flashy or sexy units. But how they both perform determines how the rest of the game goes. Ohio State's defensive line controlled the trenches today, and it wasn't even remotely close.
The Buckeyes controlled another big area of the game too...
Solid Running Game!
Every time the Buckeyes have a great day running the football, I get excited. Controlling the trenches is one thing. Steadily being able to run the football is another. If a team can consistently run the football, it opens up everything else in the playbook.
The Buckeyes ran the ball 29 times for 115 yards and two scores. It wasn't the most explosive day running the football. But Ohio State still averaged four yards per carry. That's an extremely workman-like effort. This team grinds. I just hope Coach Day doesn't abandon the running game later in the season. We're going to need it no matter how far we go.
And it also wouldn't hurt if the next unit showed up big in the postseason. They certainly did today!
Superb Special Teams!
I really think special teams units on football teams don't get enough credit. They're underappreciated. They're like referees: The only time you notice them is if they do something bad. Like miss extra points or field goals.
They deserve more praise. And they certainly deserve it when they did what the Buckeye special teams unit did today. Their spotlight moment was one play in particular. But boy it was a massive one.
Caleb Downs took an Indiana punt, spun out of tackles like someone hit the spin move button in College Football 25, and followed his convoy of blockers 79 yards for a touchdown!
Kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns are extremely rare in this game. This one was even rarer for Ohio State. How rare? Read on to find out!
By the Numbers
Here are some interesting numbers to chew on!
Today's win over Indiana marks the 30th win in a row for the Buckeyes over the Hoosiers. The last time Indiana beat Ohio State? 1988 in John Cooper's first year in Columbus, when the Buckeyes went a miserable 4-6-1. The Hoosiers won that game 41-7 in Bloomington.
The last time Indiana had any kind of "winning streak" against Ohio State was in 1987-1988. The Hoosiers beat Earle Bruce in his final year in Columbus, and defeated new coach John Cooper the following year.
The overall series now stands at 81-12-5 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Before Caleb Downs's punt return for a touchdown today, the last time Ohio State scored a touchdown on a kick or punt return, was almost exactly 10 years ago to the day. Jalin Marshall took one to the house for the Buckeyes on November 22, 2014...against who else, but Indiana.
Up Next
Every Buckeye now knows what time it is. It's officially our favorite week of the year. Rivalry Week. Hell Week. That Team Up North. The battle against the Sons of Satan wearing the Maize and Blue jerseys.
Whatever you want to call it or call them, it's almost here. Next Saturday, November 30th, 2024 at noon, Ohio State will get another crack at taking out their frustrations on the Wolverines. Five years of frustration, to be exact.
Wolverine fans, Buckeye haters, and Ohio State fans who don't know history, often forget that Ryan Day HAS beaten Michigan before. He did it in his very first year in 2019. Ohio State won 56-27 that year, and sent the folks in Ann Arbor into another long, sad, angry winter.
But for as great as he's been at Ohio State, Coach Day has yet to beat the Wolverines with his own guys. Coach Day did win against TTUN in his first season. But a lot of the players on that roster were Urban Meyer's guys. Now it's time for Coach Day to show he can do it with the team he's assembled on his own.
Ohio State should be the heavy favorite next week at home against a Wolverine squad that's struggling to stay at .500 or barely above. But you never know. When these two ancient enemies play every year, toss the records and trends out the window like they're your cheating ex's old clothes!
I don't know about all of you, but this next week is going to go slower for me than molasses in the dead of winter. But until then...
GO BUCKS!!!
Statistical Leaders
Will Howard: 22-26, 201 yards, 2 TDs
TreVeyon Henderson: 9 carries, 68 yards, TD
Emeka Egbuka: 7 catches, 80 yards, TD
Sources
ESPN
Yahoo Sports
Wikipedia
Big Noon Saturday on FOX
Picture Credit
ESPN
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