COLUMBUS, Ohio — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana 38-15 on Saturday.
All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) needs to do now is beat Michigan at home next weekend and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 on Oct. 12.
The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times.
Late in the first half, Indiana punter James Evans fumbled a snap and was buried at his 7-yard line with the Buckeyes taking over. That turned quickly into a 4-yard Henderson touchdown run that gave the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead.
Early in the second half, Caleb Downs fielded an Evans punt at the Ohio State 21, raced down the right sideline, cut to the middle and outran the coverage for a touchdown that put the Buckeyes up 21-7. It was the first time a Buckeye returned a punt for a score since 2014.
Howard finished 22-for-26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Indiana scored on its first possession and its last, both short runs by Ty Son Lawton, who led the Hoosiers with 79 rushing yards. Rourke was 8-for-18 for 68 yards.
The takeaway
Indiana: Its special season was blemished by the Buckeyes, who beat the Hoosiers for the 30th straight time. Indiana was eyeing its first conference crown since sharing one with two teams in 1967.
Ohio State: Didn’t waste the opportunities presented by the Hoosiers when they got sloppy. The Buckeyes led 14-7 at the break and took control in the second half. An offensive line patched together because of multiple injuries performed surprisingly well.
Up next
Indiana: Hosts Purdue on Saturday.
Ohio State: Hosts Michigan on Saturday.
